The 10 Best Lower Back Exercises + Workout – Fitness Volt (2024)

I’ve been a personal trainer for more than three decades. During that time, I’ve helped a lot of people overcome chronic back pain. This is hardly surprising given that one in eight adults suffer from persistent back pain, and more than two-thirds of all men and women will experience some kind of back pain during their lifetimes (1).

One of the best ways to prevent back pain is to strengthen your lower back muscles. Despite this, many exercisers skip lower back training because they believe that their lower back muscles get enough stimulation during the rest of their workout. Others avoid it because, ironically, they don’t want to risk hurting their backs.

That’s like NOT training your biceps to make your arms bigger!

Don’t let your lower back become the weak link that undermines your training. Instead, make lower back training a priority. A stronger lower back will have a positive effect on many of the other exercises in your workouts. It could also prevent back injuries and lower back pain.

In this article, I reveal the exercises I use to help my clients build a bullet-proof lower back. I’ve also provided you with a sample workout designed to help you build a more muscular, resilient lower back.

Lower Back Anatomy

While you don’t need to know the names of the muscles that make up and are associated with your lower back, a basic knowledge of these structures may be helpful and could prove interesting.

The main muscles of the lower back are:

Erector Spinae

Erector spinae is the collective name for the muscles that run from the bottom to the top of your spine: spinalis, longissimus, and iliocostalis. They’re responsible for extending your spine and also play a part in lateral flexion. When they contract isometrically or statically, the erector spinae holds your spine upright and prevents it from rounding.

To be considered a lower back exercise, the erector spinae muscles must be actively involved. However, these muscles seldom work in isolation. The other muscles that invariably work alongside the erector spinae are:

Gluteus Maximus

Known as the glutes for short, this is the largest muscle in the human. The glutes are a powerful hip extender and are also involved in the abduction and external rotation of your hip. Most lower back exercises involve at least some hip extension and glute activation.

Hamstrings

Located on the back of your thighs, the hamstrings work with your glutes to extend your hips and also flex your knees. The three hamstring muscles are the biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus.

Together, the erector spinae, gluteus maximus, and hamstrings are known as the posterior chain.

Core

This is the collective name for the muscles of your midsection, namely the rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis. The core muscles contract inward to generate intra-abdominal pressure, which helps support and stabilize your lumbar spine.

It’s all but impossible to isolate your lower back muscles, but that’s probably a good thing. In most everyday tasks, gym exercises, and sporting endeavors, these muscles work with the rest of your body, so it makes sense to train them the same way.

The 10 Best Lower Back Exercises

There are lots of lower back exercises to choose from, but some are better than others. Here are TEN of the very best!

1. Hyperextension
2. Bird-Dogs
3. Cat/Cow
4. Superman
5. Barbell Hip Thrusts
6. Good Mornings
7. Rack Pull
8. Reverse Hyperextensions
9. Romanian Deadlifts
10. Bonus: Kettlebell Swing

1. Hyperextension

Hyperextensions, also known as 45-degree back extensions, are a very spine-friendly lower back exercise. As well as working your erector spinae muscles, this popular gym exercise also strengthens your glutes and hamstrings, making it an excellent move for your entire posterior chain.

You can do hyperextensions with just your body weight for resistance or holding weights to make it more challenging.

Most gyms have hyperextension benches, and they’re also available for home use. Alternatively, you can do this excellent back exercise lying face-down across a stability ball instead of a bench, which is another good option for home exercisers.

Learn how to do hyperextensions here.

2. Bird-Dogs

The bird-dog is often described as a glute and core exercise, which it is. However, it’s also a great way to train your lower back. However, because the load on your muscles and spine is relatively low, this move is ideal for beginners and during your warm-up. I often do burd-dogs before moving on to more demanding exercises, such as Romanian deadlifts or good mornings.

As an added benefit, bird-dogs teach you how to adopt and maintain a neutral spine, i.e., a natural lower back arch. This means they’re good for improving your posture.

All in all, whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced exerciser, bird-dogs deserve a place in your workouts.

Read more about bird-dogs here.

3. Cat/Cow

While cat/cow won’t add much muscle or strength to your lower back, it’ll do wonders for the mobility and flexibility of your entire spine. Do this exercise as part of your warm-up, or anytime your back feels stiff or tight. I often do this exercise to break up long periods of sitting. 8-10 reps make my spine feel like new!

