Exercises to Strengthen your Back
The back starts at the base of the neck and extends to the waist, supported by the spine. It’s an area that plays an important role in maintaining balance, carrying objects and exercising, among other movements. In this article, we’ll suggest some ways to strengthen your back.
To ensure the well-being of your back, depending on the movements you perform during the day, it’s necessary to strengthen your back. Add the following exercises to your routine to maintain a healthy and fit back!
How to strengthen your back through exercise
1. Superman
This exercise is called ‘superman’ due to the iconic pose of the said superhero when flying. To do it, you’ll only need a mat for the floor.
- Lie on your stomach, with your arms straight forward and your legs fully extended backward.
- Raise your arms along with your torso as much as you can; at the same time, raise your legs off the floor without flexing your knees.
- Hold that position for about ten seconds, then rest and repeat the procedure.
- You can do 2 sets of 6 repetitions.
2. Push-ups
Push-ups are an incredibly complete exercise, engaging many muscle groups at the same time. Above all, push-ups strengthen your back and upper chest. Of course, this exercise also engages your arms, full chest and abs. If you want to increase the difficulty of push-ups, you can wear a weight vest.
- Lie on your stomach and place the palms of your hands on the floor, the same width as your shoulders.
- Keep your body straight and rest your weight on your toes. Remember, it’s very important that your legs remain straight and your back doesn’t arch.
- Flex your elbows until your chest is very close to the ground. Then, straighten your arms to return to the starting position.
- At no time should you relax your body.
- If you find it complicated, the most convenient thing is that you don’t lean on your feet, but flex your knees and hold on to them.
- Do 5 sets of 10 pushups.
3. Rowing for back strength
If you have a rowing machine at home or go to a gym, don’t hesitate to use it. The rowing machine is a great ally when it comes to strengthening the legs, abdomen, arms, shoulders, and back.
- Sit with your back straight on the rowing machine. Hold the oar so that it’s aligned with your shoulders.
- Start rowing simulation by bringing your arms back, pulling the oar. At the same time, stretch your knees and lean your back slightly.
- Be careful with the technique and avoid rowing mistakes. Otherwise, you could injure yourself very badly. As with many other gym machines, you need to be careful about how to do the movements.
- Return to the starting position and repeat 10 times in 5 series.
4. Plank position to strengthen your back
The plank is the ideal exercise to tone and strengthen your back, especially those of the lower back. Of course, the plank also engages other muscle groups, and you can do it to strengthen your abs and improve balance.
- Lying on your stomach, get up on your forearms and toes. Your whole body should be straight.
- It concentrates the energy in the abdomen, legs, arms, and back. Keep your eyes forward.
- Do two sets of 30 seconds.
5. Downward-facing dog pose
The pose of the downward-facing dog is one of the most common yoga poses. Its Sanskrit name is adho mukha svanasana, and this is a yoga posture that stimulates flexibility, control, and strength in the back.
On the other hand, it’s a position that promotes blood flow, releases stress and reduces headaches. You can implement the downward facing dog during your warm-up or at the end of the sports day.
- Stand firm, looking straight ahead.
- Lean forward and place your hands on the floor. Advance until you have an inverted ‘V’ stance.
- Your back and legs should be stretched at all times, and your heels should always remain firmly rooted.
- Keep your posture and breathe calmly for 30 seconds. Repeat twice.
Strengthening your back will make you fitter and look better, while at the same time improving your health. This is because exercising your upper body reduces lower back pain and allows better performance of various movements.
In this way, it’s important that you perform the exercises mentioned above in order to strengthen your back. Including these exercises in your daily routine will make you stronger and fitter!
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Stuber, K. J., Bruno, P., Sajko, S., & Hayden, J. A. (2014). Core stability exercises for low back pain in athletes: A systematic review of the literature. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. https://doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0000000000000081
- Sinaki, M., Itoi, E., Wahner, H. W., Wollan, P., Gelzcer, R., Mullan, B. P., … Hodgson, S. F. (2002). Stronger back muscles reduce the incidence of vertebral fractures: A prospective 10 year follow-up of postmenopausal women. Bone, 30(6), 836–841. https://doi.org/10.1016/S8756-3282(02)00739-1
- Chou, R., Qaseem, A., Snow, V., Casey, D., Cross, T. J., Shekelle, P., & Owens, D. K. (2007, October 2). Diagnosis and treatment of low back pain: A joint clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society. Annals of Internal Medicine. American College of Physicians. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-147-7-200710020-00006
