As a personal trainer who has worked with clients with low back issues, I have seen firsthand the negative impact that certain exercises can have on the low back. While exercise is important for maintaining a healthy back, there are some exercises that can actually cause more harm than good. In this article, I will discuss the five worst exercises for your low back and why they should be avoided if you have low back pain or discomfort. Avoiding these exercises can reduce the risk of further injury and improve your overall back health.
#1: The barbell deadlift
The barbell deadlift is a compound exercise that targets the glutes, hamstrings, and back muscles. It is performed by standing in front of a barbell with your feet hip-width apart and your hands gripping the barbell outside of your legs. You bend your hips and knees to lower the barbell to the floor from this position, then straighten your hips and knees to lift the barbell back up to the starting position.
While the deadlift can be a great exercise for strengthening the back muscles, it can also worsen low back pain for some individuals. This is because the movement places significant stress on the low back muscles and spine, which can lead to increased discomfort and potential injury. Also, improper technique or excessive weight can put unnecessary strain on the low back.
If you have low back pain or discomfort, there are several alternative exercises to the barbell deadlift that you can try. These include:
- The kettlebell swing: This exercise targets the same muscle groups as the deadlift but with less stress on the low back. To perform a kettlebell swing, stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and a kettlebell in front of you. Hinge at the hips to swing the kettlebell back between your legs, then straighten your hips to swing the kettlebell forward.
- The single-leg deadlift: This exercise targets the glutes, hamstrings, and back muscles while also improving balance and stability. To perform a single-leg deadlift, stand on one leg with a lightweight in the opposite hand. Hinge at the hips to lower the weight towards the ground, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
- Hip thrusts: The hip thrust is the essential movement to perform a correct deadlift. Doing this as a standalone exercise is a great way to strengthen your glutes and low back without loading your spine and causing pain. To perform a hip thrust, lay on your back with your feet flat on the floor, knees bent to about 90-degrees. From here, push your hips up to the ceiling by flexing your glute muscles. Lower back down to the ground and repeat.
#2: the bent over row
The bent-over row is a compound exercise that targets the back muscles, specifically the lats and rhomboids. It is performed by standing with your feet hip-width apart and holding a weight in each hand. You bend at the hips from this position to lower your torso towards the ground, keeping your back straight and your core engaged. From here, you pull the weights up towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
While the bent-over row can be a great exercise for strengthening the back muscles, it can also worsen low back pain for some individuals. This is because the movement places significant stress on the low back muscles and spine, especially when holding the weight in a bent-over position. This can lead to increased discomfort and potential injury. Also, improper technique or excessive weight can put unnecessary strain on the low back.
If you have low back pain or discomfort doing a bent-over row, there are several upper back exercises that you can try that won’t bother your lower back. These include:
- The inverted row: This exercise targets the upper back muscles without placing excessive stress on the lower back. To perform an inverted row, place a bar at waist height and grab it with an overhand grip. Pull your body up towards the bar, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- The seated row: This exercise targets the upper back muscles without placing excessive stress on the lower back. To perform a seated row, sit on the edge of a bench with a dumbbell or resistance band in each hand. Pull the weights towards your body, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- The face pull: This exercise targets the upper back muscles without placing excessive stress on the lower back. To perform a face pull, stand facing a cable machine with a rope attachment. Pull the rope towards your face, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
#3 Barbell good mornings
The barbell good morning is an exercise that targets the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles. It is performed by standing in front of a barbell with your feet hip-width apart and the barbell resting on your upper back. You bend at the hips from this position to lower your torso towards the ground, keeping your back straight and your core engaged. From here, you straighten your hips to return to the starting position.
This movement is similar to a bent-over row in that you are bending over and holding onto weight, a movement that demands a lot on the low back. This exercise is a little harder than a bent-over row because the weight is on your upper back, not in your hands. This means that the weight is further away from your center of gravity, making it exceptionally hard on the low back to handle.
If you have low back pain or discomfort, there are several alternative exercises to the good morning that you can try. These include:
- The kettlebell swing: This exercise targets the same muscle groups as the good morning but with less stress on the low back. To perform a kettlebell swing, stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and a kettlebell in front of you. Hinge at the hips to swing the kettlebell back between your legs, then straighten your hips to swing the kettlebell forward.
