The Other Core: Working Your Back Muscles For A Stronger Life

 

 

Working the muscles that assist with supporting the spine is not the first thing people typically think of when it comes to working the core. The idea of six pack abs and trim waistlines are typically much more exciting to the average person than working the back muscles. The muscles up and down your spine however play an important role in making sure your back has a solid support structure.

 

 

Often Neglected, But Much Needed

The muscles of the back help to keep the spine supported and in its proper position. Weak back muscles can contribute to a myriad of problems. Many of these problems are the result of years of improper movement patterns, although weak back muscles can also contribute to abrupt injuries.

 

Weak back muscles can contribute to a whole host of back problems including herniated disks, subluxations, and issues arising directly from those. As the years pass on and the vertebrae do not have the proper support they need, the back can consequently be more prone to issues.

 

 

Stronger Back, Better Life

Over the years I have seen numerous people with moderate to severe back problems. In every single one of those cases there has been improvement with a systematic and consistent program that focuses on strengthening the core muscles, implementing flexibility training for key muscle groups, and correcting improper movement patterns. In some cases the results of such training have been so significant as to be life changing.

 

 

Flexion/Extension Versus Isometric

When it comes to working the muscles of the back, the two primary methods used can be extension or isometric positions. Back flexion involves moving forward at the hips while back extension entails moving in the opposite direction. When done with proper biomechanics, the back should maintain a neutral (straight) posture. Doing so engages a number of back muscles, particularly those that function with respect to the lower back, or lumbar spine.

 

Isometric exercises for the back can be highly beneficial. For people with moderate to severe back problems, isometric positions that utilize the back muscles can be very effective while reducing the risk of injury, provided they are done correctly. Isometric back exercises typically utilize the effect of gravity against one’s body mass. Rather than moving, you simply enter into a position and then hold that position. Although no active contraction of the muscle is taking place during an isometric, the muscles are in fact working.

 

 

Challenges Of Back Extension And Isometrics For The Back

The single greatest challenge for most people when it comes to exercises that focus on the back muscles is entering into and maintaining the proper biomechanics and back posture. The back is at its strongest biomechanically when it is in a neutral position. This means that you are avoiding a rounded back, or what I sometimes refer to as the scared (or angry) cat position.

 

We all know the rounded back that a scared or angry cat displays when agitated. People similarly adopt this posture very often when engaging in exercises or simply when performing everyday activities. The problem is that it puts you at increased risk of injury. Sometimes injuries can happen abruptly, and sometimes the incorrect lifting posture takes many years to manifest problems. I once knew a woman who herniated a disk in her back lifting a box of library books using improper back posture.

 

The straight or neutral back position is very challenging for some people to learn and apply during exercises and everyday life. The body reverts to the rounded back position, placing the body at increased risk of injury, due to muscular weakness and fatigue. Additionally, whether it’s sitting at a computer, watching television on the couch, or doing manual labor, the back is more often than not in the rounded position for hours and hours at a time. It is what the body, and more specifically the muscles throughout the core and upper back, get used to.

 

 

Work The Entire Core

I’ve had clients who took months of practice to correctly learn how to enter into and maintain a neutral spine during an isometric or during back flexion and extension. Once learned however, this can help prevent injuries as well as increase the strength of the back muscles. We wouldn’t consider working only our biceps and not the triceps, or the quadriceps but not the hamstrings. Don’t make the mistake of working only your abdominal muscles and not the muscles of the back that support the spine.

 

 

 

 

Paul Owens is a personal trainer in the Cleveland area. He is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and the National Council on Strength and fitness. He is also a Corrective Exercise Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He can be reached at http://www.clevelandpersonaltraining.com