Introduction
Are you a part of the world of exercise? Then, have you been emphasizing your lower back region? It is unfortunate that many exercisers consider the lower back as a not-so-attractive group of muscles. Nonetheless, it is among the most functional kind of muscles in our body, so working out on them is mandatory to lead a healthier and happier life.
Do you know which part of your spine bears most of your body weight? The answer is the lumbar region. Therefore, it is a no-brainer to conclude that a stronger lower back region can help to improve our body posture. In addition, strength, stamina, and athletic performance mostly depend on lower back strength. Needless to say, individuals with the stronger lower back are less susceptible to lower back pain issues.
When it comes to lower back workouts for men, it is a must to remember that lower back muscles are somewhat tough to train. What is the reason? Firstly, lower back muscles are deep. And secondly, these muscles are hidden under other superficial muscles.
Hence, working on the lower back also makes it necessary for an exerciser to take care of the glutes as well as abs. But, that does not mean that there is no solution to this situation. We have come up with a discussion of a couple of workouts that should be included in one’s exercise regimen.
Are you ready to build or boost the stamina, endurance, or strength of your lower back muscles? Yes? Then, it is time to dive into more details.
Which Muscles are considered Lower Back Muscles?
When it comes to working out targeting a specific body part, it is a must to get familiar with the anatomy first. Note that a long list of muscles makes up our lower back region. Are you trying to strengthen your lower back muscles? Then, you have to emphasize two key groups of muscles namely erector spinae muscles and transversospinalis.
Remember, these two groups of muscles are there deep inside of our body being intrinsic muscles. Moreover, they reside in the proximity of the vertebrae. When it comes to spinal movement, these two groups of muscles come into the picture.
In addition, erector spinae and transversospinalis muscles also depend on hips, abdominals, hamstrings, and glutes in terms of functions. Therefore, when we consider the adjacent muscles, size, and location, it seems that these two groups of muscles are quite tricky to strengthen. It is time to check out these two groups of muscles separately below:
Erector Spinae:
The erector spinae is made of three muscle groups namely the spinalis, longissimus, and iliocostalis. This group of muscles resides throughout the length of our back and helps in spinal straightening.
Transversospinalis Muscles:
Like Erector Spinae, Transversospinalis muscles are made of three muscle groups, called the semispinalis, multifidus, and rotators. However, each of the groups resides at various layers throughout the length of our back. And these three groups of muscles help to stretch out and rotate the spinal column.
Why should you go for Lower Back Workouts?
Do you wonder why you should opt for lower back workouts for men? The key reason lies in the functionality of your body. To be specific, when it comes to lower back muscles, you need to emphasize function rather than structure to ensure proper strengthening. You already know that lower back muscles are intrinsic, not superficial. That means they might not help you improve your appearance, but are significant to boosting your health.
Today’s sedentary lifestyle, incorrect postures, and wrong form of workouts or other athletic activities take a toll on one’s lower back region resulting in pain and discomfort. Do not worry! You just need to strengthen your lower back muscles to keep injuries and pains at bay. And it dictates the significance of lower back workouts for men.
What else? Strong muscles leave no stone unturned to take the exerciser’s athletic and gym performance to the next level. If you are into one of the sports like hockey, running, or rugby, you would see a drastic change in your performance. Get ready to see an upward curve in your career by strengthening your lower back region! Strong lower back muscles would even help you to hit the dance floor even when you get 90-years-old. And I hope these perks are enough to inspire you to start your journey in lower back workouts.
Lower Back Workouts for Men: Top Picks for you
How to start your exercise journey when it comes to working on your lower back region? You need to emphasize full range motion while working out with the desire of developing mass, vigor, stamina, and strength in your lower back muscles. How to do that? You have to amalgamate activities, which comprise even a bit of concentric contraction and lower-back-specific movements.
Moreover, a mix and match of lower back workouts can do wonders when it comes to strengthening one’s lower back region. It is recommended for you to be familiar with a couple of injury recovery strategies along with the science of movement before starting your lower back workout journey. Now, what are we waiting for? Let us talk about some of the best lower back workouts for men.
Kettlebell Swing
When it comes to hip-hinging workouts, kettlebell swings come among the prominent ones. The exercise needs exercisers to balance their upper body by leveraging the power of their lower back muscles. It causes a bit of concentric contraction atop the movement.
For your information, concentric contraction increases muscle tension to cater to the resistance while keeping up stability with the shortening of the muscle. If you can manage to go for longer sets, you can expect to develop stamina as well as robustness.
Procedure
- Maintain shoulder width while placing your feet for this workout while the kettlebell should be placed on the ground exactly behind you.
- It is time to bend your knees to hold the weight properly behind your torso. Next, push your buttocks backward.
- Moreover, it is important to up your chest and straighten your back. Keep the posture throughout the Kettlebell Swing workout.
- It is time to drive your buttocks forward by pushing them creating a motion while you straighten your knees resulting in the much-needed momentum for this workout.
