The Ultimate Lower Back Workouts for Men You Must Try

New gym-goers tend to focus on the superficial muscles that look impressive on the beach. It’s common to see people exercising their chest, biceps, and abdominals since they’re the “beach muscles”. However, most people neglect muscles that make up the foundation such as the lower body and back. Lower back workouts for men are the most overlooked since the muscle cannot be seen easily and it doesn’t really make that much of a difference aesthetically.

The reality of the situation is that the lower back muscles are the foundation. They’re constantly working in the background to keep you balanced and steady. Moreover, they’re responsible for keeping your core engaged at all times.

The importance of low back workouts for men:

Lower back work is underrated in terms of how much benefit it has on your performance. Just by adding more low-back workouts to your routine, you will notice a significant difference in your strength and posture.

Better posture:

The lower back muscles are the roots of your upper body. There is a reason why they’re also called erectors because they keep you upright. If you do more low-back workouts, you will notice a big difference in the way you stand and sit. Your core will be more rigid and you’ll have an easier time maintaining good posture throughout the day.

Increased strength:

To increase your strength in the main movements such as the squat, deadlift, pull-ups, and bench press, your lower back has to be very strong. If you want to increase your strength, you just have to strengthen your lower back because it will help keep everything tight when you lift heavyweights.

Resilience to injury:

One of the most common injuries in the gym are lower back strains. This is often due to either weakness in the lower back or due to bad form. If you suffer from lower back pain during exercise, then your technique leaves a lot to be desired. The best solution to prevent lower back injury is not to avoid lower back exercise, heavy weights, or rest, it’s actually to work on your lower back more often. By strengthening the back , you’re supporting the muscular structure around your core almost like having a weight lifting belt without ever wearing one. Moreover, you can get away with bad technique or minor form breakdowns if your lower back is strong enough.

How to create a lower back workout routine:

Strengthening your lower back starts with the foundation which is your routine. You can’t just go all out or work the lower back once per month and expect good results. An intelligent workout routine is necessary to see improvements.

Balancing the workload:

Every muscle in the body has its antagonist. For instance, the antagonist for the biceps is the tricep, the antagonist for the quad muscles is the hamstring, and the antagonist for the lower back is your abdominal region. The way you know this is by fully contracting the muscle. If you extend and squeeze your back, your abdominal muscles will stretch and the same thing goes if you squeeze your abs.

If you work your lower back, you must also work your abs equally; otherwise, you will have a few imbalances. Therefore, you need to work your abs just as much in order to have a complete core routine.

Proper rest:

Your muscles do not grow in the gym, they actually grow when you’re resting. Training helps trigger the muscles to grow, but they don’t grow until you let them rest and recover. Proper rest is extremely important for your lower back. How often or how hard you should do lower back workouts depends on your recovery. Start with one to two sessions per week and see where you go from there. You can have one heavy lower back session with low repetitions and another session with lighter weights and more repetitions to vary your exercise selection and volume.

Progressive overload:

Another important variable for muscle growth is to increase the load over time. You can’t expect your lower back muscles to get stronger if you do the same routine with the same intensity. Make sure that you’re slowly but surely increasing how much weight you lift, how many repetitions you do at a given weight, and how often you train. These three variables are known as intensity, volume, and frequency and you play around with them until you reach your goal.

What you need for a proper back workout:

To develop a solid lower back workout for men, you need a few elements for both safety and efficiency.

High-quality equipment:

If you’re serious about your health and fitness, you cannot cheap out on the equipment you use. While barbells and dumbbells are standard and can be found anywhere, not everyone has access to a gym all the time.

GR8FLEX Total Performance Gym offers the solution for those of us who may not have the time or convenience of going to a gym. GR8FLEX Total Performance is a piece of equipment that allows you to do over a 100 exercises for your entire body and the cool thing about it is that it can be folded and packed under your bed. It has a bench that can be altered depending on the level of tension you use.

The equipment you use with the GR8FLEX Total Performance machine is very high quality, it feels smooth and it has varying load tension depending on your level. It also comes with a manual and several attachments such as soft-grip handles, resistance bands, a pull-up bar, and other tools you can use to up your fitness level. There are several exercises you can use for your lower back that the GR8FLEX machine offers thanks to their high-quality reliable equipment.

