Strengthen Your Lower Back and Lose Fat with These Easy Exercises
Locking in a strong lower back is key to overall fitness, but many of us work on strengthening our upper bodies and legs while completely neglecting our backs. In the long run, this can have drastic consequences. Building tight, toned, strong muscles in your lower back will help give you the foundation you need to achieve your fitness goals and combat health issues. In just a few minutes a day, you can strengthen your back and drop the extra fat around your waist with these easy exercises.
The Plank: There’s a reason the plank is one of the most used ab exercises. When executed correctly, it targets every portion of your core and can help strengthen your lower back while trimming waist fat. Start in a pushup position, rest your elbows and forearms flat on the ground and maintain a straight line from head to toe. Make sure your hips aren’t sagging toward the ground and pull your abs in tight toward your spine. By focusing on proper form, this move can help tighten your back and melt away excess fat.
Squats: Squats are a no-brainer for lower body fat loss, but did you know they are also a great way to engage and strengthen your core and lower back? Focus on sitting back with your weight in your heels and your significant butt muscles. Also, remember to tie your abdominal muscles and pull your shoulder blades down your back. By controlling your torso and utilising the strength of your legs, glutes and core, your lower back will be better supported.
Hip Bridges: This simple move is another great way to benefit both your lower back and lower half. Start by lying faceup on the floor with your feet flat, bend your knees and your arms at your sides with your palms facing down. Lift your hips off the ground and squeeze your glutes at the top of the bridge. To increase the intensity of this exercise, release your glutes and slowly lower your hips. By focusing on your lower back and tightening your glutes, you will benefit your entire core.
Supermans: This exercise is excellent for strengthening your lower back. Start by lying face down on the floor with your arms and legs extended out, palms facing the ground. Simultaneously lift your arms and legs up and off the floor, as if you were a superhero ready to take flight. As you do this, concentrate on contracting your back and holding it for a few seconds. Remember to keep your neck in a neutral position and your lower abdomen tight. This will help you work the lower back and support the spine.
Extended Side Plank: To take the standard plank to the next level, this exercise is great for activating your lower back and toning up your waist. Find yourself in a stable side plank position, with one arm resting on the floor and the other extended straight over your head. Stack your feet and keep your body in a straight line from head to toe. While keeping your hips parallel to the ground, shift your weight to the inner edge of your bottom foot and twist your torso to the side as far as you can. Hold this position for a few seconds and slowly lower your torso back to the starting position.
Reverse Hyperextension: This exercise is a great way to target your lower back, glutes and hamstrings. Lie face down on a flat bench or on the floor and keep your legs together and straight. With your arms at your sides, engage your lower back muscles and lift your legs off the bench and up towards the ceiling. Concentrate on pulling your abdomen in, tighten your glutes and keep your feet together. Slowly lower your legs back to your starting position.
Clamshell: Finally, the clamshell is a lower body exercise that can also help reduce fat in your back. Lie on one side, legs bent at 90 degrees and feet together. Lift your top leg off the ground and open it as wide as possible reminiscent of a clamshell opening, while keeping your hips facing forward. To increase the intensity, hold for a few seconds with your top leg lifted. Make sure to keep your abs squeezed and your back straight to get the most out of the exercise.
Repeat the motions 5-6 times in a set for at least 2 sets for stronger lower back.
To target the lower back and reduce fat from the area try Mountain Climbers also. From the plank position lower your body down into a push up and bring one knee up towards your chest. Your torso should remain stable as your lower body moves, and your abs should stay tight. Alternate legs as your repeat the motion for 30 seconds or as many as you can.
Another good exercise for a strong lower back and fat reduction is the Superman Reach:
Begin by lying face down with arms and legs extended. From here, raise your arms, legs, and head off the floor while engaging your abs, and reach your arms forward while chest up and pointing the toes back. Hold for 1-2 seconds and then go down.
Do 3 sets of 8-10 reps for maximum results.
To really tighten up and strengthen your lower back muscles, try Reverse Flys. This exercise targets the lower back muscles directly as well as your shoulders, arms and glutes. Sit on the edge of a Bench or perform the exercise standing. Holding medium-weight dumbbells use your lower back muscles to hinge at the hips and extend your arms straight out, slightly bent, as you raise them to the sides in a straight line at shoulder level. Slight rotation of your torso and shoulder blades should be added to the exercise for a more effective result.
Bird Dogs are great for the lower back too. Start on your hands and knees. Breathe in and as you exhale, draw your belly button inward while engaging your abs and raise one arm and your opposite leg at the same time. Keep both extended straight, hold that position and come back down. Alternate arms and legs for 1-3 sets of 10-12 reps for each side.
To activate the lower back and trim the excess fat, incorporate some basic exercises as Pelvic Tilts. Begin by lying faceup on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Keeping your abs tight, flatten your lower back against the floor. Hold for 1-2 seconds and then release and repeat. Do 3 sets of 10 reps.
Bridge exercises and Bicycle crunches also are good lower back exercises. To do a Bridge, lie face up with kneecaps bent, feet hip-width apart, arms down at sides. Keep your abs tight, and then lift from your glutes and lower back and go into bridge position. Hold for 1-2 seconds and then come back down and repeat. For Bicycles, lying on your back, arms bent to the sides, lift your head and extend one leg and the opposite arm at the same time. Twist and touch the opposite side of your body while you pump your legs and arm.
Finally, the Crossbody Mountain Climbers and Dynamic dog/cat-camel pose are great fat-reduction exercises. In the Mountain climbers, after in the plank pose raise one foot off the ground and bring it towards the opposite arm in a crossbody fashion. To do the Dynamic Dog/Cat-Camel, start on your hands and knees. From here, alternately contract and relax your back, by tucking your chin and arc your back out and up. Complete 12-15 reps for each side.
