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Writer's pictureShruti GOCHHWAL

Lower Back Exercises You Can Do at Home

Lower back pain is one of the most common discomforts or problems that people face. This is because your lower back consists of the lower portion of your spine. This area is most prone to tissue damage and injury as one is always doing work that requires bending forward and backward.

If these movements are not performed correctly or if they are performed vigorously, eventually it places a strain on your spine. In addition, your lower back carries the entire load of your upper body to help it move. Moreover, bad posture can also cause pain or discomfort.

Here are some lower back exercises that will ease out back pain and strengthen your back.

1)  Knees to Chest Stretches

How to:

  1. Lie down on the ground with your back touching the floor.

  2. Try to bring one knee close to your chest, while using both hands to pull them closer.

  3. Ensure that your back is flat on the floor during this process and only the knee has to move towards your chest.

  4. Keep your abdominals tight.

  5. Hold this position for a few seconds and then return to the starting position.

uration: Hold each pose for about 5-10 seconds and then release. Repeat this five times for each leg.

2)  Lying Lateral Leg Raises

Credit: pixabay

Alt tag : Exercise side-lying leg raise

Caption: lateral leg raises

How to:

  1. Lie on one side of the body

  2. Ensure that your legs are touching each other.

  3. Using the hand on the side that your lying to support your head

  4. The other hand should be placed near your belly button on the floor.

  5. Flex your core muscle and then raise the top leg upwards away from the floor.

  6. Ensure that your legs are straight, do not bend your knees.

  7. Hold and then release.

Duration: Hold each position for 2 seconds and repeat it 30 times for one set.

Perform this exercise in 3 sets with 10-second gaps in between each set.

3)  Pelvic Tilts

How to:

  1. Lie down on your back.

  2. Bend your knees and bring them a little closer to your body

  3. Ensure that your feet are flat to the ground

  4. Arch your lower back and push the stomach out.

  5. Hold for a few seconds and then release.

  6. After that, try to do the opposite by flattening your lower back and push the stomach towards the floor.

  7. Hold for a few seconds and then release.

Duration: This form consists of an outward and inward pose. Hold each position for 5 times and repeat each for 10-25 times.


Cat cow stretch

Credit: Wikimedia common

Alt tag : Cat cow yoga

Captions: Cat cow stretch

4)  Cat-cow Stretc (chakravakasana)

How to:

  1. Kneel down on the floor with your hips apart and legs not touching each other

  2. Extend your hands away to the ground and align your upper body in such a way that it’s parallel to the floor.

  3. Your elbows and forearms now should be perpendicular to the floor.

  4. Then arch your back upwards in such a way that you will be able to see your belly button.

  5. Hold this pose for a few seconds

  6. Then slowly relax the abdominal muscle and arching your back slightly inwards, towards the floor.

  7. Hold for a few seconds and then release.

5)  Bridges

 bridge exercise

Credit: Wikimedia common

Caption: Bridges

Alt tag : bridge exercise

How to :

  1. Lie down on your back

  2. Placing your feet flat on the ground, bend your knees until your lower leg is perpendicular to the floor.

  3. Ensure that your arms are on your sides and touching the surface.

  4. Squeeze your buttocks and with the help of your shoulders, raise them upwards away from the floor.

  5. Hold still for a few seconds and release by bringing your body to the floor.

Duration: For one set, repeat this movement for 15 times. Repeat this for 3 sets with 60-second breaks between each set.

6)  Superman

How to:

  1. Lie down on the floor with the stomach touching the surface.

  2. Extend your arms and legs outwards, away from your body at the same time.

  3. Hold for a few seconds and then release

Duration: The recommended time to hold each superman pose is 50-60 seconds. After that, you can take rest for 10-30 seconds and then redo the exercise form.

7)  Planks

How to:

  1. Lie down on the floor and lift your body upwards with the help of your elbows.

  2. Align your elbows below your shoulders in such a way that your forearms are parallel to your body and on the floor.

To increase resistance or effectively, there are other variations of a plank that one can perform. They include:

  1. Plank with arm raise: Lifting one arm outwards while performing a plank. While lighting, one must ensure that their arm is parallel to the floor. This is performed with alternating arms.

  2. Plank with Leg raise: Lifting your legs upwards, perpendicular to the floor, while keeping in line with your hips. This is performed by alternating your legs after each lift.

  3. Traveling plank: It is the combination of arms raise and leg raise plank where you lift one limb at a time in a fixed manner.

Duration: The recommended time to hold each plank of any variation is 50-60 seconds. Then one can rest for 10-60 seconds depending on your strength and stamina.


Planks

Credit: pexels

Alt tag: plank exercise

Caption: Planks

Duration: This form consists of two poses. Each must be held for about 10-15 seconds and then repeated for 4-5 times.

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