As a matter of fact, pilates is one of the preferred ways to treat and rehabilitate the back because it is a low-impact exercise type. It works on the core muscles which is extremely important to strengthen the back. Most of the exercises from the entire Pilates system are actually useful for the back. In this article, we are going to focus on the exercises that are great for strengthening the posterior chain which is the back muscles. Lets us know them.
1. Little Beats
- Lie on the stomach and start with 10 bottom squeezes.
- Just squeeze the bottom and release, again squeeze and release just like how it is shown in the picture.
- Now, lift both the legs off the ground as high as they go.
- Do little beats with the heels(opening and closing them in a quick manner)
- Do 3 sets of each where you do 10 squeezes followed by 10 beats in one set.
2. Swimming
An advanced version of this exercise might not be apt for people with a lot of back pain. They can do its simpler form.
- Lift your arms and legs while looking down.
- Lift them up on the count of five and then release them to get back to the starting position.
- Do 3 repetitions of swimming.
- People who want to proceed with the progression, lift their arms and legs off the ground while looking down.
- Move your arms and legs up and down keeping them straight at joints(elbows and knees). Try to do swimming.
- Do 20 swimming.
3. Half Cobra
- Lie on the stomach and lift your upper body.
- Put the weight of the upper body on your forearms maintaining a 90 degrees angle between the lower and upper arm.
- Lift your chest and stomach away from the ground while hips remain on the ground.
- At the same time, you are not just going backward but you are actually going away and up to lengthen the spine.
4. Little Piece of Heaven
- While you are in the half cobra position, you now go to the little piece of heaven position.
- Get into the half cobra pose. Breathe in and as you exhale, you push yourself away into a little piece of heaven.
- Sit on your heels with your arms expanded and head facing the ground.
- Stretch your body as much as you can.
- Repeat this position five times.
5. Clamshell
- Turn on the side and do a clam movement.
- Lie down on your side with knees bent.
- Provide support to your head with your palm or you can also put a cushion under the head.
- Lift your top knee up to the ceiling and down.
- So, you are just moving to close the knees and opening the knees.
- This exercise opens up the hip and at the same time, opens up the back.
- The second part of this exercise is when you bring both the knees closer while trying to keep the foot away from each other.
- Do 10 repetitions of each which means 20 repetitions of the clamshell exercise.
If you want to strengthen your lower back and eliminate the pain, do these five exercises in the same order as given above. For better results, do these 3 times a day.
