Top 6 Back Exercises to Help Prevent Back Pain

Prevent Lower Back Pain and Strengthen your Lower Back

You can prevent lower back pain or at least mitigate it through some simple steps because let’s face it, lower back pain is very common and it sucks. It can occur for a number of reasons and can be chronic and unrelenting. It can affect almost every aspect of your life to the point that you may quit fun activities because the pain is just too much. It is demoralizing and at times can seem like it is part of your destiny for the rest of your life. 

But I will show you what causes low back pain, how to get relief if you are experiencing low back pain, and how to strengthen the necessary muscles to help make low back pain a thing of the past! 

Causes of Low Back Pain

Back pain can occur for a myriad of reasons. It may be caused by a fall, herniated discs, inactivity, intense exercise, degeneration, long periods of sitting, bending and twisting (very common), genetics, lifting heavy, and many more ways. 

Back pain is a bit of a mystery, because as you can tell from the list, it can occur from being active and at the same time from inactivity. It’s natural for there to be some degeneration to the discs in the spine but just because you have a disc bulge doesn’t mean you’ll experience pain. In fact, 22% to 51% of people with disc bulges are asymptomatic, meaning that they aren’t causing pain. 

On top of this, it is hard to attribute low back pain to one root cause. What I mean is, just because you got back pain from a certain activity, doesn’t mean that that activity was the cause. The body has an unbelievable ability to compensate for poor movement mechanics and posture until one day the straw breaks the camel’s back. No pun intended. 

Maybe the worst thing about back pain is that it is one of those injuries that just doesn’t want to heal. But I am going to provide you with a simple protocol to give yourself relief from back pain and strengthen your back so that the pain becomes a thing of the past! 

The low back is one of the most commonly injured parts of the body. Sometimes the low back can be injured but compensation can occur, leading to injuries of other areas of the body. 

Low Back Pain Relief and Prevention

Be smart. Cease all movement that is giving you pain and get yourself checked out. Once you know what is going on and the pain is managed, it is time to address your issues. 

First you need to determine what movements are giving you pain. Do you get pain with low back flexion or extension? In other words, do you get pain when bending over or when arching back and pointing your chest towards the ceiling? 

SI Joint Mobilization/Pain Relief

Sometimes sacroiliac dysfunction can present as low back pain. It feels like pain right above or at your butt. This movement will help provide relief as well as mobilize the sacroiliac joint and possibly improve your pain. 

Lie on your back with your legs straight out in front of you on the floor. Bring your left leg towards your chest until your knee is almost touching your chest. Place your right hand on your knee and slowly bring your left knee to your right and towards the floor, all the while trying to keep your chest pointed towards the ceiling. Hold this position for 30 seconds while taking slow breaths to relax your body. Return to the start position and perform the same motion with your right leg going to your left side. 

Take note if one of the sides feels tighter or more restricted than the other. 

Remember to breathe deep relaxing breaths and never push through pain.  2 sets of :30 hold per side

Prone Cobra

Lie down on your stomach like you are about to do a pushup but let your body relax on the floor. Point your toes backwards and gently press your hands into the floor until only your upper body rises. Press until your elbows are close to lockout.

Keep your glutes squeezed during the motion to help protect your lower back. Hold the top position for 5 to 10 seconds and slowly return to the bottom.

This movement is particularly effective for individuals experiencing pain when bending forward.

2 sets of 8 repetitions with a 5-10 second hold at the top of each rep

Child’s Pose

Kneel with your shins on the floor and sit your butt back on your legs. Rest your forearms on the floor. You should feel a gentle stretch on your low back muscles. Hold this position while taking deep breaths. Remember not to push past pain. Relaxation is important to settle the pain response. 

This movement is particularly effective for those suffering from pain when extending backwards.

2 sets of :30 hold

Strengthening the Low Back

Now that we’ve mobilized and have recovered from the pain, it’s time to strengthen the low back muscles so that they are not prone to injury in the future. 

Seated Good Morning

The seated good morning is a great way to get into lumbar flexion safely. 

If you have a bench, take a seat with your legs on either side. Sit tall and let your legs out in front of you with your feet a little wider than shoulder width apart. You can go wider with your feet if your are comfortable. 

Place some books or pads or pillows on the bench in front of you and bring your chest towards said books or pillows or pads. You should be able to relax on the pad and then return to the start position. If you are able, remove some of the books or pads until you are able to get your chest flat all the way to the bench. Odds are you will not be ready to go all the way down, but that is ok. Progression is key. Try for 5-10 reps. 

3 sets of 5-10 reps

45 Degree Low Back Extension

The best way to strengthen the low back erectors is to perform low black extensions. I’ll discuss two ways you can do these. 

If you have a hyperextension bench (terrible name) at your disposal you can perform low back extensions. Set yourself up on the bench with your hands at your slides and simply hold the start position, which is where you are at a 45 degree angle. 

Just holding the start position can help build the low back muscles. If you are comfortable, slowly lower yourself until you are parallel to the floor before returning to the start position. Perform 10-25 repetitions depending on your strength level. 

You can place your hands on your head to increase the lever and place more resistance on the low back. You can also hold a small weight to your chest to increase resistance

If you don’t have the necessary equipment at your disposal don’t worry. What you can do is strap a belt to a bench and lie down with your legs under the belt allowing you to extend your chest up off the bench. You can also lie down on the floor and have someone hold you down at the calves and perform these extensions as well. Having your legs weighed down will allow you to target the low back muscles and will let you strengthen them appropriately. I tried many things when I injured my back and this exercise helped to improve my pain levels allowing me to recover from my injury faster. 

Same rules apply for adding resistance. Place your hands on your head or hold a small weight. . 

3 sets of 10-25 repetitions

Stabilizing the Spine

An overlooked aspect of a strong low back are strong side core (oblique) muscles. There are various ways to train the side abs but my favorite is a basic… 

Side Plank

Lie down on your side. Stack your feet on top of each other and place your elbow on the floor. Try to hold yourself up with only your bottom elbow and your feet. Build up your side plank to be able to hold for :90 on each side with little problem. Do this and you will see marked improvement in low back health and strength. 

If you are experiencing shoulder pain during the side plank or if you are not ready for a full side plank yet, simply perform the side plank on your knees. You can have someone press down on your hips or lay a dumbbell on your hip to increase resistance.  

1-2 sets of :30 to :90 hold on each side

Conclusion

Low back pain is one of the most common causes for patients to seek medical help. These exercises not only can help get you out of pain, but can help prevent low back injuries from occurring in the first place. 

Training Plan

Training Protocol (1-2 times per week)
Focus		Exercise	Sets	Reps
Low Back Pain Relief		SI Pain Relief	2	:30 each direction
		Prone Cobra	2	8 reps
		Child’s Pose	2	:30 hold
Low Back Strengthening		Seated Good Morning	3	5-10 repetitions
		Low Back Extension	3	10-25 repetitions
Low Back Stabilization		Side plank/Side plank on knees	2	:30-:90 each side

Key Takeaways

Resources:

1. Casiano VE, Sarwan G, Dydyk AM, et al. Back Pain. [Updated 2023 Feb 20]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan.
2. Dydyk AM, Ngnitewe Massa R, Mesfin FB. Disc Herniation. [Updated 2023 Jan 16]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan.
3. Raj MA, Ampat G, Varacallo M. Sacroiliac Joint Pain. [Updated 2023 Aug 14]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan.