The lower back is the largest supporting area in the human body and contains thousands of muscles. The lower back is responsible for keeping your spine stable, allowing you to move and stand up straight, making them crucial yet neglected muscles.
If you have a challenging time moving around because of pain or tightness in your lower back, doing exercises with proper form can help relieve strain. Some movements are easier than others if you’re new to them, but after a while, they become second to nature and less stressful on your core muscles.
There are many different lower back exercises for beginners that can be done at home or in a gym.
This article will discuss some of the best lower back exercises for beginners, some advice on how to start working on your lower back and why it is so crucial if you want to optimize your health and bodybuilding goals.
Best Lower Back Exercises For Beginners
Dumbbell Deadlifts
The dumbbell deadlift is one of the best lower back exercises for beginners. It allows you to work on your entire body and provides a great cardio workout. It is a great exercise because it builds up your back muscles and makes you strong.
It also helps with posture, which is crucial for those who want to get better at standing up straight. This exercise requires very little equipment and can be done at home or in the gym.
Because it’s a compound exercise, the dumbbell deadlift works multiple muscle groups including your hamstrings and glutes more than other lifts do. If you’re new to lifting weights, this can be advantageous since it’ll help you build muscle mass more quickly than heavier weights.
However, even though it’s an isolation exercise, it still works your entire body, including your biceps, triceps and core muscles.
Here’s how to do this exercise:
- To do a dumbbell deadlift, you’ll need two dumbbells and a flat surface such as a mat, bench or floor. Choose weights you can comfortably lift for 10 to 12 reps as your starting weight. Don’t choose dumbbells that are too heavy to lift, or you could hurt your spine.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding one dumbbell in each hand in front of you.
- Bend your knees slightly and gently lower the weights by bending at the hips. Keep your back straight and arms perpendicular to the floor throughout this movement. You’ll feel a stretch in the hamstrings and the bottom of your back.
- Pause briefly, then reverse the movement to return to starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Deadlifts are a very effective lower back exercise, and they shouldn’t be overlooked by beginners or advanced lifters either. And although there are countless variations of this exercise for the lower back, the dumbbell deadlift is one of the best.
Whether a beginner or a veteran, there’s a lot to gain from performing this exercise. You’ll strengthen the lower back, get a great core workout, and see secondary improvements in your upper body.
Dumbbell Sumo Deadlift
The dumbbell sumo deadlift is a variation of the traditional deadlift, with more vertical movements that are very similar to the sumo formation.
It’s a lower-body exercise that targets all aspects of the lower back, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and erectors while focusing on stabilizing muscles like the transverse abdominals.
Dumbbell sumo deadlifts have several advantages. First off, they’re much easier on your knees and hips. Second, they don’t require expensive equipment like plates or pins, as needed for barbell squats. Thirdly, dumbbell sumo deadlifts can help strengthen your core strength.
It’s a great exercise for beginners because it only requires relatively light weights. It is one of the best workouts for those who want to build up their strength without worrying about injuring their back or shoulders when they move too quickly or in the wrong direction.
To do this exercise:
- Stand with your feet a little wider than hip-width apart and toes pointed outward.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand up straight with your shoulders back and chest out.
- Slowly lower the weight by bending at the hip and knee until it touches the floor or as close to the floor as you can without rounding your lower back or letting your knees buckle. Keep your hands straight at all times throughout the exercise. You should feel the tension in the hamstrings and glutes as you lower the weight below, parallel to the floor, with precise control of the dumbbells during this movement.
- Hold for one second before returning to starting position by pushing through your heels and straightening your legs to return to the standing position.
The dumbbell sumo deadlift may not be a common exercise in your routine, but you’ll want to start adding it. It’s easy, fast, and with the potential to massively boost your gains when added to an already established routine.
And once you try out this exercise, you’ll wonder how you survived without it. Plus, a range of variations can make it even easier or harder based on what you’re looking for as a bodybuilder. Ultimately, it’s an excellent addition to any routine.
Back Extension Machine
The back extension machine exercise is a great way to target the lower back muscles and help with posture. You can also use it to help improve posture and balance. This exercise is recommended for people suffering from back pain or other issues.
The back extension machine is a piece of equipment that you can easily find in most gyms. It looks like a bicycle without wheels and allows you to perform various exercises on it. The main benefit of doing this type of exercise is that it will help you build strength and endurance.
You can also use it for weight loss or to gain muscle mass. If you are looking for something that will help you burn calories and fat, this is a great option for you.
To help you out, here’s a guide that covers everything you need to know on how to do the lower back exercise.
- Lie face down on a back extension machine, placing your feet in the footpads. The lower leg pad should be just above your ankles, and the thigh pad, just below your pelvis. Place your feet flat on the platform, about hip-width apart. Keep your knees and ankles in a straight line.
