Lower back training

One of the most common physical complaints among people is back pain, especially lower back pain. Ultimately, this can play a role in almost 80% of all adults. Here we are mainly talking about chronic pain that is long-lasting (longer than 3 to 6 months) and almost continuous in nature.

It mainly occurs in people who sit for long periods or do heavy physical work. It is also a common problem among people with an abnormal curvature of the (lumbar) spine. Usually there is no clear cause for back problems. Often it is smaller issues such as sprains and tears in muscles that cause the pain. Other causes can include obesity, smoking, pregnancy, stress, poor posture and poor fitness. Back problems can also develop due to a poor sleeping position. Back problems can also have more serious causes, such as osteoporosis, rheumatism, herniated discs, tumors and degeneration of the intervertebral discs.

Preventing back problems

If you want to prevent back problems, it is important to start with lower back exercises. First of all, it is important to have a well-trained or strong core. Strength comes from your core, and there should always be a solid foundation before, for example, other heavy strength exercises for the chest, legs and arms are trained. A strong, balanced core ensures good posture, which often also prevents injuries. It is therefore important to do different exercises and find the right balance, so do not train your abdominal muscles much more often than your back, or especially the muscles in your lower back. There is no definitive solution for preventing back problems, but proper training of the core muscles leads to better posture and good muscle condition, which can certainly have a positive effect in preventing back problems. Paying frequent attention to proper posture and bending your knees when lifting are also things that can certainly help prevent back problems.

The best exercises to train your lower back

Machine back extension

This exercise mainly targets the deeper back muscles. In this exercise you push the weight backward, causing the spine to extend at the lower part. Many people train these muscles heavily with few repetitions, but it is advisable to perform it a little lighter with more repetitions, such as three times 15-20 repetitions (reps). This is especially because these muscles can be trained better for endurance, since they are working almost continuously and consist of many slow twitch muscle fibers. Slow twitch muscle fibers are designed to contract often, for long periods and repeatedly, so they are best trained for endurance because they are basically not made for powerful contractions.

Stiff legged deadlift

• This exercise is a little harder to perform, but it trains both the lower back, glutes and hamstrings.
• Keep the back straight and try to keep the legs extended. (A slight bend is often necessary, partly because of short hamstrings).
• Grip the barbell at shoulder width with the thumbs facing inward.
• Bring the body into a horizontal position and lower the barbell to the middle of your shins without putting the barbell down.
• Make sure the back never rounds.

Planks

• Planking is an isometric exercise. You train the back, waist and abdominal muscles without shortening the muscles, but by creating constant tension.
• Keep the back straight, with the neck and hips at the same height as the back.
• Do not forget to breathe and pull the navel inward (draw in the abdomen).
• Try to build up this exercise so that you can hold it for at least one minute.

Hyperextension

• Place the thighs on the pad and clamp the ankles behind the support rollers.
• Lower the upper body and then make an upward movement.
• Make sure you do not hyperextend or go too far upward.
• This exercise is also often performed with extra weight (a plate held in the hand against the chest), but with this exercise too it is better to train for endurance than for strength. So do about 15 to 20 repetitions and repeat this three times.

Conclusion

In most cases, chronic back pain consists of small but annoying muscle sprains and tears. Through proper lower back training of the core muscles, many back problems can probably be better prevented or only start to play a role later in life. Unfortunately, there are also serious cases where training itself has a smaller beneficial effect, although in most cases training will always have a positive effect on relieving back problems. It is also interesting to look at floor exercises for strengthening the lower back, such as the opposite arm and leg raise.