back strengthening exercises

zytah

so tonight I threw out my lower back trying to pick up my 20 month old to take him to bed.

when my back is at 100% again, what can I do to strengthen it up? back injuries and babies don't mix too well and id like to avoid a repeat.

ive seen my doctor and a chiropractor the last time I hurt it and they found nothing physically wrong with me. just had me strap on a back brace til I was better...

any suggestions will help me greatly. thanks!

catfive1

Strengthen your core and abs.

lenkearney

suggest you first look at how you lift. If you are bending over - curving your back- that is part of the problem . Lower your body, grab him/her, and lift with your legs - back as straight as possible.

there are a lot of exercises to strengthen your back- do you have access to a gym? ,maybe a trainer?

Start with this low back exercise.

on all fours on the floor. Extend your left leg straight back, head up, if ok - extend your right arm (opposite sides). hold for ten seconds. lower and repeat on opposite side (right leg, left arm). that is one rep.

if you cant do ten, do five and work your way up.

try for a set of ten reps. work your way up to 3-4 sets of ten.

on alternate days do planks - get a stop watch or clock ( you will need it)
lay on floor - lift up until on toes and elbows - hold body straight - try for 30 seconds, rest 30 sec - back up
when you can do 3 reps - increase time to 45 second, rest 45.
work up to 60 up, 60 rest.

when you can do this - look for other back exercises. menshealth.com is a good site for body weight exercises.

Godspeed

toutmonpossible

Ab exercises

Captain's Chair
Bicycles
Planks


Lower back exercises

Bridges
Clamshells
Pelvic tilts on your back and standing
Superman
The exercise where you're on all fours and you lift your right arm and left leg, and then your left arm and right leg.

Google "exercises for lumbar instability."
Consciously tense your abs before you pick up your child.

cicisiam

bump

zytah

Strengthen your core and abs.

I have been making an attempt to do some planks and am failing miserably at it. I know it will get better in time but its really discouraging when I cant keep straight for more than 10 seconds. :laugh:

suggest you first look at how you lift. If you are bending over - curving your back- that is part of the problem . Lower your body, grab him/her, and lift with your legs - back as straight as possible.

there are a lot of exercises to strengthen your back- do you have access to a gym? ,maybe a trainer?

Start with this low back exercise.

on all fours on the floor. Extend your left leg straight back, head up, if ok - extend your right arm (opposite sides). hold for ten seconds. lower and repeat on opposite side (right leg, left arm). that is one rep.

if you cant do ten, do five and work your way up.

try for a set of ten reps. work your way up to 3-4 sets of ten.

on alternate days do planks - get a stop watch or clock ( you will need it)
lay on floor - lift up until on toes and elbows - hold body straight - try for 30 seconds, rest 30 sec - back up
when you can do 3 reps - increase time to 45 second, rest 45.
work up to 60 up, 60 rest.

when you can do this - look for other back exercises. menshealth.com is a good site for body weight exercises.

Godspeed

I don't have access to a gym or trainer anymore. im a stay at home mom to a 4 year old as well. never had back problems until my second was born. I guess I really let myself go since then. I don't lift the kids any differently than I do for anything else. I can lift a 40 lb bag of rice, dog/cat food, kitty litter easily with no problems but go figure picking up a baby not even 30 pounds would send my back screaming.

thanks for the suggestion and I will look into menshealth for more help.

BeachIron

Deadlifts. If you can't do them in a gym with barbells then get a sandbag online and do them with that. Or use that 40 pound bag of rice until you can use a 50 pound bag, and then get a sandbag. Being able to pick up heavy stuff and put it down without injuring yourself is a good sign of a healthy lower back.

zytah

I actually have a set of changeable dumbells and a barbell my younger brother left behind before he left for the air force. I don't have a bench or none of that other fancy stuff though.

zytah

Ab exercises

Captain's Chair
Bicycles
Planks


Lower back exercises

Bridges
Clamshells
Pelvic tilts on your back and standing
Superman
The exercise where you're on all fours and you lift your right arm and left leg, and then your left arm and right leg.

Google "exercises for lumbar instability."
Consciously tense your abs before you pick up your child.

thanks I will try doing some of these moves when I am better!

BeachIron

I actually have a set of changeable dumbells and a barbell my younger brother left behind before he left for the air force. I don't have a bench or none of that other fancy stuff though.

Deadlifts are very simple and very effective. All you do is pick the bar off the floor and put it back down. Form is crucial but they will strengthen your lower back like nothing else. You can get on bodybuilding.com and youtube.com for form help. Check out what Mark Rippetoe has to say and if you want to do it right, then check out his book Starting Strength. You can also check out Strong Lifts 5x5, The New Rules of Lifting, and some others if you want to expand that into a full lifting program.

zytah

I actually have a set of changeable dumbells and a barbell my younger brother left behind before he left for the air force. I don't have a bench or none of that other fancy stuff though.

Deadlifts are very simple and very effective. All you do is pick the bar off the floor and put it back down. Form is crucial but they will strengthen your lower back like nothing else. You can get on bodybuilding.com and youtube.com for form help. Check out what Mark Rippetoe has to say and if you want to do it right, then check out his book Starting Strength. You can also check out Strong Lifts 5x5, The New Rules of Lifting, and some others if you want to expand that into a full lifting program.

wonderful! I will dust those weights off when I am able and get to it then (after figuring out how to do them of course)! thank you for the book and web suggestions that helps a lot!!

TheEffort

Lower back extensions.
Situps
Planking

Pull Ups

donnaleighh

I had a major back injury about two years ago - maintaining good core strength is vital as others have said here - I did pilates with a physiotherapist for about 6 months which really got me back to form, used recumbent bike for cardio until I could take any impact and stay upright and mobile, swimming is good too.

Of course, always be careful how you lift (easier said than done when you have little ones!) I hope it recovers soon ...