Thread: An important muscle in the body that most people never exercise

After reading about Memock's back injury, I wanted to share with all of you a way to help prevent a back problem. A group of muscles in the body that most people never work out called the spinal erectors may be the most important muscles in the body.

The spinal erectors hold the body upright in a healthy posture and support the spinal column. Their function is to extend the spine as well as provide support for it.
Exercises that work the spinal erectors include hyperextensions, deadlifts and good mornings.

Many people completely ignore their lower back because it is not particularly noticeable. This is a dangerous practice that will eventually lead to injury. Make sure you strengthen your lower back so that you can support your body and handle more weight with other exercises.Most professional body builders neglect this muscle group.


The spinal erectors are the slowest recovering muscle on the body. This is because their main function is to hold the body upright, and when worked through a full range of motion, they can get unbelievable sore and may need up to 100 hours to fully recover.

What the heck are these? "hyperextensions, deadlifts and good mornings."

I say Good morning to my wife every day, does that count?

coming up with some pics shortly

Deadlifts

Hyper extensions

Good mornings

I was hoping they were something you could do without equipment.

Strenuous shagging is good exercise for these as well. I highly recommend it.

I will have to get healthy again before that will happen.

Originally Posted by MeMock

I was hoping they were something you could do without equipment.

you can Memock, you just have to be creative, use bags of rice tied to a broom handle for example and you can regulate the weight by weighing them obviously.. You need to start out slowly and light first anyway if you haven't been doing them before and given your condition so it will be some time before you'd have to have equipment..

Also you can do wonders with a long, relatively thick bungee cord and stepping on it or wrapping it around things for leverage..

Originally Posted by chitown

Hyper extensions

This is the one that has always done me right. There a gym fixture called the Roman Chair. About the same. You make them up out of household furniture too.

Any advice on avoiding and curing rotator cuff injuries chitown?

I think its the front lateral lifts, but can't be sure.

Couldn't put a bottle of water to my mouth yesterday.

Originally Posted by chitown

The spinal erectors are the slowest recovering muscle on the body. This is because their main function is to hold the body upright, and when worked through a full range of motion, they can get unbelievable sore and may need up to 100 hours to fully recover.

That's something I found out the hard way. I did stiff-leg deadlifts one day and started on a set of deadlifts the following day. Only got one rep and my lower back muscles got wrenched. 1 month later and I started back doing stiff-leg deadlifts with an empty bar. Never more than once a week now.

Glad I am doing hyper extensions. Now I know why.

Ever notice why Asians rarely have back/spinal problems....??

Originally Posted by chitown

Deadlifts

That's the kind of lifting I learned not to do in real life. Maybe a good exercise for a trained and toned weightlifter, otherwise a classic for damaging one's back.

Don't attempt any of this before consulting your doc, MeMock.

Easy does it guys... I screwed my back by doing hyper-extensions...

Start slow, don't use too much weight and work up to a comfortable regime 2 - 3 times a week... It can really help if you don't overdo it...