- Keep your spine, pelvis and neck in a neutral position while engaging your core. Your head should remain steady, facing down throughout this exercise.
- Rest your arms across your chest without interlocking your fingers, and keep them relaxed. Make sure the ankles are well anchored.
- Slowly bend forward from the waist until your upper body is parallel to the floor. Avoid rounding or arching your back, and squeeze your glutes together at the top.
- Reach the start position and raise your torso slightly until you feel a stretch in the lower back. Avoid arching and squeeze your glutes once in this position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Back extension machines are easy to use, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy to learn. There are many variations of the exercise, and you’ll need to be able to do them correctly to reap all of the benefits. This exercise is so effective because it uses your body weight as resistance.
The key to any exercise is making sure you are doing them correctly. If you’re new to working out, you should start by warming up with some basic stretches before beginning any exercise routine. If you are a beginner looking for an exercise for your back muscles, then the back extension machine exercise is good for you.
A strong back provides stability to the rest of your body. The best benefit of this exercise is that it can be done at various levels of intensity. The back extension exercise can be done anywhere, at any time, making it a beneficial workout exercise to include in your weekly workouts.
Push Up Planks
Push-ups are one of the best exercises for your chest, triceps, shoulders and back. But if you want maximum gains, you should learn how to perform push-ups correctly.
The push-up plank exercise is an advanced version of a push-up that requires a lot of core strength and flexibility. The main purpose of this exercise is to strengthen the core muscles and the lower back, improving core strength and flexibility.
They also help to improve your balance and stability. It’s one of the best exercises for beginners and can be easily done at home or in your living room.
Push-up planks are a good exercise for people who have no access to weight training equipment or don’t have time to go to the gym daily.
To do the push-up plank:
- Start on all fours in a forearm plank by placing your forearms in contact with the floor. Your hips should be off the ground, with your toes in contact with the floor. Your elbows should be directly underneath your shoulders.
- Without losing your form and in a very controlled motion, push up onto one hand, placing it where your elbow was.
- Push up onto your other hand. You should be in the top position of a push-up with your legs extended and engaged behind you.
- Lower yourself back down to your elbows, one arm at a time.
- Change the leading arm to ensure equal work on both sides, and repeat for as many reps as desired.
The push-up plank is a great exercise for beginners. It is simple, can be done almost anywhere, and builds strength evenly throughout the whole body. Push-ups are an important part of any workout routine, because they improve upper body strength, build muscle mass and increase the resting metabolism.
This exercise should be done for at least two or three sets of six to eight repetitions each, with one-minute rest in between the sets.
Cat Camel
The cat camel exercise is a series of movements designed to strengthen the lower back muscles and help alleviate lower back pain. As a method for strengthening the lower back, you can do this exercise anywhere.
The cat camel will build up muscle strength, improve agility and balance and aid in preventing injuries. If you’re new to exercise or looking for something simple and effective, this should be at the top of your list.
It’s incredibly easy to do and will get you results quickly. This exercise doesn’t require any equipment all you need is your own body, some space and a good form.
Here’s how to do this exercise effectively:
- Begin on all fours. Keep your knees hip-width apart and hands directly beneath your shoulders, with your back in a neutral position.
- Gently sink your back and tummy towards the floor, lifting your head at the same time. Stick your tailbone out to make a curve with your spine.
- Hold this stretch for as long as it feels comfortable or about 15 to 30 seconds.
- Arch your back toward the ceiling until you feel a nice stretch in your upper, middle, and lower back.
- Return to the starting position with a flat back while on all fours.
- Repeat for the desired number of times.
The Cat Camel Crunch exercise is considered one of the best lower back exercises for beginners. This exercise is multi-joint, meaning it engages more than one joint in the body. It primarily targets the major muscle group of the lower back, called the erector-spinal group.
This muscle group is located on either side of your spine, between your shoulder blades. When working out these muscles, the cat camel exercise helps to stimulate healthy blood flow. With the right form and proper progression, the cat camel exercise can be a very effective exercise to perform as part of your overall body training.
In conclusion
Lower back exercises are a crucial part of bodybuilding and fitness routines for beginners and advanced bodybuilders. This exercise is beneficial for a healthy life and has a huge impact on your body movement, bending, lifting and walking.
Lower back exercises also play a part in protecting the heart. Those having strong lower backs have lower risks of cardiovascular diseases, bloating etc.
If you want greater mobility, flexibility and core strength in the lower back region, then lower back exercises are a surefire way to achieve them. The best thing about lower back exercises is that they can be done without assistance from either a trainer or equipment.
They only take a few minutes of the day to perform, yet have been proven to have an incredibly beneficial effect on your whole body. For all these reasons and more, lower back exercises should be included in every exercise routine.