One of the easily injured parts in our body is our lower back and hence we need to take care of it

If our back cannot function properly, we find ourselves not doing much at all. A lot of people also have lower back fat that needs toning. Strong abdominal muscles tend to go hand in hand with the lower back as well .

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It is imperative that every exercise routine has some parts dedicated to lower back exercises. You should never perform your exercises everyday. Lower back exercise routines require a lot of attention and it is possible to hurt yourself if you perform your routines carelessly. The rest of this article will discuss a few back strengthening exercises that will give you the lean back muscles you need.

The Superman, Alternating The Superman exercise should be performed with you lying face down on gym mat with your arms directly out in front of you. Tighten the abdominal muscles, and keep your head straight along with your neck. Lift the arm and leg on the same side of the body. Perform these exercises slowly and take care to keep the movements slow and your abdominal muscles tight. Exercise the alternate sides of the body and take care to continue breathing during the performance of the movements.

The weight hip extension begins with the person lying down on his back on a gym mat. Keep your feet flat on the floor and bend your knees. Pick up a dumbbell of the desired weight and hold it with both hands, close to your lower abdomen . Hold your neck and head comfortably straight. Make sure you do not lift your feet, head, neck or upper back from the mat during the course of the exercise, for safety. Lift your buttocks and lower back slowly from the mat as far as possible, as you exhale. Lower your buttocks and lower back as you inhale. It is important not to perform these exercises too fast because you could potentially injure yourself.

The Plank – Strengthening exercise for back, abs and neck..Begin by lying on your stomach with forearms flat on floor. Raise body up by balancing on your toes and forearms. Your back, legs and neck should be straight (Similair to a plank) Contract Abs Remain in this pose for 10 seconds. Relax. Repeat five to ten times. If this exercise is too difficult, balance on your knees instead of your toes.

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If you are recovering from injury, suffering back pain or just want to maintain a healthy back then these exercises are highly recommended. Don’t forget to perform a thorough warm up before lifting weights and perform regular stretching as part of your routine. This will keep your spine flexible and make sure the muscles in your back don’t shorten and tighten up.

Strengthen your back if you want to prevent it from getting injured easily. Exercises that strengthen your lower back also benefit your whole body. You must keep in mind the fact that your lower back is an integral part the core strength of your body

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For years we have been conditioned to believe that isolating our muscles and exercising them in segregated sections helps to concentrate on each individual area. Now people are realizing that this is not such a good idea. Working the muscles in unison is known as full-body spine exercises and are found to be much more useful.

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Many muscles are connected to the spine and commonly referred to as the "core". Because the muscles have to coordinate the movement of many necessary joints in many different directions, keeping them strong and in tone is important. Core stability is an essential determinant of success for all sports people. They have learned that the body’s core muscles are the foundation for all other movement.

When a small group of muscles are worked out individually, they are built up and toned to stand-alone but can they stand the strain of working together with the other surrounding muscles? Of course they cannot. Inside the torso, the spine, pelvis and muscles support the scapula that all also work in unison and create a solid base of support for muscles. This proves that muscles are meant to work together, contracting and releasing, working as one as presented in full-body spine exercises.

There are many who argue that muscles must be isolated in order for each muscle to become as strong and independent if need be. To a certain degree this does make sense but unfortunately, not true. Muscles are interconnected and if one muscle becomes more flexible and stronger than an attached member, it will put strain on the weaker muscle, causing a terrible imbalance. This also has a lot to do with our functional fitness, that is to say, the essential performance of our daily living and normal regular activities. Full-body spine exercises will keep all muscles at full potential when needed regularly. Injuries are also reduced when the muscles interact with one another to protect the weak from sprains.

While isolation exercises have been the popular method for keeping muscles in shape for years and years, full spine exercises are entering to make a big difference in full body coordination. People are learning that working a variety of muscle groups at one time and as a team is exactly like a well tuned engine. When all the parts of your car work together the car runs well, but as soon as one part weakens the would engine is affected. If you want to improve your posture, make sure you take advantage of a full body spine exercise routine. Working many muscles together is vital to improve posture over the long term.

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Now that you know common causes of back pain you may have a better understanding of how to prevent and treat it in the first place. Losing a few pounds may seem like an impossible option but of course it can be well worth the effort when you get some relief for that pain. A big part of relief for your back is using correct posture and lifting with your legs.

But you may need to do more than all of this. You take all the precautions possible and still you have back pain – after all, you can t very well live your life in a recliner or refuse to pick up your children just to keep yourself safe from potential injury! So when you have soreness and pain, what can you do?

RELIEVING THE PRESSURE

Sometimes the pain you feel is simply muscles cramping up to protect themselves so that they can heal and repair minor injuries. If you relieve the pressure on your back this can go a long way toward helping it heal on its own.

Obviously it’s virtually impossible to make a movement that doesn’t affect the back. Even when sitting, the back muscles are tensing up to keep your upper body straight and supported.

