Strengthening of the back muscles in the lumbar region
Exercises to strengthen the lower back muscles also include the lumbar spine. The lumbar spine begins above the coccyx and ends at the transition to the ribs, where the thoracic spine then begins. The lower back in particular is often afflicted with back pain and tension.Therefore you should do everything for a strong and healthy back to prevent pain and malpositions.
The long back muscles and the back extensor are partly responsible for an upright posture and lie deep below the surface. If these muscles are too weak, problems such as tension and pain can occur, which are very unpleasant. The “leg lifting in a four-footed position” is an exercise that trains the lower extensor muscles of the back as well as the gluteal muscles.
This exercise is also very suitable for beginners. At the beginning, one is on all fours kneeling on the floor again. The hands are supported at about shoulder width and the knees rest on the floor below the hip joints.
The trunk muscles are tense so that the back forms a straight line, does not sag and does not form a cat’s hump. The head is thereby in extension of the spinal column, in order to prevent a permanent tension in the neck with possible late consequences. The gaze is directed to the floor and now one begins to lift one leg and then bend the knee.
The change should be repeated continuously over a period of 25 seconds. For a second part of the exercise, you should now perform the same game with your leg stretched out. This means that there is a change between the leg stretched backwards and the knee on the floor.
When the leg is stretched backwards, the whole body should be in line. With stretched leg you can now make slight up and down movements and maintain these for about 25 seconds. Then the other side follows.
Another exercise to strengthen the back muscles in the lumbar region is the “pelvic lift”. In addition to the gluteal muscles, the lower part of the back extensor and the rear part of the thigh muscles are trained. The starting position is a supine position with bent legs.
The arms rest on the floor next to the body, palms pointing to the floor. The feet stand shoulder-wide on the floor and to intensify the training effect, the weight can be shifted to the heels and the toes can be pulled up. The shoulders should be pressed into the floor and you should try to pull the shoulder blades together a little.
Now the pelvis is lifted up like a lift so that the upper body and thighs form a straight line. Buttocks and buttocks are also tensed and the pelvis is slowly moved up and down. The “diagonal arm-leg lifting” is a very difficult exercise that strengthens the lower back extensor, the trapezius muscle and the gluteus muscle.
Since coordination plays an important role in this exercise and a certain level of strength should be present, this exercise is more difficult. You start in the prone position, the arms are stretched over the head and the legs are also stretched on the floor. Now the arms, shoulders and legs are raised, but this happens alternately.
First the right arm and left leg are raised, then the left arm and right leg. This exercise should be performed at least ten times per side. Another exercise that serves to strengthen the lower back muscles and thus also strengthens the lumbar region is breast lifting with arms stretched out to the sides.
However, this exercise is already somewhat more complex and should therefore only be tried out after a few units. The working muscles in this exercise are the hooded muscle, the broad back muscle and the shoulder muscles. In the area of the lumbar spine, the back extensor muscle is the muscle group that is stressed.
The starting position is the prone position with the tips of the feet positioned hip-wide. The arms are stretched out sideways lying on the floor and the gaze is directed downwards towards the floor. From this position, the head, arms and shoulder girdle are now raised so that the arms and head are held clearly above the floor.
The shoulder blades are pulled together, the head is not pulled into the neck. The gaze is still directed to the floor and so this position is held for a few seconds. The aim is to hold the position as long as possible.
The longer you do the exercise, the more effective it is and after a while you will feel a burning sensation in the muscles involved. Another exercise to strengthen the lower back muscles is back stretching with counter movement. This exercise is somewhat easier in terms of difficulty and the main work is done by the back extensor and the trunk muscles.
The exercise consists of two positions, the stretching position and the bending position. In the stretching position you start in the quadruped position. Now the right leg and the left arm are stretched forward and backward.It is important to make sure that you stretch completely, maintain body tension in the limbs and trunk and keep your balance.
Looking at the position from the side, you can see that heel, buttocks, back and arms are in a horizontal position. This position should also be held for at least a few seconds, ideally as long as possible. You can find more exercises in our article: Back training without equipment – These are the exercises
