Lower Back Exercises With Fun Noodles

Water is a low gravity environment you can use to exercise your lower back. When you add a fun noodle to your workout, you incorporate a tool that can be used for stretching and strengthening exercises. According to the Biscup Spine Institute, exercising in water allows you to strengthen your lower back without your back having to support the weight of your body. When you reduce the pressure on your spine, you also reduce back discomfort.

Stretching

If you are currently experiencing back pain, increasing the flexibility in your back may provide relief. You can do this exercise with one or two noodles. If you use one, place the middle of the noodle behind your back, underneath your armpits and hold onto the noodle with your hands. To add your second noodle, lie back, extend your legs and place the middle of the noodle behind your ankles with the ends out to the sides. You stretch your back by lying face up with your legs extended and then pulling your knees toward your chest. Stretching is most effective when you maintain the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.

Strengthening

You can strengthen your lower back using a noodle in the shallow end of the pool. Imagine your noodle as a golf club that you will swing under water to condition your lower back. You can do this with a full noodle, but if you bend your noodle in half you will have greater control during the movement. Begin standing with your legs hip-distance apart and hold the ends of your bent noodle together with both hands. You swing your golf club by lifting both arms to the right and then pushing the noodle all the way to the left. You are swinging your noodle in each direction.

Rotation

Spinal rotation helps increase the range of motion in your lower back. Use one noodle behind your upper back and underneath your arms and a second noodle to sit on as if it were a horse. One end of the second noodle with be on the front side of your body and the other end on the back side of your body. Perform the rotation by twisting your lower body to the right and then to the left. As you rotate your spine, keep you upper body still.

Decompression

One of the benefits of exercising in a reduced gravity environment is decompression of your spine. By hanging from a noodle, you create space between your vertebrae and can mimic spinal traction therapy performed at a doctor's office. You use your noodle placed behind your upper back and underneath your arms. Perform this exercise in deep water so that you can straighten your legs beneath you and allow them to hang.