Get the most from this exercise by moving slowly and smoothly, gradually increasing your range of motion as your spine starts to feel more limber.

Learn how to do the cat/cow here.

4. Superman

The superman gets its name because, when you do this exercise, you look a little like the Man of Steel flying through the air! This is a bodyweight-only exercise, so it’s ideal for home workouts.

Take care when doing the superman not to lift your legs or upper body too high off the ground. Doing so hyperextends (extends too far) your lumbar spine, which could result in injury. You may also find this exercise more comfortable if you place a folded gym mat or cushion under your hips.

Check out thisguide to the superman exercise.

5. Barbell Hip Thrusts

Barbell hip thrusts are usually viewed as a glute exercise. However, they actually work your entire posterior chain, including your lower back. The main advantage of hip thrusts over other lower back exercises is that they don’t put too much pressure on your lumbar spine, making them more lower back-friendly, even if you use heavy weights.

While this exercise IS usually done using a barbell, you can also do it with a weight plate or dumbbell resting on your hips, or just use your body weight for resistance. You can also do it without a bench and while lying on the floor, making it an ideal home workout exercise. This variation is called aglute bridge.

Read ourhip thrusts guideto find out more about this great exercise.

6. Good Mornings

Good mornings are a slightly controversial exercise. That’s because, if done incorrectly, they could cause serious injury. This problem is not unique to good mornings; any exercise done with improper form could cause more harm than good. That said, the position of the load means you’ll have to work extra hard to maintain a neutral (slightly arched) spine.

If you do not round your lower back, good mornings are not riskier than any other lower back exercise.

Good mornings can be done using a barbell or a resistance band as preferred. You can alsoperform this exercise using a Smith machine.

Check out thisgood morning exercise guideto learn how to do good mornings correctly and safely.

7. Rack Pull

All types of deadlifts, including conventional, trap bar, Romanian, sumo, deficit, etc., work your lower back. However, the rack pull could be one of the best options if you want to lift heavy weights while keeping your risk of injury to a minimum.

With rack pulls, you start each rep with the bar resting on blocks or in a power rack set to about knee height. This elevated position means you don’t have to lean very far forward, making it easier to maintain a neutral or slightly arched lower back despite the weight you’re lifting.

Powerlifters use rack pulls as a deadlift accessory exercise, but they’re a good exercise for non-powerlifters, too.

Find out more about rack pulls here.

8. Reverse Hyperextensions

This exercise involves stabilizing your lower back as you lift your legs. Reverse hypers are a popularaccessory exercisewith powerlifters. They allow you to lift moderate to heavy weights with very little stress on your lumbar spine. Like most lower back exercises, they also involve your glutes and hamstrings, making them an effective way to develop your entire posterior chain.

The most straightforward way to do reverse hyperextensions is with a dedicated machine. However, you can also do a version of this exercise using a flat bench and even a stability ball.

Read more about this awesome exercise, including variations ideal for home use, in ourdetailed guide.

9. Romanian Deadlifts

Romanian deadlifts are a lot like rack pulls (exercise #5). However, instead of starting each rep with the bar resting on knee-high pins or boxes, you start from standing and lean as far forward as your flexibility allows. Take care not to round your lower back during this exercise. That would turn a great back builder into a back destroyer!

Learn more about Romanian deadlifts here.

10. Kettlebell Swing

Providing you can maintain a neutral spine during the slow tempo exercises outlined above, you can kick your lower back workouts up a level with kettlebell swings. Doing any lower back exercise at speed means that you’ll need to work harder to stabilize your lumbar spine, providing an intense workout for your erector spinae, glutes, and hamstrings.

While you CAN raise the weight overhead (the American swing), it’s often preferable to swing your kettlebell up to shoulder height (the Russian swing), as this allows you to use heavier weights without hyperextending your lower back.

Learn how to do the kettlebell swing here.

Sample Lower Back Workout

If you want a strong lower back, you need to make it a training priority. A lot of lifters make the mistake of treating their lower back as an afterthought, maybe doing a few sets of hyperextensions after training their abs.

