The Best Exercises for Lower Back Pain (And the Ones to Avoid)

Not all exercise is created equal when it comes to back pain. Some movements will accelerate your recovery and build the resilience your spine needs. Others can make things significantly worse. Here's a practical guide to what helps — and what to avoid.

Exercises That Help: Core Stability

The deep core muscles — transversus abdominis, multifidus, pelvic floor — act like a corset around your lumbar spine. Exercises that target these muscles include the bird-dog (on all fours, extending opposite arm and leg), dead bug (lying on your back, slowly lowering opposite limbs), and plank variations. These build the foundational stability that protects your lower back.

Exercises That Help: Hip Mobility

Tight hips are one of the most common drivers of lower back pain. When the hips can't move freely, the lumbar spine compensates. Hip flexor stretches, pigeon pose variations, and 90/90 hip stretches can dramatically reduce lower back tension. Spend at least five minutes on hip mobility work before any training session.

Exercises That Help: Glute Strengthening

Weak glutes force the lower back to do work it shouldn't have to. Glute bridges, clamshells, and hip thrusts activate and strengthen the gluteal muscles, transferring load away from the lumbar spine. If you have a desk job and persistent lower back pain, strengthening your glutes is often one of the fastest ways to feel improvement.

Exercises to Approach with Caution

Heavy loaded flexion exercises — like sit-ups, crunches, and toe touches under load — place significant stress on the intervertebral discs and are best avoided in the early stages of back pain recovery. High-impact activities that compress the spine, like running on hard surfaces, should also be introduced gradually. This doesn't mean these movements are permanently off-limits — it means timing matters.

A Personalised Program Makes All the Difference

The right exercises for your back pain depend entirely on what's causing it. A program designed for disc-related pain looks very different to one designed for facet joint issues or muscular imbalance. Working with a qualified trainer who can assess your specific pattern and design accordingly is far more effective than following generic advice online.