LOWER BACK WORKOUT (241 words)

Probably the strongest muscle group of the human body (along with the thighs). There is hardly any need on my part to elaborate at all the importance of a strong lower back.

Diving right into the exercises for the lower back, I can identify three prominent movements: The Dead Lift, Good Morning, & the lower back Hyperextensions.

• The dead lift: I have already detailed this workout in my previous post. A spine killer, thorough power move, should be done with caution. Even the best of bodybuilders avoid this due to its inherent risks. Pushing the limits on this move is recommended only for professionals & the passionate. The uninitiated may best forget this or train on restrictive loading. Successive dead lifts must be interspersed by sufficiently long recovery periods.
• Good Morning: Highly specialized movement, straight from the weightlifting training manuals. Extremely hazardous. Out of bounds even to power lifters (& of course bodybuilders). The passionate should only attempt this under an Olympic weightlifting coach.
• Hyperextensions: Safest alternative to all of the above & yet an extremely effective lower back workout. Can be done almost everyday. The trick to a crunching hyperextension lies in going down & coming up vertebra by vertebra-every inch of the backside (including the gluteals) should pull up the portion of the body that is below the parallel. And the back should never unnecessarily bend backwards; the back should stop at the normal standing position.