How to Fix Lower Back Posture & Relieve Tension with Exercises
Jan 2, 2025
Does your back ache after sitting for long stretches? Does your lower back feel tight after a workout? If so, you could be experiencing the effects of poor lower back posture. As you go about your daily activities, your body naturally compensates for the weak and tight muscles resulting from this common issue.
Over time, these compensations can lead to pain, injury, and even disability. This guide will explore how to fix lower back posture and why addressing this issue is essential. You'll learn practical exercises that improve lower back posture and relieve tension with postures apps, leading to better comfort and long-term pain prevention.
You don't have to figure this out on your own. Posture AI's posture correction app can help you achieve your goals by learning practical exercises that improve lower back posture and relieve tension for better comfort.
Table of Contents
Why Strengthening Your Lower Back Matters
The lower back is crucial in maintaining overall posture and preventing injury. It supports the spine and facilitates movement, particularly in lifting, walking, and sitting activities. Weak muscles in the lower back can lead to chronic pain and discomfort. Strengthening these muscles provides long-term health benefits.
“The body relies on the low back for virtually every activity performed throughout the day,” says Rami Hashish, Ph.D., D.P.T. “Keeping it strong means it can continue to perform everything from small tasks, like standing up from a chair to larger tasks like moving a piece of furniture or bringing groceries up a flight of stairs.”
Research shows that strengthening the lower back can also contribute to longevity as it “helps your body become more resilient to everyday demands and minimizes the risk of developing lower back pain in the future,” says Eni Kadar, D.P.T., Cert. DN.
Understanding Poor Posture and Its Effects on the Body
Posture refers to the anatomical alignment of our body, according to Mike Masi, DPT. "Because our bodies are adaptive machines, we will likely conform to the stressors imposed upon the body to tolerate the daily living or occupational tasks of each person," he says. These adaptations can cause muscular strain and imbalances that lead to pain.
"When we think about posture, we tend to think of it as 'Good' or 'Bad,'" but the reality is that there is a lot of in-between depending on what the activity might be," explains Carrie A Lamb, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, and Balanced Body Educator.
According to Lamb, the posture you adopt when walking differs from the one you might have while driving or the one you pick when riding your bike. "What an ideal posture feels like is the important piece," she adds. When posture is not ideal, problems can arise. For instance, sitting at a desk eight hours a day may lead to upper back rounding and limited flexibility with reaching overhead. "If that person tries to paint their ceiling, a task that requires sustained overhead performance, they will be at risk for injury and poor performance," explains Mike Masi, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Orthopedic Specialist.
Lamb points to a saying in Pilates, "As much as necessary, as little as possible," that highlights what good posture might feel like. "consider all of your bones and joints being evenly supported without any sensations of fatigue or pain; you aren't overworking any one area but creating a sense of balance and ease in the body," she describes. Good posture creates efficiency, conserves energy in the body, and avoids overuse of any one area. Lamb says there is no one perfect posture and that the effort to maintain what you may think is ideal can cause you to work too hard. "It’s not realistic to sit up tall for hours on end without allowing the body to move and fidget," she explains.
How Weak Back Muscles Contribute to Lower Back Pain
According to Masi, lower back pain can arise from many factors and affects people of all ages, backgrounds, races, and cultures. Many body areas can be injured in and around the trunk, leading to lower back pain and injury.
People with higher physical demands on their lower backs are more likely to get injured. Demands can include work or lifestyle-related lifting, rotating, or long hours spent sitting or standing in one position.
Lamb and Masi say that hip tightness and weakness, poor core strength, and tightness in the lower back are culprits for pain. These areas need adequate strength and flexibility to help prevent stress in the lower back during everyday movements. Sitting for long periods makes these problems worse.
The Role of Exercise in Improving Posture
Masi praises exercise for posture correction as a fantastic way to expose the body to novel demands under controlled circumstances. "This exposure may create more room for error with human movement before injury occurs and could improve movement efficiency," he says. This means by strengthening your postural muscles and correcting your posture overall; your body will be less inclined to feel pain during everyday activities.
Lamb suggests checking in with your body daily; noticing side-to-side differences in flexibility or strength is an excellent way to start addressing any issues you have due to your posture. "If you think of a slouched computer posture, the muscles along the back of the body can become stretched out and weak," she says.
Postural muscles are endurance muscles and need to be able to function for an extended period, according to Lamb. Training these muscles to work through full ranges of motion can ensure your body is ready to adapt to any posture you ask it to get in.
