Back support

Whether you spend your fall weekends raking leaves in the backyard or loading kegs onto the SUV, strength training for just 10 minutes three times a week can keep you and your back standing tall.

You'll need to get your muscles used to working from two different directions: pulling down from the sky and pulling up from the ground. If you approximate these movements with weights, you'll decrease the chance of strains later on.

Use caution when pulling up, a motion that occurs often when working outdoors and exposes the lower back to undue stress. Replace exercises such as the bent-over barbell row, which offers no support, with the dumbbell row, prone row or seated row.

For the pull-down motion, doing simple pull-ups (on or off the weight-assistance machine) helps your body handle its own weight. For a newcomer, or for someone returning to training, the pull-up or chin-up may also be a bit safer than a lat-pull machine, which may allow you to crank out several reps beyond fatigue.

For the lower back, take a break from the Roman chair and hyperextension machines to utilize normal body-weight movements, such as lying hyperextensions.

With all of these exercises, it's important to know the difference between stretching and strengthening. On the pull-up and row, for instance, protracting your shoulders too far forward to achieve a stretch or greater momentum can shift the weight to more susceptible muscles and tendons, such as the rotator cuff. To effectively isolate the muscles, rotate your scapula inward before you start each set.

Leg exercises will help you bend down and rise up with less risk and more efficiency. Your calves, in particular, are strong stabilizing agents. Also, a strong back needs strong abs, and vice versa. Using a Swiss ball for your crunches forces every muscle in the core to stabilize, thus training the abs, obliques and spinal erectors.

THE PLAN

Do this workout three times a week, at home or in the gym. Each exercise requires one set of 10 to 15 reps, with an emphasis on control, not momentum. For each rep, employ a three-second count on the positive and a five-second count on the negative. Rest for 30 seconds between sets.

1. LYING HYPEREXTENSION

Lying facedown, place the backs of your hands on your forehead with elbows out and neck neutral (1a). Squeeze your shoulder blades together and lift your torso four to six inches (1b). Pause slightly and return.

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2. PULL-UP

With an autopilot classic like this, it's a good idea to check your form. Your palms-away grip should be about six inches wider than shoulder width. Imagine a string connected from your forehead to the ceiling (2a). Tilt your head back and pull straight up on that line (2b). Don't sway or kick your legs.

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3. DUMBBELL ROW

Place one knee on a bench with the same-side arm bracing your upper body (3a). With your torso parallel to the ground, bring the weight up to chest level, stabilizing your shoulder throughout the move (3b). After your reps, change sides and repeat.

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4. BALL CRUNCH

Begin with your feet on the floor, slightly wider than shoulder width, and the ball in contact with your lumbar spine up to the shoulders (4a). Begin controlled crunches (4b) without dropping into an arched back after the return.

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5. WALL SQUAT

Stand against a wall, your feet shoulder-width apart and about two feet away from the base (5a). Keeping your back pressed to the wall, slowly lower yourself straight down as if sitting on a chair. Stop when your knees are bent to 90 degrees (5b) and slowly return. For more comfort, place a ball between your back and the wall.

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6. PUSH-UP

Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the floor, legs and back straight, feet together and arms almost locked. Look forward (6a). Keeping your back straight, lower your chest until it almost touches the floor (6b), then push back upward to the starting position.

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7. SIDE DUMBBELL RAISE

Start with weights resting beside your thighs (7a). With your torso erect, slowly raise the weights out and up until they reach 90 degrees or slightly higher (7b). Keep a slight bend at the elbow. For more protection, use a bench with back support and keep your lower back firmly anchored against the pad.

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8. CALF RAISE

Stand on a step, a stable box or the calf-raise machine with the balls of your feet resting on the platform (8a). Rise up on your toes as high as you can (8b), then slowly lower yourself until your heels are below the platform.

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Core Muscles            Complementary Muscles

Lying hyperextension               Wall squat
Pull-up                               Push-up
Dumbbell row              Side dumbbell raise
Crunch                             Calf raise

COPYRIGHT 2001 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning