Your upper back holds your latissimus dorsi--the largest muscle in the back--as well as your trapezius, which have a triangular shape. The erector spinae is a group of muscles that run along your spine and support it. The longissimus, the spinalis...
The torso and shoulder are comprised of a complex series of muscles that provide a vast amount of physical mobility. Your torso muscles help support your mid and lower back, and your shoulder muscles are designed to stabilize your arms while...
To create more focused and effective workouts, know and understand what muscles in the body are used during specific exercises and moves. Squats, with or without weights, are exercises that combine a number of muscle groups, and can be added to by...
Strengthening your neck muscles can be a simple task. Neck exercises can be done anywhere and all you need is your hand to act as resistance. You may also use a resistance band, sometimes called a Thera-Band or exercise band. Work the front, back...
The lower back muscles include the erector spinae muscles. There are three heads of this muscle group that include the iliocostalis, longissimus and spinalis. The actions include the extending and rotating the spine, as well as laterally flexing...
Rowing exercises, which mimic the motions that your body makes to row a boat, train the muscles of your shoulders and back, especially those that act on the scapula bones of your upper back. Learning how each muscle works when you perform specific...
The lower-back muscle group, or erector spinae, consists of three parts: the iliocostalis, longissimus and spinalis heads. The muscle functions to extend the spine. The lower back can be strengthened by performing exercises with weights such as...
The mid back contains a strip of muscles that start by the neck and run vertically to the sacrum. Known cumulatively as the erector spinae, these muscles include the iliocostalis, longissimus and spinalis. Exercises to strengthen the lower part of...
The erector spinae is a group of long back muscles that run from the lower thoracic spine into the top of the thoracic spine. It consists of the iliocostalis, longissimus and spinalis, which work together with other back muscles to move your torso...
Normal back extension and hyperextension movements use muscles in your back to lift your torso. During back extension, you lift your torso from a bentover position until you stand perfectly straight. When you hyperextend your back, you move your...
Lower back extensions involve raising your upper body and extending the back while lying on the ground. These exercises strengthen lower back muscles, as well as abdomen muscles that promote spine health and proper posture. Several muscles...
The muscles that are worked when you do back extension is dependent on whether you use an exercise machine, what type of machine you use and whether the back extension is done in a seated position or while standing. The upright, seated back...
Good posture can give you a more confident appearance, make you look taller, leaner and your clothes to fit neater. When you have good posture, you may experience less back pain and problems. Strong stomach muscles are required to support your...
Good posture is a combination of balanced strength and flexibility in the skeletal muscles, enabling people to walk, sit or stand in a graceful manner. Conscious activation of the postural muscles is important, especially when sitting or standing...
The lower back muscles support upper body weight, protect body tissues and stabilize the spine. Since this area bears much of your weight and stress, it is the most likely part of the back to become injured. By understanding what these muscles do,...
When performing sit-ups, you're engaging more muscles than you likely thought. A sit-up works more than just your abdomen. Whether you're performing crunches, oblique crunches or full-blown sit-ups, muscles around your body are engaged to help you...
Weak muscles near the spine lead to an inability to stabilize the lower back. When the lower back is unstable, even every day activities like picking up objects can lead to lower back pain from tissue irritation or injury when the spine buckles....
Natural home treatments for pain relief may be as effective or better than prescription drugs and their side effects. Researchers at the American Pain Society report that patients found alternative treatments for chronic back pain, joint pain,...
Your muscle groups are collections of muscles found in various parts of your body, including your legs, arms, chest, back, hips and abdomen. Commonly accepted physical activity guidelines recommend that you work all of these groups twice every...
The squat is a classic, multi-joint exercise that targets a variety of muscle groups throughout your body, emphasizing those that extend your hip and knee joints. There are many variations, but the most popular may be the parallel back squat,...
Performing the front squat exercise involves standing upright with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, holding a weighted barbell across the front of your shoulders with your forearms crossed and upper arms parallel to the floor,...
Your midsection includes the erector spinae muscle group within your back and the muscles on the front and sides of your abdomen --- the rectus abdominis, transversus abdominis, and the external and internal obliques. Training these muscles...
Poor posture can cause a forward head postural deficiency, which is where the chin juts forward and tilts down. The normal curve of the neck is compromised from a forward head. The vertebrae in the neck get closer together to change the shape of...
Back extensions are exercises that require you lift your upper body from a prone position and slightly hyperextend your back. You can use these exercises to strengthen the muscles in your lower back as well as the muscles in your abdomen. The...
It's common to train the abdominal muscles and neglect the back extensors and quadratus lumborum. The resulting imbalance contributes to lower back pain. Also, the connective tissue that surrounds the abdominal muscles extends into the diaphragm...
Your spinalis thoracis muscles are part of the erector spinae muscle group that is located adjacent to your spine bilaterally. Specifically, the spinalis thoracis attaches to segments of your thoracic spine, roughly adjacent to your shoulder...
The spine is reinforced by the erector spinae group, made up of the iliocostalis, longissimus, and spinalis muscles. According to the book "Anatomy and Physiology" by Elaine Marieb, these muscles run the length of the spine, are the prime movers...