Keeping this in mind, you realize how important it is to be in a reclined position that tilts your body back and relieves that pressure on your midsection. When your feet are higher than your pelvic area then you have less pressure on your back and it can heal. Never put pillows under your feet, but placing pillows under your knees can be a big help when stretching out on the floor. This puts added pressure on the area of the hips which results in the back muscles tensing up even more.

If you’re laying flat on your stomach your back is still working as the front of your body collapses and your back keeps you straight. You can instead use cushions or pillows under your stomach and upper body area to support yourself so that the back is not working as hard.

HEAT

Why is it that heat can help to relieve body pain? Because heat draws blood to the vicinity it assists in getting nutrients and healing elements to where they are required. When you apply heat to your muscles they relax because the increased blood flow forces them to unclench themselves, and especially in areas of the back can this be important.

When your back is in pain you don’t want to overdo it with the heat and of course there are injuries and other conditions that won t respond readily to heat – if you have a herniated disk that’s not going to be healed with a heating pad! – but often muscles that have been overworked and strained can relax with a simple application of heat. If you re at work all day see if you can somehow arrange a heating pad behind you for the duration of the day. If you notice that your back is starting to tense up then lean back and stay that way for a few minutes so that the heat has a chance to work.

Even though they are not boiling, care needs to be taken when using heating pads on bare skin. It’s not safe to sleep on top of one or to have it turned up too high. Keep a piece of cloth between your skin and the heating pad – if it doesn t have its own cover be sure to use a thin towel, sheet, or shirt.

Moist heat can also help the body to relax as the moisture loosens the muscles and skin as well. You can get a thin towel or washcloth wet and put it between the heating pad and your back.

Having a hot shower or bath can be a big help in relieving that pressure. A shower massage especially can work those muscles like a massage and force them to loosen up and soothe back pain.

STRETCHING

When those back muscles want to clamp up sometimes you need to force them to relax so as to cut down on the pain. Stretching both your back and sides is a good method to reduce your pain.

However this calls for extreme caution. If you overextend yourself then you re going to do more damage. Don’t forget to stretch properly so that you don t put added strain on your back. Many bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts actually do a lot of damage to their back when stretching and working out simply because they don t support it the way they should.

Usually it s best to sit on the floor and put your hands behind you and just stretch your back slightly. This will give it support as you pull those muscles loose. Moving forward carefully and slowly until your body is extended out in front of you can also loosen those muscles.

Extension and flexion

When it comes to stretching, flexion means bending forward and extension means moving backwards. When you stretch forward you are relieving pressure on the vertebrae and creating more space between them which helps to alleviate the pressure and grinding that is common with back pain. Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and then bending straight forward to touch your toes is often enough to relieve pressure and pain in the back.Attend to your posture as you do this and make sure you re not curling yourself up and putting more pressure on your spine, but a simple stretch like this helps to loosen those tight and sore muscles.

When bending backwards you also need to watch your posture and make sure you don t overextend. Some have a tendency to think of a particular area they want to touch or span they want to reach, but you need to be mindful of your body s own flexibility.

EXERCISE

Does anyone really like to exercise? Sure, there are some who do but not everyone is like this. unfortunately many people see exercise as boring and something to be dreaded and instead prefer to spend their free time stretched out in a favorite chair in front of the television or movie screen.

There are innumerable benefits to regular physical activity for humans, no matter what your physical situation. Exercise increases blood circulation and the blood is what brings nutrition and oxygen to every cell in the body. The digestive system, skin, bones, and major organs all benefit in this way from increased blood circulation. Because the heart and lungs work harder when exercised they become stronger and a person is less likely to suffer from asthma, shortness of breath, heart disease, and conditions such as this. Regular exercise also helps to keep one s weight under control and there are many benefits to being at a healthy weight.

But exercise also helps with back problems and can keep a person from having painful back problems. How is this possible?

The first connection has to do with one’s weight; as we’ve mentioned excess body weight means more stress and strain on the back as it needs to work harder to move that weight around and to keep the body steady and upright. Many who are overweight also find that their posture suffers quite a bit as this excessive weight pulls them forward, and this too keeps the back muscles tense and painful.

There is more to the association between exercise and back problems than just weight. That increased blood circulation means that your back muscles are also getting those important nutrients and healing agents that are delivered by the blood. Oxygen is one of the most important elements the body needs and uses for healing any wound or injury, and oxygen is delivered by the blood. When your back muscles are overused, injured or tense, that oxygen is desperately important for it to heal itself.

Exercise helps those back muscles stay loose and relaxed. When you walk or cycle or do anything else along those lines, the back muscles are worked and forced to loosen up. This means that they re relaxed and less likely to be pulled or cramped when in use.

Just as happens with other body muscles, they become stronger when exercised. When the back muscles are stronger they re more resistant to pulls, tears, and overuse. Regular exercise is good for the back muscles in this way and can help to alleviate pain from these types of injuries.

The bones are strengthened by regular exercise. This may be because the blood circulation also helps the bones to strengthen themselves, and if the bones in the back are strengthened then the back has better support.

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