Tip 4 Ways to Strengthen the Low Back Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip 4 Ways to Strengthen the Low Back Prevent injury and boost your squat and deadlift with these awesome exercises by Eirik Sandvik August 22, 2016January 31, 2022 Tags It Hurts Fix It, Tips, Training No Weak Links It's the weak link in the chain that breaks first. Don't let your lower back be yours. Compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and good mornings certainly stimulate lower back strength, but supplemental exercises targeting the lower back directly are also recommended. There are basically two rules when it comes to back raises: Keep a straight back. Some flexion in the bottom position can be okay, just know your limits. The exercises below are intentionally done with a lot of lower back involvement. While they can also be performed more "glute-style," direct lower back training is crucial, hence the technical execution. Note: If you're too weak to perform at least 15 reps with just bodyweight, stop reading right now and go train. Keep doing them in your workouts until you hit the 15-rep minimum. This info will be waiting for you when you get back. This advanced variation uses accommodating resistance in the form of a band. As you go up, the resistance gets stronger. As you go down, the band pulls you down and you have to resist against it. If you want your lower back to handle big weights with high bar speed, it must also tolerate speed in a more isolated setting as well. You already know you can add a dumbbell or kettlebell to the back raise, but you may not have tried this hardcore variation. Zercher squats and deadlifts are awesome. Every single muscle must kick in to get the job done. While the back raise version of the Zercher isn't as hard, you'll definitely feel them working after a couple of hard sets. You can either start each rep with the plates on the ground (similar to a deadlift), or perform them continuously as a squat, depending on what you want to achieve. There's a good chance one of your legs or one side of your back is weaker than the other. This isn't good for either performance or health. The one-legged back raise is a solid exercise to address these issues. In the deadlift and squat, the lower back has to work isometrically and the upper back has to do its part as well. Why not hit it all at once? Just get into the back raise machine, grab the barbell, and perform rows. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Manipulating Reps for Gains in Size and Strength The smart lifter’s guide to choosing the right rep ranges for his goals. It’s a bit more complicated than you think. Check it out. Bodybuilding, Powerlifting & Strength, Training Charles Poliquin May 2 Training Tip Try the Overhead Carry Farmer's walks are great. Now take that idea to the next level with this loaded carry variation. Exercise Coaching, Metabolic Conditioning, Powerlifting & Strength, Tips Alexander Nurse Bey June 9 Training The Contreras Files Volume IV Here are 15 workout tips from Bret Contreras, ranging from the best way to do rows to how to get a great chest pump. Training Bret Contreras November 26 Training The Best Exercise You re Not Doing Don't let the simplicity of the Turkish Get-Up fool you. It's one mean ass-kicker that'll challenge your muscles in new ways and have you gasping for air. It Hurts Fix It, Kettlebell Training, Mobility, Training Matthieu Hertilus November 3