Strengthen your spine with these exercises
What's the story
Maintaining a strong and healthy spine is essential for your well-being. A strong spine promotes good posture, reduces the risk of back pain, and boosts mobility. By including some specific exercises in your routine, you can make your spine a lot stronger. Here are five effective exercises that can help you achieve a glowing posture by strengthening your spinal muscles.
Core strength
Plank for core stability
The plank is another amazing exercise to improve core stability, and it ultimately supports the spine. When you hold a plank position, you engage several muscle groups such as the abdominals, back, and shoulders. It aids in keeping the spine aligned and builds endurance. Begin with holding the plank position for 20-30 seconds and gradually increase as you get stronger.
Lower back focus
Bridge pose for lower back support
The bridge pose targets the lower back muscles while also engaging the glutes and hamstrings. Lying on your back with knees bent, lift your hips towards the ceiling while keeping shoulders grounded. This movement strengthens the lower back muscles and promotes flexibility in the hip flexors, contributing to better spinal support.
Flexibility boost
Cat-cow stretch for flexibility
The cat-cow stretch is a gentle flow between two poses that improves flexibility in the spine. Start on all fours with hands underneath shoulders and knees beneath hips. Alternate between arching your back (cow) and rounding it (cat). This dynamic movement helps relieve tension in spinal muscles, improving overall flexibility.
Upper back focus
Superman exercise for upper back strength
The superman exercise targets your upper back muscles along with glutes and hamstrings. Lying face down with arms extended forward, lift arms, chest, and legs off ground simultaneously as if you're flying like Superman. Hold for a brief moment before lowering down again. This strengthens your upper back muscles which are essential to maintain a good posture.
Spinal stretch
Seated forward bend for spinal stretching
Seated forward bend stretches both lower back muscles and hamstrings. It effectively relieves tension along the entire length of the spine when performed correctly. Without forcing any movements beyond the comfort level, it ensures safety throughout the practice session. Every time it's done regularly over a period of weeks, months, or years, it depends on individual needs, goals, preferences, abilities, and limitations.