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How to Fix Lower Back Posture through Exercise
Poor Posture and Its Impact on the Lower Back
Poor posture can have a significant impact on the lower back and spine. The effects of slouching and slumping can lead to muscle imbalances, excess pressure on the spine, and pain. When slouched, for example, the body relies on the spine's ligaments to maintain the position. Over time, this can lead to a loss of stability and posture, resulting in injury and pain.
How Targeted Exercises Can Help
Targeted exercises can help improve posture by strengthening the core and lower back muscles. The core comprises more than just the "abs" and includes the muscles on the front, sides, and back of the torso and the pelvic floor. Improving strength and stability in the core can enhance posture and reduce excess strain on the lower back.
In addition, exercises that target the lower back muscles can also improve strength and support for the lumbar spine. Below are some exercises provided by Masi and Lamb that can improve posture and relieve lower back pain. Do not perform any activity that recreates pain.
1. Hollow Body Holds
The hollow body holds the target of the anterior chain, hip flexors, and abdominals.
Lie on your back on a firm surface with your knees bent.
Push lower back into the ground so the spine is flush with the ground.
Lift arms so they are straight, with fingers reaching up towards the ceiling.
Lift legs so they are straight with toes pointed towards the ceiling.
Slowly drift toes and fingers away from each other while simultaneously keeping the lower back in contact with the ground.
Stop and hold at a challenging position.
Hold 10-30 seconds for 3-10 sets.
2. Rack Slides
Rack slides target trapezius muscles and thoracic paraspinals.
Grab a wooden dowel or PVC pipe and approach your door frame or the front of a squat rack.
Place the dowel horizontally against the doorframe at the level of your collarbone with your hands just slightly wider than shoulder width.
Stand close to the dowel with a slightly staggered stance.
Keep your elbows under the wrists the whole time.
Slide the dowel up the rack until your arms are straight.
You can simultaneously shift weight into the front foot to help achieve an overhead position and get an added stretch.
Hold at the top for a few seconds and perform 10-30 daily.
3. Pass-Throughs
Pass-throughs target pec minor and major, coracobrachialis, and short head of bicep.
Standing or sitting, grab a 5-foot dowel or PVC pipe with a wide grip (typically, the wider, the easier this is).
Keep the arms straight and rotate your shoulders so the dowel moves over your head and slightly behind you.
If facing a mirror, you will see the dowel move behind your head to about eye level.
This should result in a big stretch at the front of your chest, shoulders, and arms.
Do not descend beyond that point. Instead, hold that position for 3 seconds, then return to the start position.
Repeat 10-20 times. Move hands closer together for a more intense stretch.
4. Hip Hinges
Hip hinges target the posterior chain, lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.
Stand with your feet directly under your hips, with your toes facing forward (ideally in front of a mirror).
Push your hips back and reach your hands forward as if raising them overhead.
The knees may slightly bend during this movement.
The goal is to keep the spine neutral while slowly lowering it to parallel the ground. You may also feel a stretch behind your legs.
Hold the position for 3 seconds, then return to the start position.
Repeat 10-30 times throughout the day.
5. Baby Swan
The baby swan is a great exercise to counteract the forward sitting posture and works on the spine's mobility and strength of the mid-back.
Start by lying on your belly with your arms out to your sides in a goalpost position.
Consider (or place) a small ball under your sternum. Gently hug the ground with your arms, then roll your ball forward to lift your heart and head forward.
Try to keep the movement in your mid-back. If you don't have a ball, consider one to get the movement going. While it may be tempting to lead with your head, remind your body that your heart is in charge.
Progress this exercise by holding the lifted position and trying to lift one or both arms without lowering your body.
6. Windshield Wiper Hips
This exercise increases hip mobility and control.
Sit in a "z-sit" with knees pointing opposite to feet.
Lean back slightly and change to an opposite z-sit where knees point in the other direction.
Try to keep your spine tall as you do this. If you need a modification, consider leaning back and using your hands for support or trying this lying down. Note: sometimes full rotation is contraindicated following certain hip surgeries, so check with your medical provider before attempting.
If you can do the seated version, try to come up to kneeling from the z-sit before you switch sides as a way to add strengthening to the move.
7. Swimmers
Swimmers help strengthen the lower back while boosting mobility in the spine.
Lie on your abdomen with arms stretched out in a "v" shape and legs straight.
Start by slowly lifting the right and left leg, then switch to the left arm and right leg. Ensure you are not holding your breath and not trying to lift the limbs from your lower back. Placing a pillow under your hips can help if you feel strained in the lower back.
