Three strengthening exercises for the back and shoulders

Exercises that use your own body anatomy, and nothing more, are the simplest to do. They offer freedom of time restraints and the need for a gym or exercise equipment. In this video article, my colleague Dr. Brett Cardonick demonstrates simple and easy ways to strengthen the back and shoulders.

It is best to do these exercises on the floor, but for demonstration purposes, Dr. Brett is using a table.

To begin, place a pillow on the ground and lay down on your belly, with the points of your hips in the middle of the pillow. This will raise your hips slightly up off the ground with a flex at the hips to help stabilize the pelvis. When you do these exercises you don’t want to be rolling or swaying from side to side.

The exercises are done in 3 parts:

  1. Raising the legs to strengthen the lower back
  2. Raising the arms to strengthen the mid-back and the shoulders
  3. Raising the legs and arms in unison to strengthen to entire back from the neck down to the lower back, and even into the buttocks.

Leg raises for lower back strength

Lie down on your belly, hands under your head and relax. Keeping your legs straight, raise your right leg up, then lower it. Now raise your left leg up, then lower it. Repeat for a total of 20 raises, making it 10 raises on each side.

Arm raises for upper back and shoulder strength

For this exercise, you want to rest the weight of your head on the floor so you are not mushing your nose or turning your neck. You can use a rolled-up towel under your forehead to provide a nice cushion for support. From here, extend your arms out in front of your head, like you are flying. First, raise up your right arm and then lower it, then the left arm. Do a total of 20 arm lifts or 10 on each side.

Combined leg and arm raises for entire back strength

This one strengthens the entire back as you will raise your arms and legs at the same time. Try not to hold your breath. Try 3 or 4 reps of 10 second holds to start and then go longer as you get stronger.

A more advanced version is to lift one arm and one leg, on opposite sides of the body, at the same time.

Do these strengthening exercises every other day to give your muscles a chance to rest and recover. These don’t seem very difficult or stressful but don’t let their simplicity fool you. They are a good workout.

Dr. Mark Wiley

By Dr. Mark Wiley

Dr. Mark Wiley is an internationally renowned mind-body health practitioner, author, motivational speaker and teacher. He holds doctorates in both Oriental and alternative medicine, has done research in eight countries and has developed a model of health and wellness grounded in a self-directed, self-cure approach. Dr. Wiley has written 14 books and more than 500 articles. He serves on the Health Advisory Boards of several wellness centers and associations while focusing his attention on helping people achieve healthy and balanced lives through his work with Easy Health Options® and his company, Tambuli Media.

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