- Leverage this momentum to swing your kettlebell up to the height of your shoulders.
- Keep repeating the steps to complete a full set.
Deadlift
When it comes to the best and most impactful lower back workouts for men, the deadlift deserves to be mentioned. It belongs to the family of compound exercise and builds vigor, strength, and stamina in the exerciser’s quads, hamstrings, glutes, traps, and lats.
Are there any other benefits of opting for the Deadlift workout? These workouts leave no stone unturned to build stamina, robustness, and vigor in the lower back region. It is a must to develop an isometric hold along your back region to do deadlifts without mistakes. Moreover, you also have to maintain a straight posture throughout the move.
Deadlifts also make the exercisers experience a concentric contraction once they attain a vertical position. Try to do this hip-driving movement properly to keep injuries at bay. Otherwise, you would face mobility-related issues, and you won’t want that, would you?
Procedure
- You would need a barbell to perform the Deadlift exercise. Next, position yourself in front of the barbell by maintaining the hip-width on your feet. Bend your knees at the end of the move.
- It is time to maintain an overhand grip while holding the barbell. Note that you have to hold the weight at the width of your shoulders.
- Next, pull the barbell straight up as long as the straightening down of your arms and having your torso getting upright. Note that the weight needs to be in the resting position ahead of your thighs.
- Do not fail to maintain a straightening position for your neck and back as much as possible throughout the Deadlift workout.
- The combination of the vertical standing position and the Deadlift workout makes the exerciser experience a bit of concentric contraction in their lower back.
- It is time to move the barbell back to the floor. Keep your control intact while handling the bar.
Bridges
Are you looking for some corrective exercises for your lower back region? Then, bridges would get you covered. Bridges are among the impactful lower back workouts for men that come with a combination of high-volume and low-intensity movement.
It is time to leverage your back muscles to move extension while your buttocks attain the top range of motion of the workout. Doing this move properly would make sure of excellent results out of the bridges exercise. Did you know bridges also come as an impactful exercise when it comes to working on the glutes? And it is also mandatory to emphasize gluteal muscles to strengthen the lower back area. In addition, working on glutes would also result in firm and slim buttocks.
Procedure
- Start the bridges workout by lying on your back. Your feet must rest on a weight machine chair or a box. However, the weight machine chair or box should not be moved at all. Your buttocks and hips should maintain a 90-degrees angle.
- It is time to drive your lower body part upward with the support of your lower back muscles, glutes, and buttocks. Keep doing that as long as your body gets straightened. Next, start lowering your buttocks to the initial position and rest them on the ground without losing control.
Hyperextension
Do not go for the term “hyper” in the name. Rest assured the workout is not too strenuous or aggressive. Nonetheless, hyperextension comes as one of the effective lower back workouts for men. It ensures a complete flex as well as a concentric contraction of the lower back muscles. As you move toward the next stage from beginner, you can start adding weights to take your results to the next level.
You do not want to incorporate unwanted stress into the lower back area of your body, do you? The solution is to elevate your torso to a neutral state without extending it fully. Do not worry! The engagement of your body throughout the process would be made sure by the full range of motion. As a result, you can also keep unnecessary risks during the workout at bay.
Would you like to take the extension to the next level? If yes, then you can perform this workout with dumbbells of the appropriate weight. If you want your upper back muscles to participate in the entire procedure, you can incorporate a row stop.
Procedure
- Opt for suitable weights and get them ready on the ground in the face of the ham-glute machine. Thus, you can grab your weights whenever you need them during the process.
- Firstly, place your torso properly in the ham-glute machine. Note that your buttocks should get into the hinged position.
- Next, lower your body down. Keep doing that until your face is at a 90-degree angle to the ground. Moreover, keep a fully-flexed position for your back. Are you going to incorporate dumbbells into the workout? Then, it is the step when you need to grab them.
- The next step needs you to pull your body up until it gets straightened for which you need to leverage your back. Maintain a straight posture for your back, and refrain from bending it further.
- Would you like to strengthen your upper body muscles along with your lower back muscles? If yes, then it is the stage when you can incorporate a row at the top.
- Get back to the initial position without losing control.
Superman:
Other than bridges, one of the most impactful corrective lower back workouts for men is superman. If you do not want to work out with massive weights, then superman may be an ideal solution for you.
You and the ground are all that is needed for the superman workout. This lower back workout for men puts lower back as well as gluteal muscles to work so that you can complete a higher number of reps.
Procedure
- Start the journey by lying down on your stomach. Next, you need to stretch out your arms in front of you while resting your palms down.
- It is time to elevate your arms, feet, knees, and upper body from the ground while your buttocks need to be fixed on the floor. This position would help you to experience contraction in the lower back as well as gluteal muscles.
- Maintain the position for three seconds. Get back to the initial position to wrap it up.
Wrapping Up
What are you waiting for? It is time to choose the right lower back exercises and create a workout regimen to boost the health of your lower back muscles. If you feel pressure, pain, or discomfort before, during, or after the workout session, get in touch with an expert without any delay.
