Looking For Exercises to Strengthen Your Spine?
Watch the video to learn 3 spine strengthening exercises ideal for people age 50 and above. These exercises include standing variations of the McGill Big 3 that are ideal for people who can't get down on the floor to exercise.
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Why Spine Strengthening Exercises Matter
A strong spine is essential for maintaining balance, preventing injury, and supporting overall mobility.
Strengthening your spinal stabilizing muscles helps protect your spine and improves resilience in daily activities.
McGill Big 3 Spine Strengthening Exercises
The McGill Big 3 are well-known core stability exercises popularized by Dr. Stuart McGill, a leading expert in spine health.
These exercises target different planes of motion to stabilize and strengthen the spine:
1. Modified Curl Up Exercise
This exercise targets the front-to-back motion of the spine and strengthens the abdominals:
2 Side Plank Exercise
This is an isometric exercise that stabilizes side-to-side motion. You do the exercise by propping on one elbow along with your knees or feet.
This exercise is good at strengthening the oblique abdominals. However, it can be difficult for people with shoulder problems.
3. Bird Dog
Focuses on rotational stability. Traditionally it is done in the all-fours (quadruped) position. To do the exercise, you alternate lifting one arm at a time along with the opposite leg.
Take care to keep your back stable and not allow your back to twist or rotate.
While these exercises are effective at strengthening your spine, they're all done of the floor.
This makes them less practical for some seniors who can't get up from the floor.
Additionally, we usual function in a standing position, and exercises that are done in a standing position better mimic our normal function.
Thus, the remainder of this post will share standing variations of these exercises to strengthen your spine in a more functional position.
Standing Variation of the Modified Curl Up
The modified curl up strengthens your abdominal muscles while keeping your spine neutral. The standing variation involves a pelvic tilt.
How to do the standing curl up:
- Stand tall and roll your pelvis under to flatten your lower back.
- Tighten your abdominals as if performing a curl up.
- Keep your spine neutral and avoid excessive lower back movement.
Progression: Incorporate a hip hinge by pushing your hips back while maintaining a neutral spine. Eventually, progress to a standing deadlift for added challenge.
Standing Variation of the Side Plank
The side plank strengthens the oblique abdominals and quadratus lumborum, crucial for side-to-side stability. The standing variation uses a dumbbell:
- Hold a heavy dumbbell in one hand..
- Use your side muscles to stabilize and keep your trunk upright.
Progression: Walk with the dumbbell in one hand to simulate carrying a heavy object, then switch sides to balance the workout.
Standing Variation of the Bird Dog
The bird dog promotes rotational stability and balance. The standing variation, also called a golfer's bend, adds functional movement:
- Stand on one leg and hinge forward at the hip.
- Raise the opposite arm forward and opposite leg backward, maintaining a neutral spine.
- Return to standing and switch sides.
Progression: Use a chair for support if needed, or add a weight for a more challenging single-leg deadlift.
Need Help To Strengthen Your Spine?
If you need help to strengthen your spine to get rid of back pain (or prevent it), we'd be happy to help you.
Just tap the button below to request an appointment with one of our specialist physical therapists.