{"id":51121,"date":"2016-07-27T07:15:58","date_gmt":"2016-07-27T11:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=51121"},"modified":"2021-05-19T12:39:57","modified_gmt":"2021-05-19T16:39:57","slug":"reduce-lower-back-pain-exercises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/reduce-lower-back-pain-exercises\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Exercise Modifications to Reduce Lower Back Pain"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When your back hurts<\/a>, just the idea of getting off the couch can be painful \u2014 let alone moving enough to break a sweat. But if you\u2019re like nearly 80 percent<\/a> of adults who suffer from back pain at some point in their lives, the solution shouldn\u2019t be to throw in the towel on your workout.<\/p>\n

The exercises that typically trouble people with lower back pain are the ones that tap the glutes, hamstrings and core muscles \u2014 the very muscles that, when weak, can trigger aches in the first place, says Gavin McHale<\/a>, a Winnipeg-based kinesiologist and certified exercise physiologist. Of course, that doesn\u2019t mean you should perform exercises that hurt (there\u2019s no reason to suffer!). Instead, it should be all about finding modifications that build your strength back up \u2014 the right way.<\/p>\n

Check out these five exercise tweaks to keep your back happy at the gym, and for the rest of the day. (Just remember, if you\u2019re suffering from a lower back<\/a> injury, talk to your doctor first before hopping into a new fitness routine.)<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>5 Lower Back Stretches to Relieve Stress Now<\/a><\/p>\n

5 Exercise Tweaks to Reduce Lower Back Pain <\/strong><\/h2>\n

1. The Move: Back Squat
\n<\/strong>How to Modify It:<\/strong> Put down the weights and pick up a stability ball<\/a> \u2014 at least for a little while. For this move, you\u2019ll perform a basic bodyweight squat, but with the ball sandwiched between your mid-back and a wall, explains physical therapist Timothy Roy, CSCS, regional clinical director of Professional Physical Therapy<\/a> in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. This teaches you how to maintain a neutral spine and forces you to evenly distribute the load \u2014 rather than putting all the pressure on your lower back, he says. What\u2019s more, with your back against the ball, it\u2019s impossible to lean too far forward, which is another cause of mid-squat back pain, McHale says. Once you\u2019ve mastered stability ball squats, try moving onto squats<\/a> with weights \u2014 just keep that same neutral spine position.<\/p>\n

2. The Move: Sit-Up<\/strong>
\nHow to Modify It:<\/strong> If you suffer from back pain, doing a full sit-up<\/a> with your chest hitting your knees is totally overrated. \u201cModify by only rising to where your shoulder blades come off of the mat,\u201d Roy says. (This movement strengthens your six-pack muscles, anyway.) And again, prioritize keeping a neutral spine throughout the exercise, he says. Notice only your butt and upper back touch the floor (in other words, your back arches)? Draw your belly button in to press the small of your back into the floor.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>No More Sit-Ups: 7 New Moves to Work Your Abs<\/a><\/p>\n

3. The Move: Deadlift
\n<\/strong>How to Modify It:<\/strong> Because many people have tight hamstrings<\/a>, bending all the way down to the floor for this exercise, while still maintaining proper, pain-free alignment can be tricky. \u201cIf you\u2019re dead-set on picking up a weight, change to one of many different deadlift variations out there,\u201d McHale suggests. For instance, a Romanian deadlift (or RDL) involves lowering a weight from the top of the thighs to about knee height, and then back up again. (This requires far less flexibility than traditional deadlifts.) You could also try placing weights on blocks so that you don\u2019t have to bend as far down to pick them up, says Pat Gilles<\/a>, CSCS, a Wisconsin-based strength coach. With time, a combination of RDLs, stretching<\/a> and mobility work<\/a> may help increase your range of motion to make traditional deadlifts more doable.<\/p>\n

4. The Move: Leg Lift
\n<\/strong>How to Modify It:<\/strong> \u201cThis is a great exercise for your lower back,\u201d Gilles says. It utilizes core muscles to lift the legs from just above the floor to directly over the hips, and takes even more strength to raise hips toward the ceiling. One catch, though, many people arch too much to get some oomph, which is why it can feel not<\/em> so great on the back. To prevent pain, Gilles recommends squeezing your glutes<\/a> throughout the entire movement and not worrying about getting your hips and butt so high off of the floor during the second part of the move.<\/p>\n

Another ache-easing variation: Instead of lifting both legs simultaneously, target one at a time, Roy says. To perform single-leg lifts, lie on your back and extend one leg straight out in front of you. With your hands flat on the floor, bend your opposite knee and raise it toward your chest. Keep your knee at your chest throughout the entire exercise \u2014 this tilts your pelvis into a proper neutral spine position. From here, perform straight leg lifts with the opposite leg. Then switch sides.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The 5 Most Important Lifts to Master<\/a><\/p>\n

5. The Move: Plank
\n<\/strong>How to Modify It:<\/strong> \u201cPlanks<\/a> shouldn\u2019t hurt anyone\u2019s back as they are isometric and the spine should be neutral \u2014 the safest position,\u201d McHale says. If you do feel discomfort, take a look at your form in the mirror. (And check out a cheat sheet here<\/a>.) Your body should stay in a straight line from head to heels throughout the entire exercise. \u201cMake sure that the abs are super tight, pulling the ribcage down, and that the butt is clenched like you’re cracking walnuts,\u201d McHale explains. Can\u2019t maintain your line? Try them with your hands on an elevated surface like a sturdy chair or bench. Once your core (back included) gets stronger, you can give full-on planks another shot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prevent lower back pain during exercise \u2014 and all day \u2014 with these easy exercise tweaks. A few simple switches in your technique will help alleviate aches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6,14],"tags":[321,289,74,281,345,377],"class_list":["post-51121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-back-pain","tag-exercise","tag-pain","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1conditions","tag-tax2back-and-neck-pain"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51121\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}