- The superman: The superman is a great exercise that works on your low back and glute muscles without risking overloading. To do a superman, lay on your stomach and raise your arms and legs simultaneously. Lower them back down to the ground and repeat.
- The seated good morning: This exercise targets the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles without placing excessive stress on the low back. Sit on the edge of a bench with a lightweight on your upper back to perform a seated good morning. Hinge at the hips to lower your torso towards the ground, keeping your back straight and your core engaged. This is a great alternative to a regular good morning because when you are seated and bending over, your legs will help support your back.
#4 The Russian twist
The Russian twist is an exercise that targets the oblique muscles, which run along the sides of your abdomen. It is performed by sitting on the ground with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. From this position, you lean back slightly and lift your feet off the ground, keeping your back straight and your core engaged. From here, you rotate your torso to the left and right, touching the ground on either side of your body.
While the Russian twist can be a great exercise for strengthening the oblique muscles, it can also worsen low back pain for some individuals. This is because the movement involves flexing and twisting your spine, which is a notoriously dangerous position to put the back in if your core is not strong enough to support it.
If you have low back pain or discomfort, there are several alternative exercises to the Russian twist that you can try. These include:
- The side plank: This exercise targets the oblique muscles without flexing and twisting your spine. To perform a side plank, lie on your side with your feet stacked and your elbow directly under your shoulder. Lift your hips off the ground, keeping your body straight.
- The bird dog: This exercise targets the oblique muscles without flexing and twisting your spine. To perform a bird dog, start on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Extend one arm and the opposite leg, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
- The bicycle crunch: This exercise targets the oblique muscles without flexing and twisting your spine. To perform a bicycle crunch, lie on your back with your hands behind your head. Lift your shoulders off the ground and rotate your torso to touch your elbow to the opposite knee.
#5 Laying leg lifts
Leg lifts are an exercise that targets the abdominal muscles and hip flexors. They are performed by lying on your back with your hands by your sides, and your legs extended straight up in the air. From this position, you lower your legs towards the ground without letting them touch the ground, then lift them back up to the starting position.
While leg lifts can be a great exercise for strengthening the abdominal muscles and hip flexors, laying on the ground and lifting your legs can make back pain worse if your core is not strong enough to support the weight of your legs.
If you have low back pain or discomfort, there are several alternative exercises to leg lifts that you can try. These include:
- The plank: This exercise targets the abdominal muscles and hip flexors without placing excessive strain on the low back. To perform a plank, start on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Extend your legs to straighten your body, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
- The side plank: This exercise targets the oblique muscles without flexing and twisting your spine. To perform a side plank, lie on your side with your feet stacked and your elbow directly under your shoulder. Lift your hips off the ground, keeping your body straight.
- The mountain climber: This exercise targets the abdominal muscles and hip flexors without placing excessive strain on the low back. To perform a mountain climber, start in a plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your feet hip-width apart. Bring one knee towards your chest, then switch legs to bring the other knee towards your chest.
Too long; didn’t read
Exercising with low back pain can be a real trick. Unfortunately, what may bother one person’s low back may not bother another, so it is important to know what movements worsen your symptoms. In general, the movements that are likely to cause the most amount of low back pain are deadlifts, bent-over rows, barbell good mornings, Russian twists, and leg lifts. All of these exercises share the common theme of bending at the hips and loading the spine with either your body weight or a free weight.
The best way to work around this is to perform bending movements with very light weights and learn to use your glutes and hamstrings to return to standing, not your low back like hip thrusts, light kettlebell swings, and single leg deadlifts with light or no weight. The second workaround would be to perform exercises that workout your back muscles and core that don’t involve much or any bending at the hips, like planks, inverted rows, and side planks.
Always remember to consult your doctor if you have low back pain, especially if it wakes you up at night. Exercising with a personal trainer will also help as he or she can make sure that your form is correct and also suggest exercises for you to do to help alleviate your back pain.
Jordan Tank, Personal Trainer, Columbus, Ohio
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