3 Exercises for a Stronger Back
When you’re thinking about what workout to do for the day, how often do you think about focusing on the muscles in your back? Perhaps your workout goes a little something like, biceps, triceps, abs, glutes, quads and if we take a second to think about it, all of these parts of the body connect to our back.
Back exercises can improve your posture, enhance your physique and help protect your back from pain and injury and I’m pretty sure we have all experienced back pain to some degree or another, whether it’s been upper pain, lower pain, chronic or mild it’s not a fun thing to have and can last a very long time. So why not put these exercises to the forefront of your mind and make it a back day!
Your Back’s Function
The upper back has the most structural support because your ribs are attached firmly to each level of the thoracic spine which allows for very limited movement. The Lower back allows for flexibility and movement when you bend forwards and backwards. Back exercises work the muscles surrounding the spine that supports your back and trunk of your body. Did you know the back has a total of 40 muscles which is made up of 20 muscle pairs, 1 on each side of your body and although the muscles are a mix of big and small ones, certain back muscles extend to other areas like your shoulder, under arms and thighs. Making it very important to focus on strengthening your back.
3 Ultimate Back Exercises
Deadlifts
First and foremost, when doing a deadlift, you must ensure you are doing it with proper form and if you’re not sure what proper form is, ask a trainer before you start to avoid any pain or injury. Deadlifts target many muscle groups in a single lift but the advantage of doing a deadlift is that your back muscles will get stronger in a neutral position as you’re pulling up the weight and that you won’t be working on growing the muscles with this exercise. Deadlifts work your glutes, quads and hamstrings more than the back making this exercise the perfect strengthening workout for your back.
How To:
Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart with the barbell on the floor in front of you.
Bend at the knees and hips, grip the bar with your hands just to the outside of your legs.
Engage your core.
Keeping your head up and back straight, tighten your shoulder blades back and down.
Straighten your legs, lift the bar a little and make sure step 4 hasn’t changed.
Pushing through the heels of your feet, push your hips back and lift. Keeping the bar close to your legs and stopping when the barbell passes your knees.
Engage your glutes at the top of the move but don't thrust so far that you back over- extends.
Lower the bar slowly back down to the original position.
Rows
Performing a barbell row, dumbbell row, using a seated cable row or a T-Bar row all these exercise’s primary benefits are targeting the back muscles. Meaning if you want good posture, this is a great one to start. Using seated cable machines are also typically better for people who have trouble with their hips or lower back strength and because you are seated the focus is drawn more to your scapula than to your lower back.
How To:
Sit up tall with your hands on the handle with the palms facing each other.
Pull your shoulder blades down and back whilst keeping your back upright and straight.
Start pulling the handles towards your upper abdomen whilst gently squeezing in your shoulder blades.
Hold for a few seconds then slowly let the handles back out and repeat
Pull Ups
Another exercise which is effective for strengthening the back. Pull ups target the upper back muscles, muscles around the neck, thoracic spine and assist with shoulder extensions. Therefore, pull ups also strengthen the arm and shoulder muscles. If you can’t do a pull up, just practise hanging or doing an unassisted pull up can increase your strength.
How To:
Start by standing directly below the bar, place your hands in an overhand grip slightly shoulder width apart.
Lift your feet up from the floor or box so you are hanging, engage your core.
Pulling your shoulder back and down, bend your elbows and raise your body up towards the bar aiming to get your chin over the bar.
Lower yourself back down.
Conclusion
Challenging your muscles with different and perhaps difficult moves can improve your overall fitness. Your back provides the support for your head and trunk of your body, strength in the trunk of your body, as well structure, support, flexibility and movement. Every movement comes from your spine and your back which holds your spine, the most important part of your body needs to be looked after especially if your job involves a lot of sitting.
