The Three simplest back exercises.

In My Humble Opinion
1

I need some help with back exercises.

(back story; I injured my lower back being a caregiver, over a long period, also aging etc, have had an accessment by Dr. and by physio therapist who assured me I hadn’t damaged it permanently, I can exercise my way out of it! Yeah!)

But I just can’t seem to get with the program somehow. I’ve been given a complicated series of exercises for the ball. But the truth is I can’t seem to make it work. I feel like an awkward fish whenever I try it. It feels like I will certainly injury myself.

I’ve looked up back exercises on the internet but again, there’s a lot of complicated routines, somewhat beyond what I seem to be able to get into.

So, having thought about it a bit, I’ve decided to take another tack. (Because it’s very important to me that I work on this.)

I’m thinking I should seek out the 3 only, simplest back exercises to begin with, no special equipment needed, no need to join a gym etc. And begin by integrating those few simple things really well into my daily routine.

Once I’ve achieved that then I can begin to build on that foundation toward more difficult programs and targeted routines.

So how about it? I know we have a lot of work out gurus here. Care to contribute your favorite simple exercise?

Any help offered would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

2

The best exercise I found for my back was walking. I could hardly make it around the block when I started, but the more I walked, the better my back felt.

3

YMMV, but I find my back feels better when I ride my bicycle.

Walking is good, too.
I hope you feel better.

4

If it’s practical, I would strongly recommend finding an Alexander Technique teacher. The technique helps you ‘re-learn’ how to use your body correctly.

It would probably minimize pain (if you’re feeling pain) and might well help you to do the exercises prescribed by your doctor correctly.

5

My doctors told me that strengthening the abdominal muscles is important for managing back problems. I do crunches every day. When I’m actually having an acute episode, I lie on the floor with my knees up and my feet on the floor and flatten my lower back against the floor, then relax it, repeating this 20 times.

6

I have some back problems, too, mostly due to severe arthritis in my right hip. My right leg is shorter so it throws everything out of whack (I have a lift in my right shoe that helps). I also have arthritis in my low back on top of it. I spent a couple months going to physical therapy and here’s some of the exercises they gave me that helped:

Pelvic Tilts: Lay on your back, knees bent, lift your pelvis, pushing your mid back to the floor. Hold 5 seconds. 2 sets/10 reps apiece

Ab contractions: Same position as above, just contract your abdominal muscles 10 times, hold 5 seconds on each, do 2 sets. I like to do this one while stretching my arms over my head or straight out to my sides - I get some decent shoulder stretching in the process and it helps me really feel my abs working

Figure 4 Hip Stretches: Same position as above, cross left ankle over the right knee, pull right knee towards your chest and hold a few seconds. Alternate each side. this is more for the hips, but it helps my low back, too, and everything’s connected.

Another Hip Stretch: dunno what this one’s called, but basically start like the hip stretch above, except instead of pulling towards your chest, push the raised knee out, stretching hip in the opposite direction.

Bridge: This one’s usually the toughest for me, but does some good and is a good gauge for progress. Same position as the above, on back with knees bent, arms to sides. Lift your hips off the ground so your torso is angled up to your knees. Hold for a few seconds. Repeat 10-15 times or until you get tired. When you progress with this one you can add some difficulty to it by lifting one foot and extending one leg out and holding it, and alternating legs with each lift.

Hamstring Stretches: On your back, raise one leg pointed straight to the ceiling, holding the thigh with your hands, try to stretch to the point that you actually feel it and hold for a few seconds. There are better ways to stretch hamstrings, but if you’ve got a bad back, this is the easiest on your back. At PT, the therapist actually helped with this one, by pushing on my leg and holding it for me in the position where I felt the stretch. She’d hold for a minute or two, then switch to the other leg. If you have someone to help, that’s good, too.

Those are the most basic ones that seemed to help me the most. I also walk a couple miles a day, and I’ve taken aqua-aerobics classes which helped build core strength, which is really the key to keeping a healthy back. Of course, if any of the exercises you try actually hurt, then stop doing them.

Good luck!

7

Swimming can help - you build up your muscles without straining yourself in the process…

If my back is at me I lay flat on my back and [keeping shoulders still as possible] do the “Twist” from the waist down , or stretch each leg as long [lengthwise - not time!] as possible alternately.

8

The ultimate fix for any back pain:

The Chinese Position (at least, that’s what they called it 30+ years ago; I still use it)

[ol]
[li]Stand up, feet about even with your shoulders and angled out a bit.[/li][li]Crouch down. The back of your thighs should touch your calves.[/li][li]Clasp hands together and hold them in front of you.[/li][li]Let your neck relax.[/li][li]Hold for 30 seconds to a minute. (If you have problems with balance, you didn’t angle your feet enough in step one. You may have to experiment to find the best angle.)[/li][li]Carefully stand up (if your problem is severe, lay down on the floor first and rest).[/li][/ol] Your back will feel better immediately. Repeat as needed.

