Lower Back Exercises at home

The muscles located in the lower back region play a critical role in both athletic performance and overall aesthetic appeal for the bodybuilder. It would be an understatement to say these muscles are not worked enough, considering their importance in our lives.

Like a lot of muscles located in such places, i.e. all the muscle groups making up the posterior chain (lower back, glutes and hamstrings), it is often not trained because it is not visible in the mirror. This is the WRONG philosophy to adopt and if you are this type of person, then it's time for you to change your ways, and here is the perfect place to start.

Erector Spinae (spinal erectors) - this is the muscle group many people refer to as the 'lower back.' It forms part of the posterior chain, a term used for the muscles making up the region from behind the knee to the middle back, the most important group of muscles in the body.

Here is a brief summary of it's anatomy, showing the number of heads the muscle has, how the muscle articulates movement, where it is attached to the bones via tendon in both words and diagrammatically.

Here are some of the exercises which it is the target muscle. In all exercises that the spinal erectors are involved in, they are exercised 'isometrically,' meaning that the muscles contract against a force without their length being altered.

One of the easiest body parts to injure is most certainly the lower lumbar (lower back). The word lumbar is derived from the latin word lumbus, meaning lion, which is fitting since many guys get injured while trying to unleash their inner jungle cat - allowing their egos to push more weight than their bodies can handle. Throw in a dose of bad form and you've got the perfect storm for a weightlifting related injury.

To significantly lessen your chances of doing severe damage to your body, while increasing the strength of your lower back, consider incorporating these isolation exercises into your workouts.

The following are some stretches that aid in pain relief by helping take stress off the low back and hips and may greatly reduce the advancement of arthritis in the spine. These back exercises should be performed in a pain free manner. If pain is experienced, it is best to discontinue the exercises and consider being evaluated by a licensed physical therapist that specializes in treatment of the spine. If one already has low back pain or other health condition, it is advisable to first be evaluated by a physician and, as appropriate, receive guidance on how to do the following exercises by a spine specialist.

The muscle groups in the lower back include stabilizers and spinal support muscles. Some of these muscle groups make up part of the "core" that benefits from toning and strengthening. The core, in a sense, carries the body and distributes pressure to help support the body's internal infrastructure. Many kinds of lower back exercises, such as a leg curl and back hyperextension in Pilates work, actively work these lower back muscle groups and help make the body's core functions stronger.

Some of the lower back muscles support body functions used for contact sports. For example, a lot of the lower back activities that a trainer might recommend to soccer players deal with counterbalancing kicking muscles and working hip flexors to increase lower body power. This is another essential element where lower back work comes in handy for preventing athletic injury. Though many coaches focus on the muscles that are specifically used within a contact sport, in professional leagues and in the top training rooms around the world, there's also a specific focus on injury prevention, and that's where lower back exercises may come into play.