I did it! What happened after a week of daily back exercises

You were absolutely right. I recently researched a few tips for a pain-free back. In the comments under this article, you quite correctly noted that exercise is the most effective remedy for back pain.

I’ve now taken this as an opportunity for a new «I did it!» edition. This time, I’ll be doing a ten-minute back workout every day for a week.

Dumbbells

Tunturi Vinyl dumbbells

2 x 5 kg

11

Dumbbells

Tunturi Vinyl dumbbells

2 x 5 kg

11

Ten minutes a day for a healthy back

As part of my daily program, I’ve chosen exercises that I can easily do at home without any additional equipment. Because if you’re already acquainted with my I did it! series, you’ll also know that the biggest challenge for me is usually finding the time for it. So the excuse of not having time can’t be used this week either, as I can do my exercises without much effort in stolen moments throughout the day.

There’s no shortage of exercises either; the internet’s full of them. However, I do find myself asking how qualified the «influencer instructors» are when I see some of the programs on offer. To kick things off, I pick the back exercise course (site in German) from a German health insurance company as a reputable (if comparatively dry) source. It fits into my time limit, doesn’t require any other equipment (apart from a chair) and is accompanied by pictures that illustrate how to do it correctly. That works. I don’t need anything else to get started.

Day 1: back to the wall – bliss

This is another I did it! week that I'm looking forward to and hope to see a real improvement in my health. However, at this point I can’t really imagine I’ll notice any difference after just one week. But we’ll see. As I don’t have any experience with the program I selected, I start in front of the computer. This way I can read through the tasks and correct my posture using the photos if I need to. (You can find the detailed exercises at the end of this article.)

I quickly complete the first round of practice, and the brief exertion didn’t take any effort. I’m happy with my first I did it! day.

Day 2: from arched back to child’s pose – yoga makes an entrance

My plan was actually to pick a specific workout for the entire week and repeat it every day. But I now want more. I have to admit I found the first exercise program a bit too boring. Somehow, it just lacked a bit of oomph. So, today I’m just trying some other recommended exercises. That way, by the end of the week I might be able to put together my own favourites program. There’s certainly no lack of inspiration.

Admittedly, it wasn’t much more exciting today. Nevertheless, I focus on the well-invested ten minutes and enjoy the rest of my day with the pleasant feeling of having done something good for myself. I feel more mobile and as though my whole posture is a bit more upright than usual. Today's exercises reminded me a lot of yoga classes I sporadically attended. And I’m already starting to plan out the next I did it! week focusing on yoga.

Day 3: more back exercise videos

Today I want to try my luck with a video. I start first thing in the morning and soon find a suitable video: «The 10 minute back exercises routine for every morning». I came across Liebscher & Bracht’s videos a few years ago when I woke up one day with tension in my back that put me completely out of action. At the time, I couldn’t get a physio appointment quickly, and out of sheer desperation, I started searching the internet for exercises that could ease the pain. I came across one of these videos and it actually helped me relieve it myself. And so I’m quite happy to be doing this today, even though the video doesn’t show me any exercises I didn’t already know.

Day 4: strengthening my back myself

We’re at the half-time mark in my I did it! week, and it’s slowly dawning on me that it probably won’t get any more exciting. But it probably doesn’t need to. After all, it’s more about strengthening my back in a quick and straightforward way. When it comes down to it, I only need to spend ten minutes per day on it – and that time doesn’t even need to be enthralling. After three days of sticking to pre-set exercises, I put together my own ten-minute program.

I start with my all-time-favourite position: lying flat on my back, arms to the side of the body with palms facing up. Done. That alone makes my back crack quite a bit and feels liberating, as if everything has now returned to the right place.

Incidentally, I try to sleep like this as often as possible: in the supine position without a pillow. It sounds worse than it is. After getting lower back pain, I was recommended to try this as a miracle cure, and in my case, it actually worked. After about two weeks, I got used to it. So now I always sleep like this – and it pays off. I hardly have any issues with my back and, above all, I no longer suffer from any neck tension.

But anyway, I digress. Back to the exercises. I can’t just lie around on my back. I bend my legs in at a 90-degree angle and slowly tilt them to the right. All the while, I have my head facing the other direction. Then back to the centre and off to the other side. I quite liked the twist-stretch position from day two, so I repeat it a few times. After that, I follow it up with a few dumbbell exercises.