The position takes all weight off your back and makes your sore muscles very greatful. It’s always a quick fix for any back pain I have.

If you have knee problems, there’s a second version – not as effective, but useful.

[ol]
[li]Kneel on the floor, legs at about a 30 degree angle.[/li][li]Now, let the back of your thighs touch your calves.[/li][li]Relax everything else.[/li][li]Hold the position for a minute or longer.[/li][li]Carefully get up.[/li][/ol]

9

<Pilates student checking in>

If you’re having problems with the exercises, you should really talk to your PT about it and ask for advice. Your PT may be able to offer some simpler alternatives or provide additional instructions.

Also, bear in mind that you shouldn’t be at all surprised at having a hard time making the exercises work at first–you’re trying to develop a new physical skill and it’s going to take some time to get the hang of it. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had “Ohmigod what am I supposed to be doing???” moments when trying out new Pilates postures.

As it is, your question is verging into “asking for medical advice on teh Intarweb” territory. Depending on the type of back injury you experienced, different types of exercises may or may not be advisable.

10

Seconded.

I had chronic lower back pain from a ski accident when I was a kid. It would flare up occasionally and hurt so bad I couldn’t breath. Then it would stop for a while, then just be achy for a while, then flare up, then then then…This went on for nigh on 20 years.

Then I joined a Muey Thai Kickboxing class and all back pain stopped within a month. Did I get knocked in the head enough to stop feeling back pain? No. Did I learn some ancient Thai secret? No. Then what was it?!?!?

Having to do over 250 sit-ups every class. They would also do back exercises, but they hurt my back, so I would just do more sit-ups. Its been close to 5 years now of no pain and I don’t do sit-ups regularly anymore (but I do swim), but my stomach is still pretty strong. But when I do do sit-ups, these are a few of my favorite exercises, which can be started off easy and increase in intensity as you get stronger:

Modified crunch: Lie down near a wall and put your feet ON the wall so that your lower legs are parallel to the ground. Touch your ears (don’t hold your neck) and roll your head and shoulders up and down, and then roll your pelvis up and in. Basically pretend you are trying to give yourself oral sex. Squeeze and hold for 3 seconds, then release slowly and go back to resting position. This burns almost all of your abdominals at once. 10 will get your attention, 20 will leave your stomach burning during the rest, 30 or more = “Bring the pain!”

Ball sit-ups: sit on the exercise ball facing a couch/sofa. Tuck your feet under the couch/sofa. Cross your arms and hold your shoulders. Slowly lie back and then sit-up. The ball really supports your lower back and makes for a pain-free sit-up.

Leg lifts: Lie on your back and stick your legs straight up in the air. Place your arms out at 45 degree angles to your body, palms down. Now lift your pelvis (and legs) up and down, side to side. Basically bounce your butt off the floor on both sides.

Of course, YMMV, ask your doctor, yadayadayada…

-Tcat

11

Some pretty good advice already in this thread.

Me, I just do craploads of squats, deadlifts and chins. Between those three, my back is solid rock. Can’t really get any more simple than that. Equipment for these three exercises is cheap to free. Chins you can do off of tree branches or sturdy crossbars. You can do variations of deadlifts and squats with sandbags or cheap freeweights.

Most weighted exercises can be done almost as well with found equipment as with actual gym equipment. For example, fill a milk jug with water or sand, hold it under your chin and against your chest with both hands. Now, keeping yourself in as upright position as possible, with feet about shoulder-width apart, squat as deep as you can–this is a variation of the “goblet” squat, which is normally done with a dumb bell. Just an example–there’s a billion of these types of things that can be done. More ideas can be found here.

I used to get a sore back doing manual labor, like shovelling snow or doing yardwork even for short periods of time (5-10 minutes). Now I can go for hours on end without blinking. There’s also an added bonus of being to kick ass at pretty much anything involving lifting and hauling…my friends get kinda weirded out on moving day now because in street clothes, I don’t really look like I have the sort of lifting power that I do. :slight_smile:

I’m not a big fan of stability ball work. It seems to be rather…faddy. IMO, basically any exercise that involves stabilizing a weight while moving through 3d space while standing is going to give you a better “core” workout than most stability ball routines, so long as you use good form.

12

That’s pretty much what I was going to say. There’s nothing simpler than deadlifts, but I’m not going to recommend them to a stranger on the internet with an unidentified back injury.