How to Exercise Your Back

It is important to exercise your back, both upper back and lower back regions. You use your back muscles in almost everything you do, active or sedentary. Therefore it is worth taking the time to exercise these important muscles to keep them supple, healthy and to reduce any strain on your back. Exercising your back will improve muscle definition in your torso and helps to prevent lower back injury.

1- Stretch before you start with these exercises. Stretching is an important way to maintain your health and fitness, especially if you haven’t exercised in awhile.

2- Do a 90/90 neutral back stretch. This will help open up the muscles in your back, readying them for your workout. The stretch will also help your chest muscles open up and reduce tension in muscles and ligaments overall.You might also like to consider a thoracic stretch. Place the back of a chair facing you to serve as a stable support. Stand behind this, placing your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees slightly. Push back through your backside; you should feel a stretch along your upper back. Hold for a count of 10, then move back up gently.Another thoracic stretch: Sit on a chair and place your feet flat on the ground. Roll your upper body slowly forward from the waist. Place your hands beneath your legs and grip the chair legs. Then curl back up slowly.

3- Do the downward facing dog pose in yoga. The downward facing dog is a fairly straightforward stretch, so if you want to challenge yourself you should take a look at the whole sun salutations series. This pose is a good resting position stretch at any time during the workout.

4- Do a seated hip roll with an exercise ball. This exercise helps to strengthen your core and relax your back. Make sure to keep your movements fluid and your arms at your sides as you roll out, and try to get each leg as straight as you can.

5- Do a shoulder stand in yoga. This is a pose that helps relax stress-prone areas in your back and neck. It is also good for blood circulation. You’ll need to support yourself using your elbows, but so long as you keep your balance you shouldn’t have trouble with this exercise. Just be sure to have a comfortable mat underneath.

6- Do a cat and dog exercise. This high-intensity exercise improves flexion and extension of the spine. Try to do the movements of this exercise as smoothly as you can in order to maximize its effectiveness.