In the previous article, we have given you tips and tricks in order to have a flat and sculpted abdominal area. Having strong abs is not very useful if your back muscles are weak, it will create an unbalance between your front and back which will lead to hips, lower back or even spine pains. You practice sports in order to feel better in your body not to generate extra pains.
This is the reason why it is very important to work on both of them simultaneously.
Maintaining and having strong back muscles is essential to avoid the daily inconvenience of back pains but also to injuries during sports trainings. Your abdomen area is composed by nothing less than 244 different muscles, some are very small some are large. All of them have different functions, but they are involved in almost all movements of our everyday life, walking, sitting on a chair, playing tennis ... These muscles are distributed symmetrically on either side of the spine. They control our posture and ensure the stability of the trunk. The larger back muscle is the latissimus dorsi. It allows us to lower our arms, bring the elbows and shoulders back. As for the trapezius, their role is to raise the shoulders, bring the shoulder blades together and ensure the rotation of the shoulder joint. The role of the lower back should not be neglected either, since its main function is to straighten the bust.
As discussed on our article to Avoid back pain due to sitting, back pain often results from poor postures adopted throughout the day, whether at work, driving, or even by sitting on the couch. They are generated by a lack of muscle structure around the spine, in other words your back is too soft. You need to develop these back muscles, and the pain will disappear and your silhouette will gain in harmony with strong, flat and sculpted abs and a V-shape back.
Building your back is essential, especially and especially for athletes, since this significantly reduces the risk of injury and guarantees harmonious muscle development for the whole body.
Now, you know why it is important to have your abs and back muscles balanced, we will provide you a list of exercises to do.
Best exercises to strengthen your back anywhere:
The most 2 famous exercises to have a strong back are pull ups and push ups. These exercises are our favorite ones as they allow us to work on shoulders, back, core, basically almost every muscles of the trunk. Moreover, they offer a large number of variations allowing you to focus on one part of the bust rather than another, playing with the spacing of the hands, the orientation of the palms, or even the size of the pull ups bar you have.
Pull ups:
Grab a bar with a grip slightly wider than shoulder-width,
Hang all the way down,
Pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar,
Lower yourself all the way back down at a controlled pace.
Push ups:
Start in a standard push-up position: hands flat on the ground below your shoulders, arms straight and with your feet together.
Bend your elbows to lower your chest to slightly below the level of your bent elbow,
Push back up to the starting position to complete one repetition.
Bridge:
Lie on your back and rest your head on the floor. Bend your knees so your heels are directly under your knees.
Tuck your pelvis under to ensure a flat lower back.
Pull your shoulder blades in and down.
Raise your hips towards the ceiling until they are fully extended and hold this position for at least 3 seconds while squeezing your glutes.
Lower your hips, then repeat the movement without touching the ground.
Superman:
Lie flat on your stomach. Extend your arms forward, palms on the ground.
Raise your upper body and both your legs to form an arch. Make sure that your knees and your chest do not touch the floor anymore.
Keep your head and neck neutral to avoid creating useless tension and potential pain.
Do not overextend your neck and keep your chin tucked.
Lower your arms and legs, then repeat the movement without touching the ground.
High plank:
Start from a push ups position. Rest your hands on the floor, with your hands directly underneath your hands and hands
Extend your legs out behind you and rest your toes on the floor. Your body should form one straight line from your shoulders to your heels.
Squeeze your entire core, your glutes, and your quads, and tuck your butt under a little to keep your lower back straight.
Position your head so that your neck is in a neutral position.
Hold this position for at least 30".
Do not hesitate to mix all of the exercises and create slight variations of them. Once you master these routines, you can add simple equipments in order to add difficulties such as resistance bands, TRX, gyms rings or Swiss ball. These accessories will create an instability in your movements adding stress on the lower abdomen, the abdominals acting as a trunk in this search for upper / lower body balance.
Make sure you look after your body properly in order to be able to give 100% during your coming workouts. Do not forget, you have started this journey for yourself so make sure you have fun and avoid to always do the same routine.
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