According to the latest findings, it is most effective to train entire muscle chains, i.e. to perform large and complex movements. Furthermore, the back and with it the spine should be moved as a whole and in all directions. The following exercises can mostly be performed without equipment/material and can be performed in various combinations daily, but at least three days a week.
Rules of conduct for the exercises
The exercises for a healthy back are divided into a mobilization part and a strengthening part. It is recommended that the mobilization be performed first to gently warm up the structures and introduce them to the movement. To train muscles “for everyday life”, the strength endurance section is ideal.
Here 12-15 repetitions are performed in three sets. Static exercises are also useful for the back, since the back muscles must be strengthened in their holding activity to give the spine stability throughout the day. If the back is being trained, the opposite side – i.e. the abdomen – must also always be taken into account.
Muscles, be they co- or opponent, should be kept in balance. Abdominal muscles that are too weak can cause back pain, as can a lack of back muscles. In good cooperation these muscle groups tense the spine like a mast in its middle.
Exercises to imitate
- Mobilization: Starting position Starting position: Quadruped position. The hands are placed under the shoulders, the weight is distributed to the fingertips to relieve the wrist. The elbows are slightly bent.
Hip and knee are approximately at right angles. First try to bring the back into a straight plane according to your own feeling. The neck and head should also be held in extension.
From this straight position, roll the back vertebra by vertebra – from the pelvis to the head – down towards the hollow back. Stay here for a few seconds and push the sternum even further towards the ceiling.
- Mobilization: Final position Then, again from the pelvis to the head, roll up the vertebrae one after the other until the back forms a large round hump, looking under the body. Repeat the movement slowly and consciously in a dynamic rhythm.
For advanced students, the exercise can be combined with breathing, because the diaphragm and the pelvic floor muscles are also part of the spine’s stabilization system. Simply take a deep breath while rolling in and let the air flow slowly out through the half-open lips while rolling up.
- Mobilization and strengthening exercise: Basic exercise Starting position: Supine position. The feet are upright, the arms rest lengthwise on the body, the palms of the hands point upwards towards the ceiling.
Now build up body tension from bottom to top: the tips of the feet are pulled up (the heels remain on the floor), the lower back is pressed to the floor, the navel is pulled towards the spine, the shoulder is stretched backwards and downwards, the forearms and the back of the head press into the floor. First you practice building up this tension step by step and hold it for a few seconds – do not hold your breath.
Extension of the exercise: If the body tension is well controlled, additionally tilt the pelvis slowly and with a lot of tension back and forth. This mobilizes and strengthens the lower back at the same time.
In the next step, the pelvis is lifted completely off the floor and kept high enough by building up tension in the buttocks so that the abdomen and thighs form a diagonal line. Hold for a few seconds and then slowly lower the back again and lay it down. Variation: As a variation, one leg can be stretched out in the air in the raised position, making sure that the pelvis does not sink but is kept stable in one plane.
- Strengthening for the entire body Starting position: prone position. The forearms lie parallel to each other in forearm support on the floor, the elbows approximately below shoulder height. The tips of your toes are raised.
Under a lot of tension in the abdomen, back and bottom, the entire body is now lifted like a stable board. Legs, bottom, back and neck are in line. The only points of support are the toes and the forearms.
Hold for 30 seconds at the beginning. The time can be increased at will.
- Strengthening for the lateral torso Starting position: lateral position. The knees are angled.
Now support yourself on the lower forearm, the elbow is below the shoulder (lateral support). The pelvis is lifted so that it forms a diagonal with the upper body and thighs.Make sure that the pelvis or shoulders do not tip forward or backward. Hold for 20 seconds at the beginning – train both sides.
The time can also be increased as desired. As an additional variation, the leg above can be lifted up stretched out.
- Strength exercises for the back Starting position: four-footed stand. The hands are stably positioned under the shoulder joints, fingers spread, weight distributed to the fingertips, elbows slightly bent and turned inwards.
The knees are below the hip joints, hips and knees are bent at a right angle, the toes are raised. Now adjust the back straight and in line again. The gaze is directed downwards between the hands.
Once sufficient stability has been built up, alternately lift one knee or hand or diagonally knee and hand minimally from the floor without moving the back, pelvis or shoulder girdle.
- When this exercise is mastered, the right arm is stretched forward and the left leg is stretched backward. Again, neither the pelvis nor the shoulders should drop or the back oblique should be held. This requires a good body feeling and a high body tension.
Have your posture checked by another person or a side mirror. Now bring your knees and elbows together diagonally under your body and stretch them out again in a flowing dynamic movement. After 10 repetitions, keep your arm and leg stretched out again for another 10 seconds and hold them with your back straight.
If you want to make this even more difficult, you can make small springy movements with your arm and leg.
Afterwards, the side is changed while keeping the tension on the torso. Each side is alternately trained three times. During the breaks, the first mobilization exercise for the back (see above) can be performed several times.
Always make sure that the fingers remain spread apart and that the weight rests on the fingertips instead of on the wrists.
- Strengthening exercises for the abdomen Starting position: Supine position. The entire back is pressed firmly to the floor, the navel to the spine.
