When you make the commitment to exercise more and get healthier, it can be quite liberating. You know that you’re doing something good for yourself, and that if you stay with it you will get results. If you want to lose weight or simply tone up your body, then performing the right exercises are critical to your success.
The problem, however, comes when people perform exercises improperly and sustain an injury. Amongst the most common type of injuries are well-known back exercises that are all too often performed wrong.
It’s not to say that these exercises are bad for you, as they can be quite helpful if you perform them the right way. The problem comes about when you go through them too quickly or you use improper form. That’s why you need to be in control of the way your body moves, and most especially how you hold your back and your overall core when you move through these. If performed right, these exercises can help to shape the back and other parts of the body. If performed wrong though, you could be putting yourself at an unnecessary risk and therefore work against yourself.
Learning proper form for these back exercises is an important part of your plan. If you approach these slowly and really work at perfecting your form, they can be great. If not then these can be some of the most dangerous and potentially risky exercises out there. So proceed with caution always!
Deadlifts: Anybody who knows anything about strength training knows that these are some of the most effective exercises for the lower half. They can help to shape and tone the quads, glutes, and even more than that. The problem with these exercises however is that you are putting your back in a very vulnerable position. If you don’t hold this right or if you put too much pressure on the back to move up and down, then you are at a great risk for injury. You want to be sure that you never overextend and that you hold the position properly, so that the back is never at risk for getting hurt.
Squats: Yes, they are a great overall exercise and you probably don’t recognize how they can negatively affect your back. These aren’t even back exercises specifically, but the way that you move through them can have a profound impact on your back and the likelihood that it gets injured. You want to be sure that you put all your weight behind you and that you go back into the heels. If you can lift your toes off the ground in this movement then you are performing it correctly. If you can’t then you are putting too much strain on your knees and your back, and it’s important to relearn proper form!
Bent Over Rows: As you can imagine, these are great for the back but anytime you are in a bent over position you are putting yourself at risk. That being said, you want to be careful that you hold in the abs to keep the back in place. You need to keep the core strong and the back upright as you move through the rows. If you can achieve that proper form then these are great for the back, but you do want to be careful as you perform them.
Seated Leg Press: This is another exercise that you probably don’t think of in terms of the back, but it can have some serious implications. You are sitting down and using the legs to move through this exercise machine, but if you perform it wrong then it puts great strain on the back. Be sure that you don’t take on too much weight and that you move slowly through this and you’ll be fine. As with any back exercises or anything else that asks the back to get involved, take your time and be sure that you keep the core strong to avoid any injury.
