Somebody who struggles with lower back pain may feel like they have a constant battle, sometimes waking up in pain or having to take pain medication just to go to sleep. To avoid experiencing back pain so often, there are some bodyweight exercises for lower back that can help.
Doing exercises that specifically benefit the lower back can strengthen your back and reduce how often you suffer from back pain and how severe that back pain is. I’ll share with you some body weight exercises for lower back Reddit swears by that I hope will be a help to you.
Back pain can be caused by overworking your back, straining your back, sleeping in the wrong position, spending too much time sitting down, or simply living a sedentary lifestyle. Some of these may be things that you can avoid and others might not be quite so avoidable. Once you know a few bodyweight exercises for lower back pain, you can benefit with a stronger back and one that’s less prone to debilitating pain.
Best Bodyweight Exercises for Lower Back
Planks
I want to start off simple with something that just about anyone can do. No matter what your activity level is or what kind of exercises you’re used to doing, you should be able to handle planks. That’s why these are considered one of the best body weight exercises for the lower back.
If you’re not familiar with them, planks are basically holding a position that’s close to the floor, supporting yourself by your hands and your feet. There are a few different plank positions you can try, and the most common one requires that you support yourself with your forearms and your toes. Those should be the only parts of your body touching the floor, and the rest of your body should be kept as straight as possible. Holding this position for a few seconds is considered a single plank. Some people hold a plank for five seconds and others will do longer ones, perhaps holding those for up to 30 seconds.
In between each plank, you can rest yourself and then do another one, going through a series of reps. You can probably start off with about 10 of these and see how you handle that. Over time, doing regular plank reps can build up your lower back and help you to avoid injury in that area.
There are tons of different planking positions you can use, so check out some of the different options online that can help you inject some variety into your planking routine.
Supine Gluteal Bridge
When you’re trying to strengthen your lower back and avoid back injuries, you must focus on more than just your back. There are other muscles that support your back that you can work to strengthen in order to avoid injury in the future. If your gluteal muscles are weak, they could be playing a part in causing lower back pain.
This exercise starts in a sit-up position, with your body lying flat on the floor and your arms at your sides. Use your feet to press down against the floor and lift your hips, using your glutes. Extend until there is a straight line from the heels to the shoulders and hold that for a few seconds. From that position, lower back down to the starting position. You can do 10 of these to start with, resting for a few seconds after doing 10, and then continuing with a couple more sets.
Your gluteal muscles will support you as you do basic activities like running and walking, as well as exercises like weightlifting and squatting. They help to support your back by bearing some of the load so that your back doesn’t have to take on so much strenuous activity on its own.
Pushups
If you can handle planks and they’re not too difficult for you, but it may be time to move on to pushups. They are very similar, but with a lot of added activity. These are some of the best body weight exercises for lower back and core, as they work a lot of your body but really do benefit your back in particular. This is also a great exercise for building arm muscles.
I said pushups are one of the best body weight for lower back exercises because they work a lot of the muscles that support your back, along with the back itself. If you’re not used to doing pushups, you may want to start off in the easy pushup position. This means resting your weight on your knees and toes and then placing your palms flat down on the floor in front of you. You should hold yourself off the ground with your palms, keeping your face close to the ground and your arms extended all the way down. Then, bend your arms at the elbows until your face almost touches the ground. Return immediately to your starting position, and that’s one knee pushup.
For a tougher and more challenging pushup, you will keep your knees out of it. Hold yourself off the ground with just the palms of your hands and your toes with your body extended in a straight line as much as possible. Keep your arm extended out until you’re ready to start the pushup, at which point you’ll bend your arms at the elbows. Go down until your face almost touches the ground and then return immediately to the starting position.
These are one of the best bodyweight compound exercises for lower back. Why are they considered compound exercises? Any exercise that works multiple muscle groups at the same time fits into that category, and pushups definitely qualify.
There are a lot of different ways you can change up these lower back exercises for men bodyweight back strengthening, doing faster pushups, one arm pushups, clap pushups, wall pushups, elevated pushups, and more.
Superman
To start this exercise off, lay flat on your stomach on a mat or the floor. Place your arms forward and your palms on the ground, lifting your head just slightly so it’s not touching the ground.
From that position, raise your upper body (from your waist on up) and raise your legs as well. This should form your body into an arch. As you hold this position, make sure your knees in your chest are not touching the floor and allow your head and neck to remain in a neutral position. Try not to keep your next stretched at all while you do this, as you can cause yourself neck pain and discomfort. Try to keep your chin tucked under you as well.
As you’re extending your arms, you can bend them slightly, and you can create body tension or decrease body tension as you lower and raise your legs and upper body at the same time.
Body weight exercises for lower back strength like these that don’t require a lot of exertion are a great way to start out. They can be performed by almost anyone and are a good warm up exercise or cool down exercise. They help to stretch out your muscles, relieving tension and reducing the risk of muscle soreness after you work out.
These are just a few exercises to get you started, and you can find plenty more if you look online. Strengthening your lower back and the surrounding muscles is important if you want to reduce back pain and live pain free as much as possible. By making these exercises part of your regular workout routine, you can have a much stronger back and not have to deal with that pain nearly as often.