This workout works your entire posterior chain with an extra emphasis on your erector spinae. Do it a few days before or after your normal leg training day. It contains heavy weight/low rep back exercises for strength, moderate weight/medium rep exercises for hypertrophy, and light weight/high rep exercises for endurance.

But, before you start, warm up with a few minutes of light cardio followed by some dynamic flexibility and mobility exercises for your hamstrings, hips, knees, and lower back.

Finally, do 2-3 light sets of the first exercise to ensure you are 100% ready for what is to come.

Related: Lower Back Pain: Common Causes and Prevention For Athletes

The 10 Best Lower Back Exercises + Workout – FAQs

Do you have a question about the back exercises or workout in this article? No problem, because I’ve got the answers! Alternatively, drop me a line in the comments section below, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

1. I have a lower back injury – will these exercises help me?

If your back is currently bothering you, I strongly suggest you seek medical advice before doing any of the exercises or the workout in this article. Depending on the nature of your injury, training could make things worse rather than better.

Once you have the go-ahead to return to training, start with some easy bodyweight exercises, e.g., bird-dogs and hyperextension, to see how your back responds. Only progress to weighted lower back exercises if you remain pain-free.

2. Does wearing a weightlifting belt help protect against lower back injuries?

A weightlifting belt may protect your lower back from injury, but it’s not a passive support for your spine. Rather, wearing a belt makes it easier to create intra-abdominal pressure by giving you something to brace your core against.Simply strapping on a belt won’t prevent you from hurting your back if you don’t combine it with bracing. As such, you must learn to work with a belt to get the support and protection you want.

Related:Does Wearing A Lifting Belt Enhance Strength?

3. Why is rounding your lower back so dangerous?

A rounded lower back is a weak lower back. When your back is rounded, the stress that should be supported by your muscles ends up on your intervertebral disks and ligaments instead. These structures are inelastic, non-contractile, and avascular, making them easy to injure and slow to heal.

Consequently, it’s generally best to keep your lower back slightly arched, i.e., neutral. This ensures your muscles support more of the load. You can still strain a back muscle, but they heal faster than ligaments and disks because they have a much better blood supply.

Bracing helps stabilize your spine and reduces the tendency to round your lower back. That’s why you’ll often see bracing in the exercise instructions published on Fitness Volt.

4. Can I make changes to the exercises in the workout?

Please feel free to change the exercises in the workout according to your needs and goals. For example, you could do bird dogs instead of the Superman or Romanian deadlifts instead of good mornings. However, avoid changing exercises just because you find them challenging. Providing you can do them safely, it’s those harder exercises that drive your gains.

5. How often should I train my lower back?

Most muscle groups respond best to twice-weekly training, e.g., Monday and Thursday. This provides the best balance between work and rest. Hit your lower back more often, and you risk overtraining.

That said, you must also remember that your lower back is often trained indirectly, e.g., during your leg workouts. As such, you may only need one lower back-specific workout per week.So, adjust lower back training frequency to match your needs and the demands of the rest of your workouts.

Wrapping Up

If you care about your performance, appearance, and health, it’s time to start treating your lower back as a training priority. After all, a strong lower back is a healthy lower back and much less prone to injury.

Try to sit less and stand more, improve your posture, avoid rounding your lower back when lifting heavy weights, and spend some extra time training this crucial body part.

With a bit of dedication, you should be able to turn what is a weak link for many people into a muscle group that’s powerful and virtually unbreakable. If nothing else, strengthening your lower back could help you avoid becoming yet another lower back pain statistic.

References:

Fitness Volt is committed to providing our readers with science-based information. We use only credible and peer-reviewed sources to support the information we share in our articles.

1 – Waterman BR, Belmont PJ Jr, Schoenfeld AJ. Low back pain in the United States: incidence and risk factors for presentation in the emergency setting. Spine J. 2012 Jan;12(1):63-70. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2011.09.002. Epub 2011 Oct 5. PMID: 21978519.

This article was written by Patrick Dale, a Training Editor with 30 years of experience in Personal Training and Strength & Conditioning. Passionate about accuracy and reliability, Patrick delivers content that is both informative and engaging. Should you have any questions or require further clarification on this article, please leave a comment below. Patrick is dedicated to addressing your queries promptly.