3 Exercises for a Strong, Healthy Back

B is for Back

Your back is an important part of your body that needs to remain strong and healthy for you to do even the most simplest of movements.  If you have ever hurt your back or even pulled a back muscle, you know all too well how painful and hard it is to even walk or sit.

Strengthening your entire back and your abs (abs help to stabilize your your back muscles and spine to a certain degree) are essential to ensuring that you will have enough strength to lift a box, pick up your child or even just walking without pulling your back out.

Try this back exercises circuit, that you can do without weights, to help you strengthen your back.  As with any exercise, if you feel pain - STOP.  Do not push yourself to the point where you hurt yourself, and always consult your physician before doing any type of exercise.

1.  Upper Back

The sphinx is great for strengthening the upper back.  It is performed in a manner that is similar to the push up, but is done while the lower back and legs are kept on the floor.  To ensure that this move is done correctly, always make sure that the lower back is kept on the floor so that you do not cause any unnecessary stress on the lower back.   

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2.  Lower Back

The superman exercise is a great exercise for the lower back.  For beginners, you can start with lifting the legs only and then adding the lifting of the upper body as you advance in strength.  This exercise can also be modified by alternating lifting each leg with the alternating arm.  Experiment with different modifications the stronger you get.  

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3.  Total Back

The reach is a great exercise for not only the back, but also the glutes, hamstrings and shoulders. While this move can be difficult to perfect for beginners, it does require using some balance in order to be able to lift the alternating leg and arm.  By strengthening your back and adding in ab exercises, you will be able to do this move without leaning to one side or falling over.  This move is also a prime example of how not only the back muscles by ab muscles are necessary for balance.

Photo courtesy of www.setonspineandscoliosis.com

Back workout schedule.

As you can see working back muscles at home is quite easy, requires no equipment and is just as effective as working out with machines at the gym.

Do each exercise for 10 reps for 3-4 sets to develop a strong, healthy back.

Which exercise are you going to add to your workout regime?