Lower back
Exercises for lower back pain, ordered by how little they ask
Not a workout. A progression that starts lower than you think it should, because that is the part most routines skip.
Clinically reviewed by Lee Albert, NMT · 8 August 2026
Exercises, not stretches, and the difference matters
Vinys has a separate and much larger page of lower back stretches. That page is about mobility and about settling things down. This one is about building tolerance, which is a different job with different movements and a different pace.
If your back is currently in a bad patch, the stretches page is the better starting point and it is linked at the bottom. Come here when things have calmed enough that you want them to stay calm.
Start lower than feels sensible
The most common way this goes wrong is starting at the level you think you should be at rather than the level you are at. The sequence below opens with a movement where only your arms move, and that is not a warm-up, it is the first exercise.
There is a measurable reason for the order. An electromyography study of back rehabilitation exercises put quadruped arm and leg raises, bridging and side bridging below 50 percent of maximum muscle activation, while prone back extension work reached 77 percent and above. The early movements here are genuinely low demand, which is what makes them somewhere to begin rather than somewhere to prove something.
Keep moving, including on the bad days
The strongest and most consistent message across the guidelines is not about any particular exercise. It is to stay active. The NHS advice for back pain is explicit that staying active helps and long periods of bed rest do not, and NICE asks clinicians to encourage people to continue with normal activities.
So on a bad day the answer is a smaller version rather than nothing. Every movement below has one, and the first three can be done in bed if that is what is available.
What actually gets chosen, and why it is not one right answer
The American College of Physicians makes a strong recommendation to start with non-drug treatment for long-standing low back pain, and lists exercise, yoga and motor control exercise among the options. It does not rank them. The Cochrane review of motor control exercise reaches the same place from the other direction: better than doing little, no better than other exercise.
That is genuinely useful rather than a hedge. It means the best programme is the one you will still be doing in three months, and it is the reason this page gives a progression you can move up and down rather than a fixed routine to complete.
The sequence
- 1
Dead bug, arms only · 8 to 10 each side
The real first exercise, not a warm-up. Feet stay down and the whole job is holding the lower back still while the arms move.
- 2
Dead bug, bent knee · 8 to 10 each side
The legs join without straightening, so the leverage stays short. If the lower back lifts off the floor, drop back a step.
- 3
Bridge, small lift · 10 slow repetitions
The glutes learning to extend the hip. A small lift done properly is worth more than a high one powered by the lower back.
- 4
Bird dog, small range · 8 each side, 5 second holds
Barely any movement, held still. This is the version the low spine load numbers actually describe.
- 5
Bird dog, full · 8 each side, 5 second holds
Opposite arm and leg together, which is where the demand steps up. Arm first and leg second is the way in if the full pattern is too much at once.
- 6
Bridge, held · 3 holds of 15 to 20 seconds
The same hip extension held under load. Ribs stay down; if the lower back is doing the lifting, lower the hips.
- 7
Side plank against a wall · 3 holds of 15 seconds each side
The side of the trunk, upright, at a fraction of floor load. Often the missing piece in a back routine.
- 8
Side plank, knees down · 3 holds of 15 to 20 seconds each side
On the floor with the knees taking part of the weight. Keep the top hip stacked rather than rolling back.
- 9
Plank, knees down · 3 holds of 20 to 30 seconds
The whole front working together to stop the lower back sagging. Stop the moment the hips start to drop.
- 10
Standing hip abduction · 10 to 12 each side
The outside of the hip, which steadies the pelvis every time you take a step. No floor, no equipment, easy to keep up.
- 11
Hip hinge · 10 slow repetitions
Bending from the hips with the back held neutral, which is the pattern every real-life lift depends on. The last movement here for a reason.
This is a ladder, not a circuit. Pick the first movement that is genuinely challenging, work at it until it is easy, and only then add the next. Four movements done consistently beat eleven done once.
What the research says
Low back pain has good guideline coverage, and the honest summary is that exercise helps, no single type wins, and staying active matters more than the choice.
The American College of Physicians makes a strong recommendation that people with chronic low back pain initially select non-pharmacological treatment, naming exercise, yoga and motor control exercise among the options, and notes that most acute and subacute low back pain improves over time regardless of treatment. NICE advises self-management including encouragement to continue with normal activities, and to consider a group exercise programme, biomechanical, aerobic, mind-body or a combination, chosen around the person's needs, preferences and capabilities.
The Cochrane review of motor control exercise pooled 29 randomised trials with 2,431 participants and found clinically important improvements in pain and function against minimal intervention, with no superiority over other forms of exercise and only minor or no adverse events reported. Its own conclusion is that exercise choice should depend on preference, cost and safety.
