Finally Revealed: The Top 5 Lower Back Relief Exercises

Today we’re going over our five favorite exercises for low back relief that you’ve probably never heard of.

 

Why You Probably Haven’t Heard of These Low Back Exercises

First of all, we need to understand that the drivers of lower back pain are complex. There are physiological and psychological components to pain that need to be acknowledged and respected. Sometimes your lower back pain comes from weak glutes and core. But sometimes it comes from stress at work, caring for a sick family member, and merit of other emotional and physical factors.

When searching for lower back exercises on YouTube or social platforms, those who know what they are talking about try to promote exercises that will tend to benefit the most people. Drills like psoas stretching, hip hinging, glute bridges, and even cat cows are all great options and should be a responsibility attempted if they are new to you.

However, sometimes a painful lower back (due to weakness)  doesn’t come from weak glutes or an improper hinging pattern. Sometimes in order to strengthen your lower back, you need to strengthen your lower back. Make sense?

That’s why this blog is here.

To move from the generic to the specific and reveal exercises and drills that pick up where the standard left off. Think I’m missing anything – then don’t hesitate to let me know in the comment section.

Top 5 Lower Back Relief Exercises

 

#1: Prone Press Ups

The Prone Press Up is one of the best drills to address lower back pain that’s stemming from nerve irritation. This exercise is designed to first put you in a high stability environment (the floor), and through assisted extension, help the disc recede away from the nerve and provide relief. You should know almost immediately if this is the right exercise for you because you should feel relief soon after starting the repetitions.

 

#2: Rolling Pattern

The Rolling Patterns are one of my all-time favorite exercises. This is because it’s not only a great corrective, but also an assessment.

Are you feeling like your hip flexors and back are always tight? This is a great screen to help you determine why that might be.

If you are rolling from your back to your belly and you immediately engage the leading quad instead of your core, this means you’re asking your hip flexor to work as a trunk stabilizer as well as a prime mover.

 

#3: Shin Box Bridge

The shin box exercise is one of the exercises that truly gives you a lot of bang for your buck.

On the working side, the shin box bridge will help strengthen and lengthen your hips at the same time.

On the other side, the box position puts your hip into an internally rotated position, which can really help restore balance in your hip mobility for the benefit of your lower back.

 

#4: Hip Flexor Hovers

The hip flexor hovers are one of the best-kept secret exercises in all of fitness and rehabilitation. I think this is because it is a contraction. This is because conventional wisdom says that if your muscles are tight, you need to stretch them out, right?

The answer is maybe, but not always. Sometimes your muscles become tight because they are weak, and the best way for the brain to protect the area from injury is to keep it short and prevent the muscle from being overly stretched.

If your hip flexors are tight and you are not a runner or kickboxer, the most likely culprit of your tightness is weakness. The same thing goes for your upper traps and upper back, but that’s a topic for a different day.

 

#5: Floor Superman’s

Last but not least, we have the Floor Superman’s. This should be almost everyone’s lower back go-to exercise because it makes the most logical sense. If you spend most of your day working on a computer with a rounded back or on the slouched over on the couch – of course, your lower back is going to feel the impact over time. When your lower back is rounded, the muscles that comprise the back are in a lengthened position.

And any muscle that is in a lengthen position is going to weaken over time and become susceptible to injury. The floor supermans are great to safely bring strength and confidence (back) into your life.

 

Keep on moving

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. If you are currently experiencing back pain, the best thing you can do is get it assessed and treated right away. The longer you wait, the longer it will take to recover and the more time you would’ve lost. We have 3 Seattle locations and 1 Portland location to serve you. Make an appointment today.