Strengthening for mid to lower back & mid to lower abdomen?

marshxomellow

My mid to lower back and mid to lower core definitely need strengthening. Any simple exercises you recommend? Also I'm looking for simple exercises to strengthen my obliques.

heybales

Point and click, look through the exercise you can do based on weights available.

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/WtFemale.html

Cherimoose

My mid to lower back and mid to lower core definitely need strengthening.

Why do you think that? If you're trying to lose fat from those areas, google "spot reduction myth". Basically, you can't target fat loss.

I would follow any good full-body strength training program, like New Rules of Lifting.

BUZZIEST

I have had chronic back pain for a number of years. What really helped for me to strengthen both my back and core (as well as the rest of my body) was pilates.

marshxomellow

I'm not trying to spot reduce. & I know that I can't pick and choose where I'm going to lose fat. I just know that those areas need more strengthening.

Cherimoose

Our midsection is designed to work with the rest of the body, not in isolation, hence the importance of a full-body strength training program.

heybales

Our midsection is designed to work with the rest of the body, not in isolation, hence the importance of a full-body strength training program.

Ya, except those areas as a foundation to doing good full-body routines may be a very weak link.

Therefore meaning rest of your body really isn't getting a good workout yet.

And it could take forever for those areas to get stronger only being used in a stabilizer function.

So you have to do auxiliary work on weak areas to get them up to what allows a good workout for rest of the body.

Otherwise you are wasting major time.

Considering your advice, your are obviously familiar with squats.
Watch some videos regarding good form, and the good videos/instructors will also include what needs improvement to keep good form that has nothing to do with squats itself, and since that usually includes weak muscles, they get in to other exercises for those areas specifically.

Cherimoose

Auxiliary exercises are great to supplement a good full-body lifting program, but by themselves, they do not create a strong person. That's like building the foundation for a house, and then trying to live in it -- it's missing the rest of the house!
9 times out of 10, when someone asks how to strengthen their midsection, it's because they're not following a good full-body lifting program, because a good program already addresses which auxiliary exercises to do, and also how to incorporate them with the rest of the program so as to avoid over-training those areas.
Some people shouldn't do certain auxiliary exercises - for example, someone with "swayback" (tight lumbar muscles) should avoid lumbar hyperextension exercises, because that can worsen their posture and increase back pain. So auxiliary exercises should be chosen only after careful diagnosis - they shouldn't be done indiscriminately based on hunches.