Upper Back Exercises To Maintain Back Health
Upper Back Exercises For A Healthy And Strong Back
To maintain the health of your entire back and strengthen it effectively be sure to include upper back exercises in your exercise program. This will help you develop a balanced physique and minimize the chances of injury.
We all know the stories of weekend warriors who go out after a long week at work to enjoy their favorite sport.
And guess what? They overdo it and end up with back pain that takes them away from their sport for weeks, sometimes months, and may be bad enough to effect their daily life.
Some of us will know this story intimately!
Boost Your Chances Of Remaining Injury-Free
When we consistently strengthen and stretch our backs using the right kind of upper back exercises, as well as lower back and mid back exercises, we lessen our chances of injury, rehabilitate more quickly should we get injured, protect our vertebral column and improve our posture.
If you are new to exercise, or are returning after a long break or recovering from injury please make sure to get clearance from your health professional before you begin. This is especially important if you are recovering from an injury.
If you have active pain or inflammation you need to get professional treatment to address those first before getting into exercise.
To strengthen and stretch our upper backs we can use a range of different kinds of upper back exercises to good effect. We can choose from body weight resistance exercises, weights, resistance bands, exercise balls, or yoga.
A Couple Of Examples Of Upper Back Exercises
Dumbbell Row:
This exercise uses the same major muscle groups as the resistance band row.
In this exercise you will pull a dumbbell into your hip while bracing yourself against a flat stable surface like a bench or an unstable surface like an exercise ball.
The ball has the added advantage of forcing you to recruit more muscle groups especially in your core, but you will need to reduce the weight you use if using a ball.
2. Keep your right knee straight and bend your hips so your upper body is almost parallel to the floor.
3. Place your left hand on the bench and pick up a loaded and secured dumbbell from the floor with your right hand.
4. Keep your elbow in and pull the dumbbell until it touches your right hip, with control. Avoid rotating your spine and torso.
5. Hold the top position a second and try to squeeze your shoulder blades together.
6. Your forearm should be vertical through out.
Either move up the bench and face the opposite direction or walk around the bench to perform the exercise on the other side.
Stiff Leg Deadlift
2. Maintaining a straight back bend at the hips and using an overhand grip lift a loaded barbell from the floor with your arms straight
3. Use a wide enough grip so that your hands slightly brush your outer thighs as you straighten.
4. Keeping your back straight or slightly arched, shoulders back and your eyes lifted slightly, come up to a standing position
5. Hold the bar close to your body so it brushes your legs both on the way down and on the way down.
6. Before you begin the descent part of the exercise bend your knees slightly to take the pressure off the lower back
Note: This is a powerful exercise and needs to be performed with care. Use a weight that allows you to complete up to 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions using excellent form, using a slow 3 count down three count up cadence.
If you are tempted to round your back either on the descent or ascent reduce your weight.
Have fun adding these two exercises to your routine.
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