Lower Back Exercises
One of the best lower back exercises you could possibly do is the deadlift. The deadlift is an old-time classic and considered by some to be the simplest test of raw strength – it simply involves bending down at the hips and knees, grabbing a barbell, and picking it up with a straight back.
Now before we get into specifics, let me say that unless you’ve been recommended otherwise, the deadlift is NOT a lower-back rehab exercise. You should only begin a program of deadlifting if your lower-back has the all-clear.
Having said that, regular deadlifting (and this applies to the stiff-leg and Romanian variations of the exercise) is probably the single best lower back exercise you can do to prevent lower back pain and injuries in the future. There are even many well-documented cases of trainees who’ve suffered with chronic lower back pain for years that has cleared right up once the posterior chain of the lower back, hamstrings and glutes has been strengthened through deadlifting.
(Again though, if you have lower back issues – see a health professional!).
Why is the deadlift so effective? Partly because it’s a full-body compound exercise. When you deadlift, you’re working your hamstrings, glutes, lower back, upper back, trapezius and forearms. The growth response from heavy deadlifting can be phenomenal, and it’s probably the number one exercise for growth in the lower back.
How should you include the deadlift in your routine?
As well as being the most effective, the deadlift is one of the most taxing lower back exercises. Regular deadlifts should not usually be performed more than once a week – and possibly even less frequently if your routine is “pull-heavy”; i.e. if you’re already doing cleans, snatches or stiff-leg-deadlifts.
The closer you go to failure, the longer it will take to recover – I like to train my regular deadlifts in the 4-6 rep range, once a week, keeping a couple of reps “in the tank”. This is extremely effective at building strength – I can train this way for months while adding some weight to the bar each week. Personally I also find this rep range optimal for building size in the lower back and hamstrings, although your results may vary. Experiment with rep ranges to find what works for you.