Posted: 9/10/2007 11:09:30 AM EDT
|
For normal things like lifting stuff and specifically for golfing . I heard someone once say deadlifts were "the absolute best" I'm sure that working your stomach plays a ciritcal part as well (overall trunk strength). What kind of specifics can you provide for exercises and tips concerning the actual exercise? thanks, Dan |
|
I've got a lower back of steel at the moment. How I got there may not be how you get there, and different from the posts sure to come after mine. But whatever. My first recommendation would be, if you've got a gut, it needs to go. It hyperextends your lowerback whenever you're on your feet. Ever had a sore lower back after running? It's from a gut pulling your lower back foward, as if toward the ground in front of you. This is not necessary to proofing yourself, but it's a more well-rounded approach, i.e. more muscles developed, everything is therefor a bit safer. As far as direct work for your lower back goes, I'm fond of hyperextensions. For an overall back workout, bent over BB rows, and SLDLs (deadlift variation) are also fantastic movements. If you choose to try any of these, please execute them carfully, maintaining an arch in your lower like you see pictured in the links. Your lower back plays a stabilizing role in the barbell lifts, so it will strengthen relative to the muscles around it. You must start small and progress steadily. If you over-do it, you can expect muscular pain in your lower back for many weeks, at the very least. |
I do have a gut and yes it definitely has to go LOL great info and I'll work on it this week 
|
Yeah I was taking mental note of that One thing I've definitely been doing wrong is coming too far back (up) on the hyperextension 
|
|
Lose weight and don't smoke. THE BIGGEST risk factor to back problems is smoking, even moreso than weight. The reason is that the discs are poorly vascularized to begin with and smoking (as a vasoconstrictor) compounds the problem. I like hyperextensions and all ab work, yes, ab work. Good luck. Blake |
|
Tomorrow night I'm going to the gym and work on the three exercises previously mentioned along with ab work (crunches and leg lifts) In the meantime I found a real nice lower back stretch HERE |
Are you getting stiffness in your lower back, pain, or both? |
| The excercises already mentioned are excellent. I do all of those, but be careful on the bent over bar bell rows - it is an easy lift to mess up if not done properly. And yes, deadlifts are king. They aren't fun, but they will get your back strong. Best of luck. |
stiffness. I do sit most of the day and (currently) have a gut. Until the past three weeks I've been doing basically zero in the activity department other than having the worlds most powerful thumb LOL Once I started getting active again my back would stiffen up and I was hoping it was merely an effect of getting back into working out. So far so good in that it is just the normal workout aftereffects. |
|
You could always take up speedskating like me. The skating position usually causes people's backs to lock up in a few minutes. With time, you can skate in that "sorta bent over position" for hours. I look at it as an isometric lower back workout. Back when I was lifting, I was quite fond of the straight leg dead lift. Don't use a lot of weight to start out, and go slow. If you move too fast or use too much weight it's easy to throw stuff out of whack. I would sometimes stand on a 45lb. rubber bumper plate or a riser or even an aerobics bench so I could go lower and get a stretch effect. MJD |
Stretching, more than anything, realligns muscle fibers after they've been knotted up. I would just focus on some forms of exercise, as they will dictate how flexible you get. You'll swing your club like a MLB all star once your back can support rows, and your hams can help bring you back up from a hyper. Try making the SLDLs the focus of your workout if you choose to you use them, becuase....
Bingo! They stretch your hamstrings and glutes out, which are connected to your lower back. And yeah, what rcoers said about the rows. |
|
Ok I did the three exercises (sorta) along with crunches and leg lifts. I also did this machine you kneel on what is basically a turntable connected with pulleys to the weight rack and twist your lower body in one direction. Then use the lever to rotate the knee pad the other way and twist the other way. I say 'sorta' because I did the one arm dumbell row kneeling on the bench. Should have checked the thread beforehand to remind me LOL. I used just the 45lb bar in the deadlift exercise. I used the stretch I linked earlier both before doing the exercises and then after my workout. Nice burn and thats it 
|