Lower Back Muscle Exercises for Pain

Video Transcript

"In this clip, I'm going to demonstrate some exercises to strengthen and support your lower back. The first one we're going to do is really going to specify the lower back. What we're going to do is what's referred to as a Superman. You're going to get a mat, and we're going to lie face down. From here, all you're going to do is reach your arms out in front of you, extend your legs straight back behind you, and straighten your head out so your spine is in alignment. From this position, as far as your back will allow you, you're going to arch up so that your arms extend up and your lower limbs extend up. You're going to hold this position for 10 to 15 seconds, as long as you can, making it a point to breathe. Then you're going to relax right back down. In this position, we can also do two variations where you go with just your upper body. Or you can relax that down and go with just the lower body. And you can relax that down. The other exercise we're going to do is referred to as planking. In this position, you're not just going to strengthen your lower back, but you're going to strengthen your whole core. All you're going to do is, starting from this position again, extend your arms directly below you so that your elbows are shoulder-width apart. You're going to look straight down between your arms. Come up to your knees first, and extend right up to your toes. What you're looking to do in this position is keep your body straight like a board and make it a point to pull your belly button up towards your spine so you engage your abdominal muscles. If you feel any pressure in your lower back, you're going to want to relax right down. If you want to, you can come back up a second time, making it a point to engage your abdominal muscles so there's no pressure in your lower back. And relax. Again, these are two exercises you can do to strengthen and support your lower back."