Exercise has provided me with incredible benefits. It improves my strength, my breathing, and my computer posture. All of these are great for keeping me in shape.
My goals during exercise are pretty simple. Do body weight exercises and/or lift weights. For the last 15 minutes of my workout, I make it higher intensity. I don’t take any breaks in between sets. This helps to increase my breathing rate. This portion of the workout may not seem like a long one. But when you are constantly moving the whole time, it gets difficult and challenging quickly.
There are back exercises that can help relieve back pain, strengthen the back muscles, alleviate stiffness, and improve mobility.
There are also certain exercises that are not good for people with lower back pain. Triggering the wrong muscles, as well as straining the joints and ligaments, can worsen the lower back pain. Since we sit at a computer for long periods of time, we are already very likely to suffer from back pain.
So today, I’m sharing a roundup of back exercises that people with lower back pain should avoid. My articles are not medical advice. They are based on my personal experience and my opinions. Do your research. Make good decisions. And be the best advocate possible for your own healthcare.
Back Exercises To Avoid With Lower Back Pain
Deadlifts
Deadlifts put a lot of pressure on the lower back. I can speak about this from experience. I was doing deadlifts years ago, not even with heavy weight, when I pulled a piriformis muscle on my right side. This muscle runs from the lower spine, through the gluteus, connecting to the outside of the upper thigh bone.
This injury was pretty serious. I was out of work for a couple weeks. It even hurt to walk. I didn’t even have lower back pain to begin with before this workout. Considering how bad this injury was, deadlifts are number 1 on my list of exercises to avoid when experiencing lower back pain.
Instead of doing deadlifts that could worsen back pain, I would focus on correcting the back pain first. One of my favorite (anti) back pain exercises is the cat cow yoga pose. It’s helped me improve blood flow and mobility to my lower back. It was also important in helping me realize exactly where the muscle confusion and dysfunction was in my lower back.
Pull-ups
This one may come as a surprise. It may not appear that pull-ups could worsen back pain in the lower back. Mainly because pull-ups aren’t exactly heavy on the lower back muscle engagement. They are much more intensive on the upper back and the lat muscles.
Sitting for long periods of time often causes pain in the lower back. However, that is the effect of the problem, not the cause. This pain is often caused by tension in the upper back, which can be caused by using a keyboard and mouse for long periods of time.
Everything in our bodies is connected. Bones, tendons, especially muscles. An upper back muscle may not be directly connected to a lower back muscle, but it can definitely put a lot of pressure on the lower back. This pressure causes tension that can cause someone to suffer from back pain.
If I’m doing pull-ups, activating every muscle in my upper back and lats, this is definitely having an indirect effect on my lower back muscles. So, I avoid doing pull-ups anytime I suffer from back pain in my lower back. I’d rather do some hanging leg raises from a pull-up bar while lifting both legs. This way my upper back and lats are getting a stretch from hanging, instead of a contraction from pull-ups. My upper back and lats being over-activated from sitting or pull-ups, this is probably contributing to my lower back pain and tension.
First, I’ll get a strong grip on the pull-up bar and hold this position, letting my entire body hang. Ideally, I’ll have my feet flat on the floor. Although, sometimes the height of the pull-up bar just doesn’t work out. So, I’ll have my feet hanging in the air. Then, tighten your abdominal muscles, bringing your feet up until you get your knees bent and at hip level. These hanging leg raises help me for multiple reasons. It strengthens my abdomen, which will help relax my lower back. And as I mentioned earlier, the upper back and lats are getting a good stretch in an extended position, instead of being overused in a contracted manner.
If hanging from a pull-up bar isn’t possible, another exercise I like to do is called a bird dog. This is another good way to relax the lower back, while activating and strengthening the abdominal muscles. To do a bird dog, start on your hands and knees on the floor. My lower back is both stable and somewhat relaxed while I hold this position. Then, I lift my right foot up and extend my right leg. At the same time, I’ll lift my left (opposite) hand and extend my arm forward. I’ll hold this position for a couple seconds. Then, I’ll return to both hands and knees on the floor. The next rep will, I will lift the opposite leg and arm. This is a good way to strengthen my abdominal muscles, which will essentially take a lot of pressure off my lower back.
If a cat cow or bird dog isn’t possible, I like to do standing toe touches. This doesn’t activate the abdominal muscles like the other 2 exercises. However, it’s a great way for me to stretch my tight lower back. I like to reach my hands down to the bottom of my leg slowly. Once I reach the bottom of this stretch, I hold this position for a few seconds, breathing in and out slowly through my nose. Then, I slowly use my back muscles to lift my torso and arms back up to a standing position. I also hold this position for a few seconds while focusing on my breathing.
Sit-ups without lower back support
Many people think sit-ups aren’t an ideal exercise, regardless if we suffer from back pain or not. They think the risk of injury is too great. And that there are safer ways to tighten your abdominal muscles.
I tend to disagree. That said, I never do sit-ups without lower back support. I enjoy doing sit-ups. It’s probably my most effective exercise to strengthen and tighten your abdominal muscles. I use something called an AbMat to support my lower back (I have no affiliation with this product. I bought it with my own money and it has helped me a lot).
A common reason people get injured doing sit-ups is because their lower back isn’t supported. Our lower back is getting overextended with every rep when it hits the floor (without an AbMat). With an AbMat, our lower back is properly supported on the mat.
If you’d like to dive deeper on this topic, click here to check out my article, “Are Sit Ups Bad for Lower Back Pain.”
Thanks for your interest in computer posture.
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