Kristy CrowleyIt’s very tempting to just focus on exercises that tone your abs and butt but don’t forget the other super important body part—your back.
To help you achieve a super toned back and better posture, add these three moves to your fitness routine. You won’t need any fancy equipment to get the job done!
Lying Back Extensions
While the primary purpose of the lying back extension is to work the muscles in your lower back, it also targets your hamstrings and glutes, making it one of the most effective core exercises around.
Instructions
- Start by lying on your mat with your face down and your hands by your head, elbows wide. Keep your feet on the floor and engage your glutes and core to support your lower back.
- Activate your back muscles all the way along the length of your spine, while lifting your shoulders, head and chest up off the floor. Hold the position at the top before slowly lowering your chest back to the floor.
Tips: Throughout the movement, squeeze your shoulder blades together by contracting your upper back muscles. This will create added resistance and make the exercise more challenging. Also, keep your head parallel to the floor (in a neutral position) to ensure you don’t strain your neck. Tuck your chin slightly and pull your shoulders away from your ears. Keep your eyes locked on the floor directly in front of you.
Up for an even greater challenge? To activate your glutes and hamstrings, raise your legs up off the floor at the same time as you lift your chest and shoulders. Or, add resistance by holding a weighted plate or light dumbbells behind your head. No dumbbells? Grab a water bottle or a hardcover book—the sky’s the limit, so be creative. If weights aren’t your thing, add a two-second pause at the top of the movement to make it even more challenging.
Superman Lat Pulldown
Sculpt your back muscles with this easy and effective exercise you can do from anywhere. Superman lat pulldowns combine the lying back extension with a horizontal lat pull.
Instructions
- To begin, lie on your mat with your face down and your arms fully extended in front of you, parallel to the floor. This is the start position.
- Simultaneously raise your arms, chest and feet off the floor. Then, bend your arms and retract your elbows back towards your hips while squeezing your shoulder blades together, like you’re pulling on something.
- Next, fully extend your arms back out in front of you (start position), keeping your chest, upper body and feet raised off the floor. This is one rep. Your chest, upper body and feet should stay elevated for the duration of the exercise.
Tips: Keep your head and neck in a neutral position to protect your neck joints. As you retract your elbows, draw your shoulder blades down and away from your ears and squeeze them together. For an easier version, keep your feet in contact with the floor.
Want to make the exercise more difficult? Hold light dumbbells in your hands for added resistance.
Renegade Row
Who doesn’t like a two-for-one special? The renegade row is a double-whammy that works your arms and core at the same time. This move requires a crazy amount of core strength to keep your body stable, so make sure to perform the movement slow and controlled.
Instructions
- Place two dumbbells on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Assume a plank position with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-distance apart.
- Grasp the dumbbells so your hands are elevated off the floor and your arms are locked. Maintain a neutral wrist position.
- Next, shift your weight slightly to your right side so you’re supported by your right arm. With your left arm, row the dumbbell up and to the side of your rib cage—your left elbow should be pointed up and back while remaining tight to your body.
- Keep your body stabilized as you slowly lower the dumbbell back to the floor. Then, repeat the movement on the right side. That’s one rep. Keep alternating arms until time or reps are completed.
Tips: Keep your head and neck aligned (neutral position). As you row the dumbbell towards your rib cage, squeeze your shoulder blades together. Try to keep your hips and shoulders from twisting side to side. This ensures your body remains square to the floor and your core is activated.
Getting too easy? Luckily, every exercise has variations to make it more challenging. To make it more difficult, raise your opposite leg off the floor at the same time as you row. This will target your glutes and hamstrings and increase the difficulty of the exercise. Once you master that, try lifting the right leg at the same time as you row the right arm. Now, that’s a serious challenge!
Takeaway
We take our back for granted, not realizing how much we use it every day. Whether you’re sitting in a chair all day, hunched over at your desk or carrying around heavy groceries, the added stress to your lower back can potentially have dire consequences, like chronic pain.
To eliminate chronic back pain and improve your posture, exercising your back is super important. After all, your back is the bridge between your upper and lower body, so it’s wise to treat it with kindness. Add these three back exercises to your workout routine to look and feel your best!
New to fitness or just starting back up? Start with two sets of 10-12 reps for each exercise. Add more sets or reps each week.
Working out 1-2 times a week? Shoot for three sets of 12-15 reps for each exercise. Add more sets, reps or resistance as the weeks progress.
Does working out come second nature to you? Try the advanced version of each exercise by either increasing your resistance, challenging your balance or adding longer pauses at the most difficult point of each movement. Go for three to four sets of 15-20 reps for each exercise. Keep challenging yourself week after week by adding additional sets, reps or resistance.
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