The Best Exercises To Strengthen Your Lower Back, Trainer Says

For many of us, an area of the body that's prone to injury is the lower back. The risk usually increases as you age, due to losing flexibility, muscle mass, and core strength. This makes it extremely important to stay active, and continue lifting weights and stretching regularly. When you want to strengthen your lower back, you need to train it indirectly. Most people believe you need to perform sets of Supermans and back extensions, when it should actually be the opposite. So we've done the hard work for you and rounded up the best exercises to strengthen your lower back. Add them to your regimen ASAP, and read on to learn more.

The lower back acts as a stabilizer, and oftentimes, it can compensate for certain exercises or movement patterns because of a weak core. It may sound counterintuitive, but strengthening your core and your glutes will allow you to build your lower back as well. You don't necessarily need exercises that target your lower back directly or finish your movements by hyperextending your lower back. Instead, focus on movements that train your core, glutes, and lats. These muscles will help stabilize your spine and keep you pain-free and injury-free.

Incorporate the following movements into your routine in order to strengthen your lower back. And next, be sure to read The 6 Best Exercises for Strong and Toned Arms in 2022, Trainer Says.

Dead Bug

In order to strengthen your lower back, the dead bug exercise is a solid place to start. Begin this movement on your back with your hands facing up towards the ceiling and your knees up. Fill your belly with air, and pull your ribs down so that your lower back presses into the floor. Take one of your arms and the opposite leg, and extend them all the way just above the floor. Once you've reached that point, exhale while keeping tension in your core. Then, bring the arm/leg back, and repeat with the opposite side. Complete 3 sets of 6 reps on each side.

Ab Wheel Rollout

Get into a kneeling position on the floor with your hands holding an ab wheel. Keep your core tight and glutes squeezed, and extend your body forward as far as you can, leading with your arms and hips and squeezing your abs. Once you've gone as far as you can, exhale all of your air out before rolling back to the start. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.

Romanian Deadlifts

dumbbell romanian deadlift — Tim Liu, C.S.C.S.

Begin this exercise with a pair of dumbbells in front of you. Keep your chest tall and knees soft, and push your hips back while dragging the weights down your thigh. Once you get a nice hamstring stretch in, drive your hips forward, squeezing your glutes to finish. Complete 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.

Barbell Rows

Grab a bar with either a pronated (overhand) or supinated (underhand) grip just slightly outside your shoulders, and stand up straight. Keep your core tight, and hinge at your hips so your body forms a 45-degree angle (while maintaining a neutral spine). Drive your elbows towards your hips, squeezing your back hard, then straighten your arms to get a full stretch in your shoulder blades before performing another rep. Complete 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.

Dumbbell Rows

trainer doing dumbbell row exercise — Tim Liu, C.S.C.S.

Position yourself parallel to a bench so that one hand and knee are firmly planted on the surface for balance. Grip a dumbbell with your opposite hand and your arm extended straight down toward the floor. Then, pull the dumbbell up towards your hip, squeezing your lats and upper back at the very end of the movement. Straighten your arm back down, and get a nice stretch at the bottom before performing the next rep. Complete 3 sets of 8 reps on each arm.