Why You Shouldn’t Skip Back Exercises
The importance of back training
When we workout, we tend to focus our attention on specific body parts such as the glutes and abs so much that other parts of our bodies can be overlooked.
The back is one of the body part that is often overlooked and thats a crying shame because every movement we make relies on the back, and having a strong back has more to do with functionality than aesthetics.
Thanks to your spine which supports posture and determines how well you perform your daily tasks, the back is an important component of what consitutues a great and functional workout,
You may feel a lot more fatigued when training the back since it is a major muscle just like the legs. As one of the largest muscle groups in the upper body, your upper back and lats play a crucial role in hypertrophy-inducing workouts and weight loss.
The term hypertrophy refers to exercises that are performed solely to increase muscular size, such as weight training to tone and bulk up .
So when you workout, adding a back focused routine to your fitness regimen will not only increase flexibility and posture, but improve all body support. When your spine is weak, you are vulnerable to pain and dysfunction.
Here are a few benefits of strengthening your back muscles
Posture
The majority of our time is spent sitting or lying down, and this has been exacerbated during the pandemic.
This means in most cases, we are sitting with our shoulders forward and with a rounded spine. The result? Terrible posture.
Besides a sedentary lifestyle, over focus and over working one muscle group while neglecting the others, is one of the major contributors to bad posture.
Think about it, say you want to build your chest. Your extreme focus on doing that could mean neglecting the other muscle groups like your back. In this case, you effectively put yourself at the risk of developing rounded shoulders, and a potentially weak back.
This neglect can potentially lead to back pain, spinal dysfunction, joint degeneration, instability, and so on.
By incorporating back exercises such as seated rows, reverse flys, and bent over rows, you can improve your posture. These exercises engage the upper back, lats, traps, and rear deltoids.
Improving back health
Some of us suffer from chronic back pain that causes us to avoid being active.
However, research published in The Ochsner Journal suggests that exercise may improve the management of chronic back and neck pain. Lower back pain and neck pain can be relieved by back strengthening exercises.
Exercises such as cobras, swimming, bridges, and supermans can manage the pain while strengthening the back muscles at the same time.
Naturally, this should be done with the help of a professional rehabilitation specialist to avoid further injury as all back pains are different. What might work for one may not work for another.
Consult your health care professional before beginning an exercise routine if you suffer from chronic back pain.
Improvement in mobility and balance
Although toning your abs or doing squats to tone your glutes is great, it’s no use if you can’t move those muscles properly, or if you can’t stabilize yourself when you’re working out.
To prevent injury and build strength, it is important to perform most exercises with proper movements and range of motion.
Exercises, especially lifting weights, require a certain amount of balance. To avoid injury when you lift weights, you need to ensure you are using the right muscle groups. This is where the back comes in.
By performing back strengthening workouts, your spine will be strengthened and your body will be able to use the necessary muscles as a stabilizer. This improves your range of motion and prevents sports injuries.
Exercises such as deadlifts, cat cow stretches, supine twists, and downward dogs can help to increase flexibility and mobility of the back muscles.
As you exercise your back muscles over time, you will realize how much your glutes and your abdomen rely on them for stability.
Conclusion
Its easy to forget to train your back, because I mean lets face it, you can’t really see it. But just because you cant see it does not mean you shouldn’t work on it.
A strong back is a healthy back and dare I say it, a sexy feature in men and women.
So when working out, throw in some back exercises to help improve your posture, balance, and prevent injuries.
Don’t ignore those rows, pull-ups, and deadlifts, you got this.
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