Proper form:

Before you even start, make sure that you’re doing the movements correctly. Proper form is extremely important and you need to be performing the exercise as they’re intended. Read up on how to perform an exercise before you get started or have a coach look at your form for a few sessions to see if it’s good to go. You can also watch some videos on the exercises you’re performing. Recording your sets performing the lower back workouts is also a good idea since you can be the judge.

A few things to keep in mind is that you always want to keep your core engaged. Your lower back should feel sturdy and strong when you’re performing these workouts. You should also always maintain a neutral spine position with your chest up. In addition to that, you should keep your neck in line with your back, meaning that you should not look up or down when you’re working your back.

Increasing the tension:

Always start every exercise with very low tension. If you’re using weights, then start with the lowest workable load for a few warm-up sets before you go on to more challenging weights. You should slowly get your body adjusted for heavier loads and plan a few challenging sets for every workout.

How to train your lower back:

Target all muscles:

For efficient lower back workouts for men, you need to ensure that you’re working every single muscle in the lower back region. There are three main muscles that help you brace, move, flex, and twist at the hip:

Oblique muscles: These are muscles that attach to the lateral part of the core. They help maintain balance and provide support when you’re twisting.

Extensor muscles: These are the main lower back muscles that often work with the gluteal muscles when lifting or standing. They’re the muscles you work when doing exercises such as deadlifts or bent over rows.

Flexor muscles: These muscles are in the front of the spine and they help with bending and forward flexion.

Warm-up:

Every workout should start with a quick warm-up routine to get the muscles ready. Start with 5 to 10 minutes of light cardio such as incline walking, elliptical, or dynamic stretching.

You should also use a foam roller on your lower back or a lacrosse ball if you feel any knots or tight spots in your back. This will get you loosened up and ready for the workout.

You can also do some light dynamic stretching for the thoracic region with rock-back rotations. This will not only engage your lower back, but also the upper back, abs, shoulders, and other supporting muscles.

The lower back workouts:

After you’re warmed and ready to go, the best thing to start with is a heavy compound movement. It’s best to start with the most challenging exercises first and then move to less demanding movements.

Deadlifts: There is a reason why the deadlift is a timeless and effective exercise. While it requires a good amount of technique, it has a lot of benefits. It not only works your lower back, but it also strengthens your forearms, trapezius, legs, spine, core, and glutes.

Start with the barbell in front of you and your chins one inch away. Without moving the bar, bend over at the hips and grab the bar just outside your legs. Push your shins forward until they touch the bar and brace your core. Think of pushing your chest up and making your back straight. Flex your back muscles and drag the barbell up to your leg until you’re standing tall.

Make sure that you’re always maintaining good form by recording yourself and seeing if you have any technique breakdowns. The great thing about deadlifts is that you can go heavy and it will make you stronger with time.

Bird dog: This exercise is a great way to strengthen your back without using weights. It’s easy to perform and it gives you a good burn. To perform this exercise, stand on all fours with your knees on the ground. Ensure that your back is neutral and lift both your arm and opposing leg simultaneously (if you lift your right leg, then your left arm should be raised). Hold that position for a second or two before slowly getting back on all fours again.

Straight lat pull downs: This exercise is great for the entire lower back region. It requires the use of a quality cable machine such as the GR8FLEX Total Performance Gym machine. You can use a handle, straight bar, or even ez curl bar for this exercise. Ensure that the weight stack is in the right position and grab the handle. While keeping your back straight and neutral, pull the handle or bar straight down with stiff long arms all the way until the bar touches your leg. You should feel a good squeeze in your entire back at the bottom and a good stretch at the top.

Lower back extensions: One of the best exercises you can do is one that isolates the muscle you’re trying to work and low back hyperextension is the way to go. This simple piece of equipment holds your legs and hip tight while you lower your upper body down and up. The great thing about this exercise is that you can use a weight plate if the exercise gets too easy. This exercise is a great finisher for when you’ve already done your big heavy movements.

Lat pulldowns: This exercise is best done with a machine pulley system such as GR8FLEX system. Set up your handles and place the slider bench in an upright position. With your knees on the pad while grabbing the handles, pull yourself up until you reach full extension. Your elbows should come down to your oblique level so you can engage your back muscles. Slowly lower yourself down and repeat the motion for 10 to 15 repetitions.

Conclusion:

Lower back workouts for men are an essential part of building the body you want. It will help you maintain good posture and prevent injuries. Ensure that you’re efficiently working your back by using high-quality equipment as well as good form by using GR8FLEX equipment system which offers more than just a home gym set up to support you in your fitness journey.