Fitness

A Lower Back Workout to Strengthen Your Entire Core

Yep, your back is part of your core too.
This Lower Back Workout Will Help Strengthen Your Entire Core
Kelsey McClellan

If you want to get stronger and ward off injury, a strong core is key. But it’s not just about abs exercises—a lower back workout is also an important addition to your routine, since those muscles are part of your core too.

Your lower back consists of a group of muscles called the erector spinae muscles, which help hold your body upright, ACE-certified personal trainer Sivan Fagan, owner of Strong With Sivan in Baltimore, tells SELF. “You use your lower back muscles in your day-to-day, when you are walking or simply standing,” she says. “Your erector spinae contract isometrically to keep your body from flexing forward.”

A strong core—including those lower back muscles—is also important when talking about lower back pain or discomfort. In fact, people who complain about tightness in their lower back might not actually have “tight” muscles, says Fagan. Their lower back muscles might be weak instead.

This lower back workout created by Fagan will help build lower back strength—though it may not exactly seem that way. In some of the exercises, you’ll be working your lower back muscles dynamically through movement, but in others you’ll be working them isometrically through a contraction without movement. So not all of the exercises will look (or feel) like “back” exercises. Instead, you’ll probably consider some of them (mainly, the squat and deadlift) more lower body moves.

There’s a reason for this: Big, compound moves like the squat and deadlift require serious core strength to complete. That’s because all of your core muscles need to fire to stabilize your body to safely move the weight and resist the forward bend of your spine, Fagan says. It’s also why the cue “engage your core” is super important when you’re lifting weights.

Your lower body muscles like quads, hamstrings, and glutes will be the primary players in those moves—and that’s mostly where you should feel it—but your lower back muscles will still be firing too. In fact, if you do feel exercises like the squat or deadlift in your lower back, something’s not quite right. In many cases, you might be using too much weight, and your lower back needs to come in to assist your lower body muscles a little too much. In this case, reduce the weight, says Fagan.

This lower back workout is a great routine to add to your program to build balanced strength throughout your body, says Fagan. But if you have preexisting back pain or other back issues, you should talk with your doctor or physical therapist before you give it a shot. Back pain is very individualized, says Fagan, and the same exercises that make someone else feel better may aggravate your pain. So if you have issues with back pain, it’s best to check in with a pro first.

The Workout

What you need: A moderate-weight kettlebell and an exercise mat for comfort. If you don’t have a kettlebell, you can complete the weighted moves with a pair of dumbbells instead.

The Exercises

  • Superman

  • Romanian deadlift

  • Goblet squat

  • Bear crawl

Directions

  • Complete 8–12 reps of each exercise in circuit fashion, going from one to the next without rest. Rest for 1–2 minutes after you’ve completed all four exercises. Complete the circuit two times total.

Demoing the moves below are Amanda Wheeler (GIF 1), a certified strength and conditioning specialist and cofounder of Formation Strength; Angie Coleman (GIFs 2 and 3), a holistic wellness coach in Oakland; and Shauna Harrison (GIF 4), a Bay Area–based trainer, yogi, public health academic, advocate, and columnist for SELF.

  • Image may contain Human Person Sport Sports Exercise Working Out and Fitness
    Katie Thompson
    1

    Superman

    • Lie on your stomach with your legs extended behind you and your arms extended in front of you, palms resting on the floor. This is the starting position.

    • Keep your abs and butt tight as you lift your upper body and lower body off the ground at the same time. Keep your neck in line with your spine by resting your gaze on your fingertips as they move.

    • Hold for one to two seconds and then lower back down. This is 1 rep.

    • Complete 8–12 reps.

    The Superman works your lower back muscles dynamically through moving and stretching those muscles, says Fagan—you should feel this move in your lower back.

  • Kelsey McClellan
    2

    Romanian Deadlift

    • Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees with a soft bend. Hold a kettlebell in front of your thighs with both hands, palms facing in. If you don’t have a kettlebell, you can do this exercise with two dumbbells.

    • Hinge at your hips and push your butt back as you lower your torso and the weight toward the ground. Keep your back flat and shoulders back. Your torso should be almost parallel to the floor at the bottom of the movement.

    • Keeping your core tight, push through your heels to stand up straight, keeping your arms straight.

    • Pause at the top and squeeze your butt. This is 1 rep.

    • Complete 8–12 reps.

    If you feel this exercise in your lower back, choose a lighter weight, says Fagan. You should be feeling this move primarily in your glutes and hamstrings, though your lower back muscles are still firing to stabilize your core.

  • Kelsey McClellan
    3

    Goblet Squat

    • Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, toes slightly turned out, holding a kettlebell in both hands at your chest. You can hold it by the handles or by the bell, whatever is more comfortable for you. If you don’t have a kettlebell, you can do this move with one dumbbell held vertically.

    • Engage your core and keep your chest lifted and back flat as you shift your weight into your heels, push your hips back, and bend your knees to lower into a squat.

    • Drive through your heels to stand and squeeze your glutes at the top for 1 rep.

    • Complete 8–12 reps.

    If you feel this squat (or any kind of squat) in your lower back, choose a lighter weight, says Fagan. Your quads and glutes should be the primary muscles you feel here, though your lower back muscles are still firing to keep your body from folding forward.

  • Kelsey McClellan
    4

    Bear Crawl

    • Start on all fours and lift your knees so they’re at a 90-degree angle and hovering an inch off the ground. Keep your back flat, your legs hip-width apart, and your arms shoulder-width apart.

    • Move your right hand and left foot forward an equal distance while staying low to the ground.

    • Switch sides, moving your left hand and right foot. Then repeat moving backward. This is 1 rep. (If the backward movement is too difficult, you can take it in one direction only.)

    • Complete 8–12 reps.

    The bear crawl is a complete core exercise and teaches you how to maintain tension throughout its entirety, says Fagan. With the bear crawl—along with the squat and deadlift—your goal is to teach your core how to brace to complete the moves properly.

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Christa Sgobba is a writer and editor who joined SELF in November 2019. Previously, she held print and digital positions at Men’s Health, Runner’s World, and Bicycling, where she covered health, fitness, nutrition, and pro sports coverage. The gym is her happy place, and she’s committed to helping others discover... Read more

SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.

Topicsback workoutsstrength trainingcore workoutsSquatsdeadliftsCoreKettlebell Workouts