I am fairly new to T-mag. I am interested in some lower back exercises. I would greatly appreciate any direction or suggestions for working out my lower back (exercises/how long to rest/ injury prevention). I do not have any problems with my lower back, I just want to get a good workout, and also make sure not do anything stupid.
Deadlift, powerclean, hyperextensions, reverse hyperexstensions, squats hit the back as well. Your back needs more rest after a hard workout than some muscle groups, like bi’s and tri’s, so plan accordingly.
Dead lift! There is an article you can find on this site called “The Dead Zone”, it should be helpfull. You can also do hyperextentions, and good mornings. Tempo and weight is up to you based on you goals. good luck working that back.
Deadlifts of all kinds. Good Mornings. Reverse Hypers if you’ve got access to a dedicated machine. Check T-Mag for hamstring training articles; all the exercises you find that work the hip extensor function of the hammies are great for low back too. Personally, I used to do all sorts of “low back” work (back extensor machines, hyperextensions, etc.) and still injure my low back all the time, but once I started deadlifting seriously I never had any more back problems.
I would also suggest dead lifts and stiff-legged dead lifts. My back started to kinda hurt if I sat too long, then I started dead lifts. Within a week, the pain was gone forever.
The nice thing about stiff-legged dead lifts is that they increase the static (unmoving) strength of your back. If done properly, your back isn’t lifting the weight, you hams/glutes are. Ever notice how you can hold a lot more weight steady than you can lift? That’s static strength. It has a lot of potential in an untrained person.
Crap, I almost forgot. I strong abdomen is a good defense vs. a sore back!
somewhat Isolation:
Back extension and Reverse hyper
Compounds:
Deadlift and variations
Olympic lifts
Good Morning
Russian deadlift
Squat (although to a lesser degree)
I would also add that a strong core is your first defense against lower back injuries.
Hope this helps,
-LPdSB