Lower back exercises for the gym and home

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These are the 6 lower back exercises in our library. Each one includes the correct technique, the muscles it works and alternatives if you lack the equipment. You can generate a free routine that includes them based on your level and goal.

Muscles you work when training your lower back

The spinal erectors run along the spine and their main job is to extend it and, above all, to resist it flexing under load. They are trained directly with hyperextensions and good mornings, and indirectly in every deadlift or bent-over row. A strong lower back is what allows you to keep a neutral spine as the weight goes up.

How to train your lower back: sets, reps and frequency

For muscle growth, the meta-analysis by Schoenfeld, Ogborn and Krieger (2017), covering 15 studies, found a dose-response relationship: more weekly sets per muscle lead to more hypertrophy, and the practical benchmark usually drawn from it is around 10 or more sets a week. Splitting them over two sessions works better than doing them in one (Schoenfeld and colleagues, 2016), and light or heavy loads give similar hypertrophy when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld and colleagues, 2017).

The spinal erectors already work hard in squats, deadlifts and rows, so a few direct sets are usually enough. Prioritise technique and gradual progression on back extensions and good mornings. If you are starting out, stay at the low end of the sets and build up gradually. We explain it in how many sets per muscle you need.

Training the lower back with pain: what the trials say

For non-specific low back pain, exercise usually helps: the Cochrane review by Hayden and colleagues (2021) found that it reduces pain by about 15 points out of 100. Even the deadlift can be part of it: in the trial by Aasa and colleagues (2015), 70 people with recurrent low back pain did 8 weeks of progressive deadlifts or motor control exercises, and both groups improved pain, strength and endurance.

According to Berglund and colleagues (2015), those who benefited most from the deadlift started with less pain and more endurance in the hip and back extensors. If the pain runs down your leg with tingling, or there is weakness or fever, see a healthcare professional first.

Blog guides: Lower back

• Low back pain and the gym: exercises that help — Low back pain and the gym: which exercises help according to the evidence, whether deadlifts are safe, a phased return and the warning signs to watch.
• Deadlift: correct technique, variations and safety — Deadlift: correct technique step by step, which variation suits you (conventional, sumo, Romanian) and the truth about whether it is bad for your back.
• Barbell squat technique and its most common errors — Barbell squat technique: a full step-by-step guide (stance, depth, knees, back) and the common errors that stall your progress or get you injured.

The 6 lower back exercises

Compound exercises (4)

Isolation exercises (2)

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