Progress by picking up your pace and avoiding touching the arms and legs down to the ground as you alternate sides. Modify by starting on your hands and knees instead of on your belly.
8. Rolling Bridge
The bridge is an excellent exercise for getting the spine and the core to talk to one another and find support with movement.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and hips distance apart. Keep your arms at your sides as you curl your pelvis and roll up your spine one vertebra at a time into a bridge.
Hold at the top, then retrace your steps by rolling down the spine one vertebra at a time.
Progress by using only one leg at a time as you roll up and down.
9. Roll-Up
Roll-ups should feel like they work in the abdominal muscles, and this exercise is excellent for building a resilient spine. This exercise may not be a good choice for people with osteoporosis or some acute lower back conditions, so if something is painful, stop.
Start by lying flat on your back with legs straight and pulled together. Take a breath in as you reach your arms overhead.
As you exhale, press the arms down, pick up the head, roll yourself up to sitting, and reach for your toes.
Sit tall, then roll yourself back to the starting position, thinking one vertebra at a time. If you get stuck on the way up, you can roll up a towel and place it at your shoulder blades to help with roll up, or you could start sitting and roll back a short distance (what you feel you can support) and come back up.
10. Superman
Superman exercises are a simple and effective way to strengthen the lower back.
Start by laying down on your stomach with your arms extended out before you — like a flying superhero.
Using your core muscles, lift your legs and arms around 4 to 6 inches off the ground and hold the position for five seconds.
Slowly lower your arms and legs on a count of three seconds.
To complete a full set, repeat this 10 times.
11. Bird Dog
Another effective lower back exercise, the bird dog, requires you to be in the quadruped position (both hands and knees on the ground) with your back flat and your shoulders over your hands.
Raise your left arm and right leg until they are level with your back while maintaining a straight back. To do this, drop the right hip so that it remains in line with the left hip, and consider you are balancing a glass of water on my mid-back.
Hold for five seconds before slowly lowering your arm and leg back to the ground on a count of three seconds. “Perform this exercise with control, moving slowly from one movement to the next without letting your hips sway side to side,” Shively said.
Repeat this movement on each side with the right arm and left leg for an entire sequence—complete 10 reps.
12. Glute Bridges
Glute bridges might target the glutes but are also an excellent workout for the back because they strengthen the abdominal muscles, supporting the lower back.
Lie down on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Your feet should be directly under your knees, and your toes should point forward (which is a slight diagonal since your knees are slightly wider than your shoulders).
Place your arms down by your side with your palms facing down.
“Start with squeezing your glutes together, then flatten your low back and maintain this position when you lift your hips off the ground to create a ‘bridge’ with your body,” Shively said. If you don’t feel this in your posterior chain, try digging your heels into the ground to help further activate the muscles.
Slowly lower the body back down to your starting position by gently dropping the back, vertebrae by vertebrae, followed by the hips, and repeat 10 to 15 times for a full set.
Hold your bridge pose at the top for six seconds to challenge your strength before lowering back down.
13. Side Plank
By firing up your core and engaging your balance, side planks can strengthen the muscles in the lower back and lead to more abdominal stability over time by strengthening the core muscles. Planks also target the muscles that stabilize the spine, which can strengthen them and prevent lower back pain.
“Lie on the left side of your body, with your left arm directly beneath your shoulder, your right leg slightly bent, and your left leg straight with the outside of your left foot on the floor,” Hashish said.
Plank your body by raising it onto my left elbow and foot. If this exercise is a challenge and you wish to work up to a full side plank, try bending the left leg and straightening the right leg while focusing on pulling the abdomen in. For a little more of a challenge, you can lift the right leg, which will further activate the core.
Hold for 20 seconds before repeating on the other side to complete the set.
14. Anti-Rotation Stepping
Anti-rotation stepping is when you anchor a resistance band in a doorway (or use the handle of a pulley machine at the gym) at waist level, face sideways, and hold the bands out in front of you at the midline of your body for a Pallof press. This exercise helps stabilize the core, which is key to strengthening the lower back.
An anchor is a resistance band in a doorway or on the handle of a pulley machine at waist level, as specified above.
Take two steps to the side, then back to the starting position for 10 reps.
Once completed, turn around and repeat on the other side.
With this exercise, always maintain light tension on the band or pulley and perform two reps per side.
15. Cat & Cow (Use a low range of motion)
The cat and cow is a great spine mobility exercise that you can do to help energize your lower back muscles.
How to do it: – Begin by kneeling on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees below your hips.
