5 Of The Best Lower Back Exercises

The 5 best exercises you can do at home to strengthen your lower back and glutes. No equipment required – strengthen and tone with these bodyweight exercises.

5 OF THE BEST LOWER BACK EXERCISES AT HOME

• Bridge
• Single Leg Bridge
• Swimmer
• Superman
• Deadlift

Keep reading below for video demonstration of each of these exercises.

Of all the conditions I treat in my physical therapy clinic, none are as prevalent as low back pain. In fact, it’s estimated that about 80% of us will experience some form of significant lower back pain in our lives. That means if you haven’t had it yet, chances are you will at some point in the future.

One of the best ways you can avoid lower back pain is to keep the muscles that support and stabilize your spine strong and healthy.

Today I wanted to share with you 5 of my favorite exercises that you can do at home with zero equipment required to strengthen and tone your lower back.

30 Great at-home workouts that only take 30 minutes or less! Bodyweight workouts you can do at home to strengthen, sculpt, tone, and tighten. Check out our “30 FOR 30” workout guide when you CLICK RIGHT HERE!

CAN I STRENGTHEN MY BACK AT HOME?

Even if you have zero strength-training equipment (dumbbells, pulleys, cables, etc) there are still many ways to strengthen your lower back. Exercises that utilize bodyweight resistance are a safe, effective way to activate and strengthen your lower back.

POSTERIOR CHAIN STRENGTHENING

One of the most-often overlooked muscle groups when it comes to lower back and core strengthening is the glutes. Your gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus attach to your pelvis and help to form the foundation upon which your lower back is built. If you want to strengthen your back and eliminate pain, it’s imperative that we include exercises that strengthen your glutes as well.

HOW TO INCREASE LOWER BACK STRENGTH

The lumbar spine or lower back is an area not known for much motion. In fact, it is supposed to be a stable area that is less susceptible to injury and able to hold up to the rigors of heavier lifting and training. If your lower back is weak and required to do too much work, it can easily break down.

In order to work to its best, the low back has to get assistance from the glutes to help with extension of the posterior chain from the bottom up as well.

The muscles of the low back are asked to fire for long periods of time throughout the day. Often, they have become dormant and underactive because of prolonged sitting.

In order to keep them strong, it is important to regularly train these muscles and help to improve the endurance of them. The five exercises shown below will keep your back muscles strong without requiring any expensive or elaborate back extension machines or equipment.

5 OF THE BEST LOWER BACK EXERCISES YOU CAN DO AT HOME

1. BRIDGE

• Lay on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
• Squeeze your butt and lift your hips up off of the floor. Lift your hips as high as you can comfortably.
• Hold five seconds and slowly return to the starting position
• Perform three sets of 10 repetitions.

2. SINGLE-LEG BRIDGE

• Lay on your back with your right leg bent, left leg out straight.
  
• Contract your right glute and use your right hip muscles to lift your pelvis up off of the floor. Your left leg should remain out straight.
  
• Hold 3-5 seconds and return to the starting position.
• 10 repetitions on the right, 10 repetitions on the left, repeated three times.

3. SWIMMER

• Lay on your stomach with your arms stretched out over your head.
• Raise your right arm and left leg completely up off of the ground. Hold 1-2 seconds and then return to the starting position.
  
• Repeat with your left arm and right leg.
  
• Perform 10 repetitions on each side and repeat three times.

4. SUPERMAN

• Lay on your stomach with your arms stretched out over your head.
• Completely lift your chest and legs up off of the floor and hold 2-3 seconds.
• Slowly return to the starting position.
• Perform 10 repetitions and repeat 3 sets.

5. BODYWEIGHT DEADLIFT

• Stand upright with your feet shoulder width apart.
• Keep you back straight as you hinge forward at your hips.
• Bend as low as you can go (down to torso parallel to the floor) and then use your glutes and lumbar extensors to return back upright to the starting position.
• Perform 10 reps and repeat three times.

Remember – in order to effectively strengthen your back at home it’s imperative that you include glutes into your exercises. Focus on strengthening the entire posterior chain and you’ll be amazed at your results!

Looking for more awesome workouts to tone and strengthen you back at home? Here are a few of my favorite back workouts from Tone and Tighten’s YouTube channel (be sure to SUBSCRIBE while you’re there!):

Questions or comments about this video? I would love to hear from you! Please leave me a comment below and I’ll be sure to get to it just as soon as I can.

Make it happen,

Jared