Training the lower back

conoramck

Hi Everybody,

What's the best, and safest way to train your lower back?? It's always been an area that I've neglected in my training and I'm starting to feel the effects of that now.

Thanks in advance

Drewlssix

The basic compound lifts will naturally recruit the entire abdomen including the lower back.

What do you do currently that leaves that area lacking?

I'm thinking you might be doing primarily isolation work if you are lifting, issues like this tend to crop up when you have arm days and leg days and chest days etc. at the expense of whole body movements.

Rep4Him

Squats and deadlifts.

vgeethekeed12

Indeed squats and deadlifts greats for lower back

jimmmer

You may get away with just hoping Squatting and DLing bring up a weak lower back. Sometimes if you have a weakness somewhere you compensate for it elsewhere, build faulty patterns and still end up with the (relative) weak point.

If you want something more targeted, you could also add in stuff like hyperextensions, SLDL, good mornings, pull throughs, KB swings, etc as higher rep accessory work in addition to the big lifts to bring up the lower back and hamstrings.

ETA: also some people who think they have a weak/painful lower back have over tight hip flexors and switched off glutes, normally from sitting a lot. You can do some glute activation exercises and some psoas release work and you may find that your lumbar actually feels stronger because it's not beaten about by taking up the slack from the sleepy glutes all the time.

conoramck

Sorry for the late reply folks, I've been mostly doing HIIT and before that I was doing boxing training. I've been doing it for a number of years now. Most of the workouts tend to be full body conditioning drills, insanity type workouts.

I used to do stiff legged deadlifts with a trap bar a number of years ago. I was thinkiing about encorporating the trap bar back into my workouts because of this.

conoramck

jimmmer wrote: »

If you want something more targeted, you could also add in stuff like hyperextensions, SLDL, good mornings, pull throughs, KB swings, etc as higher rep accessory work in addition to the big lifts to bring up the lower back and hamstrings.

ETA: also some people who think they have a weak/painful lower back have over tight hip flexors and switched off glutes, normally from sitting a lot. You can do some glute activation exercises and some psoas release work and you may find that your lumbar actually feels stronger because it's not beaten about by taking up the slack from the sleepy glutes all the time.

Thanks for this, this sounds like the type of thing that I'm after. Hyper extensions because I'm mostly into body weight training. (I stopped doing weights due to injuries).

conoramck

Body weight bridges i heard are good for the lower back as well.

Cherimoose

conoramck wrote: »

What's the best, and safest way to train your lower back?? It's always been an area that I've neglected in my training and I'm starting to feel the effects of that now.

The lower back works as a team with the rest of your body, so for functional strength, i'd prioritize exercises that work multiple muscle groups, like deadlifts, stiff-leg deadlifts, dumbbell squats, bent-over barbell rows, and other practical movements. You can start with as light a weight as you please, even 10 lbs.
Like Jim said, hyperextensions are supplemental.

Then again, if you have injuries, a doctor or physical therapist might be the best person to talk to.

Chieflrg

Deads, RDL's, Squats etc...

cosmichvoyager

Strengthen your deep abdominal muscles--do dead bug, mule kicks, planks, side planks. Practice diaphragmatic breathing where you lie on your back and breathe deeply as you visualize your stomach expansion, try to pull your belly in all the way,

Kettle bells with good form can help but pack your shoulders, no elevated trapezius muscles, use the power from your glutes to move the bell and keep your whole core tight.

allie_oop_07

Improving your flexibility might not be a bad idea. If you have really tight legs or hips that can screw up your back so stretching for the splits 3 or 4 times a week would probably go a long way to help that. Hold the pose for at least 30 seconds. Anything less won't do much.

conoramck

Thanks for all the help and feedback guys, greatly appreciated. I will be incorporating a lot of what you say into my regime :-)