Exhale and arch your spine gently.
Hold this position for 2 seconds.
Inhale and tighten your core muscle while you round my back.
Hold this position for 2 seconds.
Aim for 10 repetitions.
16. Partial Crunches for Lower Back Pain
Partial crunches are simple exercises that strengthen your core and back muscles to help with posture and back pain. Lie on your back, crossing your arms in front of your chest, and slowly raise your shoulders from the floor while engaging your core muscles. Hold for one second, then slowly lower your shoulders to the floor.
17. Reverse High Five
If you have been sitting at your desk all day, take a break from working to stand up and complete a few rounds of this exercise to prevent slouching and neck pain. Standing tall, turn your palms to face away from you and then press your hands back as if you were giving someone a double high five behind you.
18. Wall Sits
This simple exercise is a great break from sitting on the couch or crouching over a desk. Start by standing with your back against a wall and slowly slide down the wall as if you were sitting in a chair, keeping your knees bent no farther than a 90-degree angle. Pressing your lower back into the wall, hold this position for 30 seconds.
19. Isometric Seated Rows
This stretch is perfect for improving poor posture and working out stiffness in the neck caused by sitting in one place for too long. If you have an office job, take a break from hunching over my computer and start sitting tall in my chair with my shoulders back. Exhale as I draw my elbows back into the hair and squeeze my shoulder blades together.
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Integrating These Exercises into Your Daily Routine
Start with an Accessible Core Routine
Regular, simple exercises can help ease tension and stiffness in the lower back. Core exercises, in particular, help stabilize the spine and improve posture. "Everyone should start with a core routine," Lamb says. "It's a great way to ease into exercising for back pain, and there's a routine for every fitness level." A few accessible exercises to target your core include:
Bird dog
Start on your hands and knees. Engage your core and slowly extend one leg straight behind you while reaching the opposite arm forward. Hold for a few seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.
Dead bug
Lie on your back with your arms extended toward the ceiling and your legs lifted in a tabletop position. Engage your core and slowly lower one arm and the opposite leg to just above the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
Glute bridge
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Engage your core and glutes as you lift your hips toward the ceiling. Hold for a few seconds and lower back down.
Incorporate Mobility and Stretching Exercises
Add mobility exercises and stretches for the lower back, hips, and pelvis to your routine as you start to feel better. These can help improve your range of motion, reduce stiffness, and restore balance to your body. Try these exercises to get started:
Cat-cow stretch
Start on your hands and knees. Inhale as you arch your back and drop your belly toward the floor (this is cow pose). Exhale as you round your back, tucking your chin and pelvis (this is cat pose). Repeat for several breaths.
Hip flexor stretch
Start in a lunge position with your right foot forward and left knee on the ground. Keep your chest up, and shift your weight to feel a stretch in the left hip flexor. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds and switch sides.
Figure four stretch
Lie on your back with your knees bent. Cross your right ankle over your left thigh. Reach your hands through the opening and grasp the back of your left thigh. Pull the left leg toward you to feel a stretch in your right hip. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds and switch sides.
Progress to Strengthening Exercises
Once your mobility routine feels easy, incorporate strengthening exercises targeting the back, hips, and core muscles. These will help stabilize your spine and improve your posture. Try adding these to your routine:
Superman
Lie face down on the floor with your arms extended in front of you. Engage your glutes and lower back to lift your arms, legs, and chest off the floor. Hold for a few seconds and lower back down.
Side-lying leg lift
Lie on your side with your legs straight and stacked on each other. Engage your core and lift your top leg toward the ceiling a few inches before lowering it back down. This exercise targets the hip abductors, which help stabilize the pelvis.
Plank
Start on your hands and knees. Engage your core and lift your knees off the ground to come into a plank position. Your body should form a straight line from head to heels. Hold the position, breathing normally to engage your core, for as long as possible.
Make Exercises Part of Your Daily Routine
Making exercises for lower back pain a regular part of your daily routine will help you stay consistent and get the most benefit. Here are some tips to help you get started:
Schedule it
Set aside time each day to work on your lower back exercises just as you would for any other necessary appointment. You can start with just 5 or 10 minutes and gradually increase the time as you get more comfortable.
Pair it with an activity you already do.
You can also incorporate exercises into your day rather than treating them as separate tasks. For example, you can do bird dogs, dead bugs, or glute bridges during commercial breaks when watching TV. Or perform a few stretches to relieve tension before getting into bed at night.
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Improve Your Posture with Our Posture Correction App
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