I also know from experience that anything involving head tilting and neck stretching always does me good. So I tilt my head to the right side and pull my left arm towards the ground at the same time. You’re aware of the stretch but it doesn’t hurt. I then do the same on the other side along with some repetitions.

Day 5: finishing the week with a real back workout

I want to prove myself again and self-prescribe a full back workout. This exceeds my ten-minute time frame, but that’s on the cards for today. I look for reliable videos since these motivate me more than when I have to persevere alone. I quickly find what I’m looking for: back exercises for at home, (video in German) presented by a sports scientist. That sounds good.

After 20 minutes, I’m finished and now have the familiar déjà-vu feeling. The exercises are more or less the same as those from the previous days. Overall, a lot of it is reminiscent of yoga or even mindfulness exercises. But it was worth persevering with the 20 minutes, and afterwards I feel similar to the way I do following a meditation or yoga session. Slowed down, calm, relaxed. I probably shouldn’t do that in the morning as the risk of falling asleep again would be too high.

Day 6 and 7: my back workout program is in place

On my last two test days, I do my workout again without any stipulations. Over the course of the week I’ve got an overview of the exercises you can do, so my routine is a combination of strengthening, stretching and relaxing using the exercises that are most comfortable for me:

• shoulder circling and windmills
• supine postures with hip flexor stretches
• turn-stretch position
• pelvic raises
• planking
• child’s pose

Verdict: little effort for great improvement

After a week of daily back exercises, I can come away with a positive experience.

Easily integrated into everyday life: incorporating a ten-minute workout throughout the day was actually no problem. I didn’t have to keep a fixed time; the exercises didn’t require a lot of strength, so I could do them either in the morning, at lunch or in the evening – whenever I had a few minutes to spare.

Quick wins: after just three days, I felt less tense all over for the first time. I wasn’t aware of any twinges in my back or even having a tense neck. It may not be a big change and yet I feel a difference in the fact that I walk and sit a little more upright – at least, that’s my impression. Stretching in particular seems to give me more range of motion.

I’m sticking to it: this I did it! week has given me a taste for it. Although it’s unlikely I’ll be as consistent every day, I’m definitely going to incorporate a little back workout into my routine every now and then. You can achieve a lot from just a few exercises, and overall it’s a good investment in the future health of your back.

The back exercises in detail:

This is my back workout on day 1:

• 30 seconds: shoulder circles
• 60 seconds: windmills (arms extended, resting against body, circling backward in a staggered manner)
• 30 seconds: neck pulling (Sit upright and slowly tilt the head towards your right shoulder. Don’t turn your head and keep your shoulder down while gently pulling the left arm towards the floor with your palm down. Switch sides after 15 seconds.)
• 30 seconds: chest openers (bring your arms backwards, behind your sides with the palms facing upwards).
• 30 seconds: shoulder presses (stand a foot’s distance from the wall and lean your back against it. Bring your elbows to shoulder level and push away from the wall with your back and shoulders. Hold for five seconds, with four or five repetitions.)
• 150 seconds: back trainer (also called bird dog. On all fours, extend your left arm and right leg, then bring your left elbow to your right knee and then stretch out again. Hold for five seconds, with four or five repetitions. Then the other side. Engage the abdomen and pelvic floor to avoid concaving your back.)
• 150 seconds: abdominal workout (sit-ups)
• 30 seconds: lie flat on your back and relax.

The exercises (site in German) for day 2 focus on stretching:

• Cat pose: on all fours keep your back straight and head in line with the spine. After three to four breaths, move to cat pose by arching your back upwards so it’s convex. Inhale and return to the starting position. Repeat five to six times.
• Stretching the hip flexors: to release the shortened hip flexor muscles, start in a supine position and pull one leg towards the abdomen. The other leg is extended and supported by a rolled towel under your knee, with the toes pulled back and the under side of the knee actively pressing downwards. The lower back should remain flat on the floor. Adjust the intensity of the stretch by applying pressure to the bent leg.
• Twist-stretch position: lying flat on your back, extend your arms to the sides, bend the knees to 90 degrees, keeping your legs and feet close together. With an exhalation, slowly lower the knees to the right side, hold the position for three to four breaths and then slowly release. Then repeat on the left side.
• Garland pose: again, this is an exercise that’s also from yoga. In a seated squatting position, rest your forehead on the floor. Place your arms beside the body with the palms facing upwards.
  Adding mobility to seated postures: sit up straight on the front edge of a chair, feet flat on the floor, hands resting loosely on thighs. Then slowly tilt the pelvis back and forth. Repeat five to six times.