The neck is tense. The lower back hurts too – before you ask yourself: Is that maybe because of age? – better do something about it! You can strengthen your back muscles with just a few simple exercises.
There are tons of exercises you can do to strengthen your back muscles. Best of all, most exercises also strengthen your abs and arms. That’s a great incentive!
The back is often forgotten during training – the typical problem areas usually have priority. Can we understand! But you shouldn’t neglect it just because you don’t see your back all the time or you’re not as dissatisfied with it as you are with your butt or stomach. Strengthening the back muscles has several advantages: you are less prone to neck tension and less likely to have tension headaches. You also prevent a herniated disc and generally keep fit and flexible.
Strengthen Your Back Muscles – Without Any Equipment
You can do back training at home at any time. All you need is a non-slip gymnastics mat, so the floor is not so hard. If you like, you can incorporate a gymnastics ball or a resistance band into your exercises, but you can also strengthen your back muscles without equipment.
Quadruped Balance
This Is How It Works:
This variant of the quadruped stand is a great back exercise. The knees are under the hips, the palms under the shoulders. Now straighten your right arm and left leg. They should be parallel to the floor, leg at hip level, arm at shoulder level. Now push your knees and elbows together, hold briefly, then stretch away again. 15 reps, then switch sides.
- A total of 3 sets of 15 repetitions each
Strengthen Your Back With Yoga: Kobra
Here’s How It Works:
Lie on your stomach. Your legs are close together. Your bottom is tightened. Put your hands under your chest and gently push your upper body up, keeping your elbows close to your body. Try to make your upper body off the floor as far as possible. Hold the position for a few seconds, continue breathing normally and then lower your upper body again.
- Three repetitions
Strengthen Upper Back Muscles
Anyone who sits at the computer all day knows the problem: shoulders and neck are constantly tense. To get rid of the pain permanently, you should urgently strengthen your upper back muscles. Let your shoulders and head rotate during the day to stretch and relax your muscles.
Arm Circles
Here’s How It Works:
Hold a dumbbell or a filled water bottle in each hand. Stand up straight, tighten your stomach and raise your straight arms to shoulder height. Then make small circular movements with your outstretched arms.
- Three sets of 10 seconds each
Downward Dog
Here’s How It Works:
Get on your knees in the all-fours position. Tighten your stomach, stand on tiptoe and push your butt up until your body forms a triangle. Take a few small steps back with your feet and straighten your arms and back.
- Hold for 10 seconds, then two more reps.
Trunk Raise With Arm Work
How To Do It:
Lie on your stomach with your legs close together and your feet on the floor throughout the exercise. Tighten your abdomen and buttocks, raise your arms at your sides at shoulder height and lift your upper body a few centimetres off the floor. Now push your arms forward in a semicircle and back to shoulder height.
- Three sets of 7 seconds each
Strengthen Lower Back Muscles
Too little exercise and constant sitting at work affect the lower back. Regularly strengthening these back muscles would be best to prevent disc problems and back pain.
Bridge
Here’s How It Works:
Lie on your back, bend your legs, feet are hip-width apart and a little distance from your bottom. The arms lie loosely next to the upper body. Firmly tightens stomach and buttocks and pushes buttocks, thighs, and back up. The weight rests on the shoulders and feet. Hold briefly, then stretch out your right and left leg alternately. Make sure your bottom and back stay up.
- Three sets of 8 repetitions per side
Tip: Beginners hold the bridge without lifting their legs.
Side Plank
Here’s How It Works:
Lie on your left side, your body forming a line. Engage your stomach and buttocks tightly, then push your upper body and legs up so that the weight is supported only by your left forearm and the edges of your feet. Make sure your elbow is directly under your shoulder.
- Hold the position for at least 10 seconds. Three sentences per side
Trunk Lift
How It Works:
Lie on your stomach. Your legs are close together. Your buttocks are tight. Extend your arms sideways at shoulder height, thumbs pointing up. Now detach your upper body and arms a few centimetres from the floor and make small up and down movements. The feet stay on the ground the whole time, and the bottom is tight.
Also Read: With Training To A Flat Stomach: 5 Exercises For The Abdominal Muscles