Especially the lower spine must not move into the hollow back. This basis applies to all abdominal exercises. From this basic tension, one knee and the diagonal elbow are now alternately brought together, stretched out again and at the same time the knee and elbow of the other side are brought together.
Head and shoulders are slightly lifted off the floor, legs and arms remain in the air even when stretched and are not completely put down, so that the tension is maintained throughout the entire exercise set. Try to increase from 20 repetitions up to one minute.
You can find more exercises in the article “Physiotherapy Mobilization Exercises”.
- Starting position: Supine position.
The legs are set up, the arms spread out at shoulder height to the right and left of the body. Now the knees are lowered to the floor in slow alternation from side to side. After a few repetitions, let the knees drop completely to one side until they touch the floor.
The arms and head turn to the opposite side. Stay in this position for a few moments and breathe deeply into the stretched side.
- Starting position: Prone position. The hands are placed close to the body on the right and left side of the shoulders.
From this position slowly stretch the arms and thus lift the upper body from the floor. The navel is pulled towards the spine, the belly is tensed. Slowly push yourself up and only as far as it is comfortable – the elbows do not have to be fully extended.
This overstretching of the back and thus the stretching of the front of the body is the contrast to daily sitting positions. Physiotherapy Exercise 4:Starting Position: Standing. Stand stable and hip-wide.
Then slowly lower your upper body towards the floor until it hangs down without any tension. The knees may be slightly bent, because the back of the legs should not be stretched, but the spine should be relieved and mobilized. Now the hands grasp the elbows of the other arm.
Let the neck also relax so that the entire upper body can hang without muscle tension. From the hip a slight swing can be initiated without much effort. After some time, straighten up vertebra by vertebra and stretch the whole body once long.
More exercises can be found in the article “Isometric exercises”.
- Push-ups are an optimal exercise for the overall strengthening and tension of the body.If “normal” push-ups are too heavy for you, choose the lighter version with angled knees: Bend your knees and cross your lower legs, place your hands under your shoulders and push them up slowly and straight with a lot of tension in your body. Make sure that the buttocks remain in line with the thighs and back and that the shoulders are not pulled up towards the ears. Before an exercise is performed incorrectly, it is better to choose the easier option first.
This way, progress is faster and more effective and motivation increases.
One way to strengthen and mobilize the back, which is also subsidized by health insurance companies, is back school. More exercises can be found in the articles: Exercises against back pain. Back-friendly lifting and carrying How can the back muscles be strengthened?
More exercises can be found in the articles:
- Starting position: Prone position. The tips of the feet are upright, the legs stretched, the knees pushed through, the abdomen tense, i.e. the navel pulled towards the spine. The gaze is directed downwards, the forehead lies on the floor.
The arms are now stretched forward, thumbs pointing towards the ceiling. Upper body and arms lift off the floor and the stretched arms perform small quick hacking movements up and down. Alternatively, the arms and the upper body can be held in a simple way.
- The same is finally done with the legs.
The upper body and head now rest, the forehead is bedded on the back of the hands. The stretched legs lift somewhat from the ground, the toes are long stretched out. Here, too, there are variations to perform quick small chopping movements or to keep the legs up with a lot of butt tension.
- Exercises against back pain.
- Back-friendly lifting and carrying
- How can the back muscles be strengthened?
You can find more exercises for the abdomen in the article “Exercises against a hollow back“.
- Starting position: Supine position. The arms lie to the right and left of the body, palms turned towards the ceiling. The hips are bent by 90°, the knees are almost straight, so that the soles of the feet are facing the ceiling.
In this position, as above, build up the basic tension. Especially the lower back presses strongly on the floor, the shoulders are not pulled towards the ears but held backwards and downwards, the air is not held. Now a very small movement is performed with a lot of tension and without swinging: the coccyx is lifted minimally from the floor, the soles of the feet are brought a tiny bit further to the ceiling and finally let sink slowly again.
The lower abdominal muscles must work hard. Throughout the exercise, care is taken to ensure that the knees and legs do not approach the abdomen, but maintain the 90° angle in the hip.
- Starting position: Supine position. The hands are crossed behind the head, the elbows turned outwards so that they are no longer in the field of vision.
The feet are positioned close to the buttocks. From this position, build up the basic tension and slowly and dynamically raise and lower the upper body from the floor. The gaze is directed diagonally upwards towards the ceiling.
During a set, the shoulders should remain constantly in the air and not be laid down in between. For the oblique abdominal muscles, assume the same starting position and place the knees to one side. Train both sides as well.
- Starting position: four-footed stand.
As already described in two previous exercises, the stable four-footed position is assumed. Here the slight bend in the elbows is especially important, because the arms have to carry a lot of weight during this exercise. The tips of the toes are raised, the gaze is directed downwards between the hands with the neck straight.
After tension is built up and the back is straightened, both knees are lifted slightly off the floor without moving the body or shifting the center of gravity. This position is initially held for about 20 seconds. The abdominal tension is especially important here, as well as stability in the shoulders, without pulling them up towards the ears.
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