{"id":22169,"date":"2023-06-20T11:01:43","date_gmt":"2023-06-20T09:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/?p=22169"},"modified":"2023-06-20T11:01:48","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T09:01:48","slug":"effective-back-exercises-for-everyone-not-just-runners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/blog\/effective-back-exercises-for-everyone-not-just-runners\/","title":{"rendered":"Effective Back Exercises for Everyone \u2013 Not Just Runners"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Back pain doesn\u2019t just affect couch potatoes\n\u2013 it\u2019s a recurring problem among runners too. While you\u2019re moving, you feel\ngreat, but it hurts if you spend any length of time crashed on the couch, slumped\nin an office chair, or out for a sociable evening with friends. Afterward,\nstanding up is no fun at all. It strains and squeezes the lower back, and you need\nto turn and stretch every which way first before you can move again without\npain. Here are a couple of tips &amp; tricks to help you avoid this situation. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why are back exercises so important for runners? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to perform at your best,\nthen a healthy back is just as important as fit legs: if the back muscles are weak,\nthe upper body is not stable. This robs you of energy that is needed in your\nlegs. And this in turn has a detrimental impact on your pace and can even lead\nto poor posture and overstraining injuries. The general opinion that you go\njogging to get fit unfortunately falls short of the reality. Which is why you need\nto <a href=\"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/blog\/deep-muscles-why-we-need-to-strengthen-them\/\">strengthen\nyour deep core muscles with comprehensive and effective training.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Running itself is a peak performance\nfor the human body. Suddenly, we expect our muscles to hold our entire body\nmass upright and stable, rather than constantly moving. So: start doing back exercises and get\nyour running shoes on!<strong> <\/strong>But make\nsure they\u2019re the right ones, because your <a href=\"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-find-the-right-running-shoes\/\">choice of running\nshoes<\/a> has an impact on your training and your\nback health too.<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are the most effective exercises for strengthening your back? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re going to\nshow you a couple of back exercises that you can easily do at home without\nequipment. A mat would be helpful, but you can also use a soft towel if you\ndon\u2019t have one. These exercises aim to mobilize and strengthen your whole back:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Upper body rotation\nwhile standing: <\/strong>Stand upright with\nyour legs hip-width apart. Start rotating your upper body one way and then the\nother. Keep your hips facing forward and follow the movement with your arms, moving\nyour chest at the same time. Do ten to 20 reps. This exercise mobilizes the\nupper back and shoulder girdle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lying t-stretch:\n<\/strong>Lie on your left side with knees bent and arms stretched out to the\nleft. Lift the right arm and move it in a big arc as far as you can over to the\nright. Make sure you stretch evenly from the left hip to the right shoulder.\nHold the stretch for 30 seconds and then change side. Do eight to twelve reps\non each side. This exercise is particularly good for the lower back and lumbar\nspine.<strong><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lying back\nextensions: <\/strong>Lie flat on your stomach, press your\npelvis into the floor, interlock your arms behind your head, and lift head,\nshoulders, and chest slowly off the floor. Hold the position for five seconds\nand repeat the exercise ten times. This exercise is a great way to strengthen the\nentire back and buttocks.<strong><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cat\/cow\nstretch: <\/strong>Start on your hands and knees and\nslowly push your back upward one vertebra at a time. Keep your gaze on your\nbellybutton and pull it inward. Hold the cat stretch for a few seconds. Then\nstart to push the back downward again one vertebra at a time and move your gaze\nforward and up until you are in the cow position. Repeat these movements five\ntimes while being conscious of your breath. This exercise mobilizes the whole\nback from lower back and lumbar spine through upper back \/ shoulder girdle \/\nneck.<strong><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Superman: <\/strong>Lie\non your stomach on a soft surface and stretch your legs and arms out. Now raise\nthe left leg and right arm around 15 to 30 cm at the same time, lower them (without\ntouching the floor), and lift them again. Then do the same with the right leg\nand left arm. Repeat from the start ten times and gradually increase the number\nof reps over time \u2013 a great strengthening exercise for the whole back. <strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-marta-wave-6454060-1-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-22178\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-marta-wave-6454060-1-800x1200.jpg 800w, https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-marta-wave-6454060-1-640x960.jpg 640w, https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-marta-wave-6454060-1-768x1152.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">You don\u00b4t need equipment to do back exercises.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Several of\nthese exercises are also yoga positions. So, you can try out some of our\nexercises, or you can extend your back training with a short yoga session. You\ndon\u2019t need any expensive equipment to do yoga at home, and there are <a href=\"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/blog\/home-yoga-8-reasons-to-start-doing-yoga-now\/\">lots of good\nreasons to make yoga part of your daily routine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What do you need to watch when doing back exercises? