In my previous article, we have looked at the basic principles of protecting our back, and I hope the simple explanation has benefited some of us with common complaints of backache. So now we are going to look into ways to exercise our back. Of course, there are some sports that are beneficial for our back and that includes swimming as well as the increasingly popular yoga which helps loosen our joints. However, here we are today to go into specific maneuvers that will help strengthen our back. All these exercises are done lying down either on your stomach or buttocks. You are advised to find a flat surface for lying down, preferably with some sort of cushioning support or mattress instead of lying down directly on the hard and cold surface of your floor.
1. Knee to chest movements. First, lie down on your back. Try to bend one knee up towards the chest and hold your knees with your hands for count of five. Then slowly straighten the other leg along the floor. Hold for five counts again. Now return to your starting position and repeat the steps above on the opposite side.
2. Pelvic tilt. Similarly, lie down on your back. Then tighten your buttocks and stomach muscles so that the lower back flattens and pelvis tilts upwards. Now relax and tilt pelvis downward by arching your lower back off the floor.
3. Knee rolls. Again, lie down on your back but this time with both your palms tuck in behind your head so that both your elbows touches the floor. Now roll both knees to one side, and then to the other. While rolling from one side to another, ensure that your elbows remain in contact with the floor.
4. Semi sit-ups. Lie down on your back. Now try to tuck in your chin or touch your chin to your chest by stretching both hands between knees. The idea of stretching both hands between your knees is so that you attempt your sit up with your back muscles instead of pulling up your back with your hands. Next with your chin still tuck in, stretch both hands to right and left knees doing it one at a time. Then relax.
5. Bridging. Now still with you still lying on your back, slowly peel your buttocks and back off the floor. After holding it in that position for a few seconds, now lower your buttocks and back slowly to its original position.
6. McKenzie¡¯s exercise. This is the last and only exercise with you lying on your stomach. Gently raise your head and shoulders by straightening your arms. Hold it there for 5 seconds. Then slowly lower your head and shoulders. Relax. Gently raise one leg off the ground a few inches. Return to the starting position, and then repeat with the other leg.
As a former first-timer in doing these exercises, I can assure you that you will initially feel the strain/soreness in your back after performing the above exercises especially if you have been practicing a sedentary lifestyle for quite some time. You are forgiven for thinking that these exercises hurt your back even more compared to you just lying down on your couch and not moving. Well, these exercises are designed to do just that, which is to work out your back muscles, tuned them up just like you would tune your car for a better day-to-day performance. It is essentially just like you feeling fatigue and muscle soreness after attempting to jog around your neighborhood after not exercising for a year or so. After a few repeated sessions, you will find that you can do it without any fuss and in return, you feel your back is now stronger and no longer feels strained after just a few hours of sitting in front of your desktop.
