Exercises for strengthening your back

Before we begin talking about exercises for your back, let's take a moment to remember what our spine and back muscles do. After all, they have an important job:  supporting the rest of our body weight.

Our spines have more than 30 small bones (vertebrae) that are stacked together and separated with spongy cartilage that absorbs the pressure from our bodies movements day in and day out. Also, we have a series of muscles in our backs that enable us to stand upright and support the skeletal system so that we can move around. We need both to be in top condition to be who we are as active human beings. 

With this in mind, here are a few exercises you can do to strengthen your back and help prevent future injuries.

Deadlifts
While many people avoid deadlifts out of fear of getting hurt, they are in fact one of the very best exercises you can do to strengthen your back as hundreds of muscles are involved. When done properly, deadlifts are excellent at building lower back strength and helping to prevent injury.

Weighted Rows
Like the deadlift, weighted row exercises work out several muscles on your back, from top to bottom. There are a variety of styles, but each is useful for strength building.

Chin Ups and Pull Ups
While these also involve your biceps, chin ups and pull ups train every major muscle in your back. If your own bodyweight is just too much, a healthy alternative for your back is lat pulls. Lat pulls are a variation of doing a pull up, however you can adjust the weight to something you can safely handle.

Seated Cable Rows
This low-impact exercise targets the muscles in your upper back and can be done by anyone regardless of size or age.

Standing Push Downs
This exercise rounds everything out by working your lateral muscles.

Key to Success
The key to all of this, however, is progression. Do not jump into a heavy routine of lifting or you will injure yourself. Start slow and with light weights. Work your way up one set at a time and with gradual weight increases. Taking a slow approach will give you both better results and a more enjoyable experience.