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Find an exercise that you like, find\neasy to do, and that motivates you. Then find two exercises that are harder for\nyou. See the back exercises as an opportunity to work on your shortcomings,\nbuild up your muscles, and optimize your movement. The harder you find an\nexercise, the more movement quality and performance ability you will gain. Back\nexercises or yoga are a great way to boost your performance as part of your <a href=\"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-identify-signs-that-youre-getting-better-at-exercise\/\">recovery\nafter sport<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How often should I do back exercises? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We train our body 24 hours a day,\nmostly while passively sitting at a desk at work and lying in bed asleep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Little tip: to effectively treat or\nprevent back pain, you should make your back exercises for pain part of your\ndaily routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Find up to three back exercises to improve your fitness and repeat them ten\nto 20 times every day for two weeks. After two weeks, change the exercises to\nset new training stimuli. If you <a href=\"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/blog\/functional-training-varied-effective-and-stabilizing\/\">want\nto improve the stability of your whole body, you can also try functional training<\/a>.\nThis way you\u2019re sure not to get bored with the back exercises.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3966781-1-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-22183\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3966781-1-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3966781-1-960x640.jpg 960w, https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3966781-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3966781-1-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Exercises can help with everday life.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What\u2019s the best way to include effective back exercises in your daily routine? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We all know what\nit\u2019s like \u2013 we spend too much time sat down. Far too much \u2013 7.5 hours per day\nto be precise. Whether we want to or not, some office jobs don\u2019t give us any\nchoice. The main cause of back pain is a lack of movement, weak back muscles,\nand constant sitting at the workplace. Regular movement is the basis for a\nhealthy back. Constantly change your sitting position to make sure you keep moving\nduring your working day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve put\ntogether four back exercises for the office especially for your daily work\nroutine. They\u2019re exercises that you really can do absolutely everywhere \u2013\nwithout a resistance band or exercise ball. Unnoticed, here and there, and\nregularly during work: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Circle your\nshoulders: <\/strong>Gets your whole upper\nbody moving, stretches your chest muscles, and relaxes your neck. Interval: Circle\n10 x forwards, 10 x backwards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>&nbsp;Stretch\nyour neck: <\/strong>Sit upright on your\nchair and pull in your stomach so that you don\u2019t get a hollow back. Look\nforward then tip your head toward your right shoulder while continuing to face\nforward, as if you are trying to lie your ear on your shoulder. Keep your\nshoulders down. Stretch your left arm down, pulling with your left hand by\nbending it 90 degrees. Hold for 30 seconds on each side. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stretch your\nglutes and lower back muscles: <\/strong>Sit upright,\nplace your right foot on your left knee, and slowly lean forward. This\nstretches your back leg, glute, and back muscles. Only hold for 20 seconds on\neach side.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Contract your\nshoulder blades: <\/strong>Pull your arms back,\ninterlock your hands behind your back. Now slowly lift your arms as high as you\nfind comfortable. Keep your shoulders lowered, your shoulder blades come\ntogether. This exercise mobilizes your shoulders, arms, chest muscles, and\nupper back. Hold 3 x 20 seconds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Set yourself small reminders on your\ncalendar. If you do one of the back exercises every two hours, the office\nworkout will quickly become part of your daily routine, and you\u2019ll see a\nreduction in those everyday pains. \ud83d\ude09\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Image sources:\npexels-ketut-subiyanto-4426321, pexels-marta-wave-6454060,\npexels-andrea-piacquadio-3966781<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back pain doesn\u2019t just affect couch potatoes \u2013 it\u2019s a recurring problem among runners too. While you\u2019re moving, you feel great, but it hurts if you spend any length of time crashed on the couch, slumped in an office chair, or out for a sociable evening with friends. Afterward, standing up is no fun at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":22170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[340,9,422,341,436],"tags":[620,621,619,617,618,622],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22169\/"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post\/"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5\/"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments\/?post=22169"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22169\/revisions\/"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22196,"href":"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22169\/revisions\/22196\/"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22170\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/?parent=22169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories\/?post=22169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pjuractive.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags\/?post=22169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}