Safe & Effective Gym Exercises for Lower Back Pain Relief

After lifting heavy weights at the gym for long enough, you might find yourself so stiff that standing straight feels impossible and moving becomes more challenging. At that point you start wondering what should I actually do at the gym. Well, now when I hit the gym couple of times a week, I figured that I would share my fairytale workout with you. Maybe this will give you new training ideas so you will get inspired and try something completely different.

Because that is what life is. You need to try new stuff, fail at them and get that sorted out and you will be like a beast afterwards. For my morning workouts I like to use equipment that isn't too crowded and my go-to is now the Landmine. This is an insanely useful piece of equipment.

If you combine rotational movements, pushes and pulls, you are really into something really great. So let's go through what 40 years old physio like me does at the gym. Squat and calf raises. Load some weight onto the bar and take the firm grip and squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground.

As you push yourself back up, squeeze your glutes and rise onto your toes. This gets your legs working effectively. Aim for 10 or 20 reps and if it feels too easy, add more weight to the bar. Pull and press.

An epic compound movement for every fellow. Stand in a staggered stance with your left hand gripping the end of the bar. Your right foot is slightly forward and your left foot is slightly back. Pull your elbow towards the ceiling while straightening your body.

When the bar reaches the shoulder height, rotate your upper body, grab the bar with your right hand and push it straight up. Lower the weight in a controlled manner while switching the hands back to the left. Keep your core tight so the movement stays controlled all the time. After completing the reps, switch your stance and repeat on the other side.

For more emphasis on the shoulder, perform the pull on a steeper upward angle. Steep Legged Deadlift. Easy posterior chain training. Want to wake up your glutes and the entire posterior chain.

Grab the bar and take shoulder width or wider steps. Keep your body straight and lower the weight towards the floor while maintaining relatively straight knees and neutral spine. Think about keeping your glutes engaged and push them backwards as you lower the bar. Perform 10 reps for the solid burn to your posterior chain.

Bicep curls with rotation. Place the kettlebell into the suspension training straps. Start with your knuckles facing outwards. Then rotate your hands so that by the end of the curl your knuckles face forward.

This engages your forearm rotators as well. Core stability with the resistance band. Looking for safe tips for abs training? Here you go.

Attach the resistance band at shoulder height or to your door handle at home. Pull the slack out of the band, hold your hands at chest level and take the step side. Your core stabilizes your position and resists the rotation. This is an excellent functional core drill.

If your back muscles feel too tense, tuck your pelvis slightly backwards to activate your abs and reduce the overuse of the lower back muscles. Want to level this exercise up? Extend your arms fully forward while stepping sideways for a greater challenge. Controlled abdominal crunch.

Do you want to train your abs without rounding your back? Lie on your back while your knees are bent at a 90 degree angle. Tuck your chin down, lift your shoulder blades off from the floor and reach towards your ankles while keeping your upper body elevated from the ground. This exercise maintains constant tension to your abs while incorporating side bends to engage the oblique muscles.

Renegade row. The office worker savior with the dumbbells. Place two dumbbells under your chest in a push-up position with wide feet for stability. Keep your core engaged as you pull one elbow up alongside to your torso.

Simple and effective and great for your posture. Landmine twist. Want to improve your core stability and add a new kind of challenge? Try this.

Hold the bar with both hands and fully extend your arms. Rotate the bar side to side, allowing your back foot to pivot with each movement. Keep your core engaged fully. This is an easy but powerful way to build your rotational strength.

Single leg deadlift. Stiff-legged deadlifts can be done in many ways. Here is one example. Stand with your right foot forward and grip the bar with your left hand.

Your back foot rests lightly on the ground. Maintain the straight posture and lower the bar while keeping your front knee slightly bent. The goal is to work the front leg primarily. Switch the sides and repeat.

Bend over row and external rotation. Office worker's lifesaver. You can train your upper back with the bar or with the cables. Grab a handle, bend forward slightly and pull your elbows close to your body.

Keep your back stable and row for the reps. Want to activate your shoulder external rotators? Here's how you can do it. Use the rope handles and grip them with thumbs pointing outwards.

Squeezing your shoulder blades together at top. Follow this up with the push-ups or other accessory movements. And you are all set. And if the heavy lifting is making your shoulders ache, check out this video for some great rotational exercises.