Building A Stronger Back With Isawall
When people think of strengthening their core, they most often think of doing crunches, situps, or similar types of exercises. These exercises primarily target the Rectus Abdominis, which is to be sure an important area of the core to strengthen. Many people however greatly neglect some of the most important muscles of the core which provide for spinal stability. These muscles help provide the structural support not only to stabilize your back as you stand, walk, and sit in daily life, but also as you perform daily tasks such as lifting, twisting, extending, and bending over.
There are a few muscles that run up and down the spine that anyone who wants to truly focus on overall core strength should not neglect. These muscles are the Erector Spinae, Multifidi, and Quadratus. When these muscles are adequately targeted in your workout sessions along with your other core training, you will not only have strong core muscles in the front abdominal area, but also in your back, creating a more balanced and solid all around support structure.
Isawall was designed to be able to target all major muscle groups, and the core muscles of the back are no different. You can work each muscle of the core with Isawall, increasing your overall support structure and reducing the likelihood of injury in sport or daily life. A strong core can very often also be a huge means of reducing pain from chronic on going back conditions. So let’s take a look at a few great exercises that can be done on Isawall to target these all important muscles of the back.
Superman Pose With Yoga Belt
The Superman Pose with yoga belt is a great exercise to pull in the stabilizing muscles of the back. This exercise is an isometric, meaning that there is no actual movement during the exercise. Don’t let this fool you however. When held for an extended period of time, the Superman pose can be very challenging. As the body works to resist gravity from pulling it down to the ground, the back muscles are engaged to keep the spine in a strong neutral position. Muscles all up and down the spine are pulled in to make this possible.
Beginners to the Superman pose should start with their heels up against Isawall while standing away from the wall. The more you lean over with this pose, the more the back muscles will be engaged to keep the body up against gravity. Those who are stronger and more advanced can actually walk their feet up on the wall, with the most difficult version of this exercise being such that the persons body is actually parallel to the floor.
In addition to actual body positioning, there are a few other ways that the difficulty of the superman exercise can be performed. The most simple way is to alter the amount of time that you hold the position with ten or twenty seconds being on the lower end, and ninety seconds or so being on the higher end. Additionally, those ready for an even greater challenge can put a weight vest on, increasing the resistance that must be held up against gravity. These two variations can also be added together to make the exercise difficult for even the strongest of people.
Back Extension With Yoga Belt
The back extension with yoga belt is a great way to actively engage the muscles of the back with extension and flexion. This movement, while done on Isawall with the yoga belt, is actually very similar to the everyday act of bending over at the waist to pick something up. The initial position is done very similarly to the Superman pose with the primary difference being that there is actual movement during the exercise.
The setup for back extension with the yoga belt starts with the person facing out away from Isawall with the belt positioned on the lower abdomen near the hips. Arms and hands can typically be held across the chest or at the side of the head. Keeping the back in a straight or neutral position, you simply lean forward at the hips, driving your chest, head, and shoulders down toward the ground. Once you reach the end range of motion, you simply drive back up to the starting position.
The Back Extension Exercise can be varied in a few ways to increase or decrease the level of difficulty. Increasing the range of motion is one way to make the exercise more difficult, as is adding weight with a dumbbell or weight plate held near the chest. A small weight vest can also be utilized to increase the difficulty of this exercise. Finally, the difficulty can be altered much like the superman exercise by walking up the wall with your feet. The closer you get to parallel with the floor, the more difficult the exercise will be.
The muscles of the back are hugely important to keep the spine safe and in good working condition. A stronger spine is a safer spine, and with these two great exercises on Isawall you will be well on your way to strengthening your back muscles.
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