For the ordering of this page specifically, a 2008 electromyography study of low back rehabilitation exercises measured quadruped arm and leg raises, bridging and side bridging below 50 percent of maximum voluntary contraction against 77 percent and above for prone lumbar extension work, and framed this as a route for progressing people from low intensity exercises toward higher demand ones. The AAOS spine conditioning programme supplies the standing safety rule used throughout: you should not feel pain during an exercise, and should speak to your doctor or physical therapist if you do.
Sources
- 1Qaseem et al., noninvasive treatments for acute, subacute and chronic low back pain, American College of Physicians clinical practice guideline (Annals of Internal Medicine, 2017)
For chronic low back pain, clinicians should initially select nonpharmacologic treatment, with named options including exercise, motor control exercise, mindfulness-based stress reduction, tai chi and yoga.
- 2NICE NG59, low back pain and sciatica in over 16s (2016, last updated 29 July 2026)
Provide tailored self-management advice including encouragement to continue with normal activities, and consider a group exercise programme (biomechanical, aerobic, mind-body or a combination) chosen around the person's needs, preferences and capabilities.
- 3Saragiotto et al., motor control exercise for chronic non-specific low back pain, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2016), CD012004
Across 29 randomised trials with 2,431 people, motor control exercise produced clinically important improvements in pain and function compared with minimal intervention, but was not more effective than other forms of exercise, and the review advises choosing the type of exercise on preference, cost and safety rather than on superiority.
- 4Ekstrom, Osborn and Hauer, surface electromyographic analysis of the low back muscles during rehabilitation exercises, Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy (2008)
Quadruped arm and leg raises, bridging and side bridging all produced lumbar muscle activity below 50 percent of maximum voluntary contraction, while prone lumbar extension exercises reached 77 percent and above, placing the quadruped family at the entry level of a progression rather than at the demanding end.
- 5American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfo, spine conditioning program (reviewed by Daniel K. Park, MD, FAAOS)
Sets out a staged spine programme that includes the quadruped opposite arm and leg raise, cueing a tight abdomen and a flat back, and states as a standing rule that you should not feel pain during an exercise and should speak to your doctor or physical therapist if you do.
- 6NHS, back pain, nhs.uk conditions library
Lists as needing immediate emergency care back pain alongside numbness, tingling or weakness in both legs, loss of feeling around the genitals or anus, changes in bladder or bowel control, changes in genital sensation, chest pain, or onset after a serious accident, and advises staying active rather than resting in bed.
Common questions
What is the difference between this page and the lower back stretches page?
Different jobs. The stretches page is about mobility and settling things down, and it is the better place to start if your back is in a bad patch right now. This page is about building tolerance so it stays settled. Most people want the stretches first and these a week or two later.
Which exercise is best for lower back pain?
The guidelines decline to name one, and that is the useful answer rather than a dodge. The American College of Physicians lists exercise, yoga and motor control exercise together without ranking them, and the Cochrane review found motor control exercise no better than other forms of exercise. The best programme is the one you will still be doing in three months.
Should I rest my back instead?
No. The NHS advice is explicit that staying active helps and long periods in bed do not, and NICE asks clinicians to encourage people to continue with normal activities. On a bad day the answer is a smaller version rather than nothing, which is why every movement here has one.
Is it normal to feel these in my back?
Muscle ache in the back while working is ordinary. Pain is not, and the AAOS spine programme's standing rule is that you should not feel pain during an exercise and should speak to your doctor or physical therapist if you do. Symptoms travelling down a leg mean stop that movement and step back.
Why does the sequence start so easy?
Because the early movements are genuinely low demand, and that is the point. An electromyography study put quadruped raises, bridging and side bridging below 50 percent of maximum muscle activation against 77 percent and above for prone back extension. Starting at the level you think you should be at, rather than the level you are at, is the common way this goes wrong.
When should I see someone instead of exercising?
Get emergency care for numbness or weakness in both legs, loss of feeling around the genitals or anus, or changes in bladder or bowel control. See a doctor if the pain follows a serious accident, comes with feeling unwell, is worse at night or at rest, or comes with unexplained weight loss. Those are the NHS's own thresholds.
Get urgent care for weakness or numbness in both legs, loss of feeling around the saddle area, or any change in bladder or bowel control. Speak to a clinician first if the pain followed an accident, if you feel generally unwell with it, or if it is worse at night or at rest. Stop and speak to a clinician if a movement brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and seek urgent care for any loss of bladder or bowel control or numbness around the saddle area.
Also called exercises for lower back pain, lower back pain exercises, exercises for low back pain, back strengthening exercises, core exercises for lower back pain, lower back exercises at home. Movements are drawn from the clinically authored Vinys library. This page is general movement information, not medical advice, and it is not a diagnosis. How the method works.