Low back problems/ Safe leg strengthening exercises?

Hello! I've had the same problem. My doctor gave me a variety of exercises to help stretch and strengthen my lower back and core first. (variety of crunches, some yoga moves, abs exercises). They were all floor exercise, though. Eventually, it got too cold on the ground, and I moved on to the old, dusty, long forgotten home gym and a few hand weights. I found the website bodybuilding.com, which has a vast library of exercises (machine, free weights, body weight..), and it helped me sort, single out, and eventually strengthen my weak muscles, without putting a serious load on my spine. Only after that, I got to move on to serious leg work, involving leg press, barbell squats... I like this library especially, because it give a detailed explanation of the exercise, and also includes variations and warnings regarding safety or health concerns. Never experiment without your doctor's input, though.
About the previous post: The bands are a great idea! Never thought of it! There is another exercise that comes to mind: Glute kickbacks. They are usually done on a cable station, with an ankle cuff hooked to the ankle and to the lower pulley. It's a controlled strong move backwards with the straight leg, engaging your glutes. You can use the band in a similar way, secured to a low wall hook or post, and looped around your ankle. Side moves are also possible, strengthening your inner and outer thigh.
Good luck!

Hi

Norcotrek this will sound stupid but I've just had a bad car accident 16 weeks on Friday there and I started yoga and Pilates this week and I feel it's helping the back, the yoga for the stretching and Pilates builds the core they both work together after a while and will benefit the lower back. oh and swimming but don't overdo the swimming make sure u have breaks after every couple of lengths and build it up that way.
Hope this helps

I have low back problems and a slipped disk on L5-S1. My chiropractor told me it was due to tight hip flexiors, so I do hip exercises and try to stay active. If I sit for a long period of time (like at a desk or for a car or plane trip) I try to do them before and after ASAP.

It's made a world of difference :-). Now I'm working on strengthening my core so I can do more and not feel so weak. I want to go back to Crossfit, but I can't do box jumps (I'm working on body weight squats with and without a ball). Once I can do that, I'll feel more stable.

Good luck.

If the reason you can't squat or leg press is due to loading the spine, I'd take a look at rear foot elevated split squats starting with body weight.