Pulling For Your Back - The Best Way To Exercise Your Back

Some of the best back exercises involve pulling motions.

Why Pulling?

Pulling exercises strengthen the upper and middle back,
rear deltoids (shoulders), and the biceps and triceps in
the upper arm.

These pulling exercises all influence your posture, and, in
turn help to improve your balance.

How Pulling Exercises Help to Improve Back Strength.

Pulling exercises correct length/tension imbalances in the
body, particularly around the spine with the stretching and
strengthening movements that work the muscles directly
surrounding your spine.

As the muscles get stronger and more elongated your range
of motion increases along with more muscle tone. This
helps to protect your back and other joints from injury, as
well as improving your posture aligning your body in its
natural state.

Some of The Best Pulling Exercises For Your Back:

· Lateral Rowing - Using a cable machine or Thera-band
anchored. Sitting tall with both hands on the cable or
band handles and palms facing the body pull your elbows
straight back until hands come to your waist. The forearms
should stay parallel to the floor. Feel the shoulder
blades draw together but do not pinch them as you pull the
weight. Helps to improve the posture by strengthening
muscles of the mid and upper back.

· Pull ups - Using a straight bar overhead or the new
machines that displace your weight. You can choose an
overhand narrow or wide grip, underhand grip or palms
facing grip. They all involve a pulling action working
slightly different muscle groups of the back and upper
body. With your body extended bend your arms pulling your
chin up until it is level with the overhead bar, then lower
and repeat as many as you can do with good form.

· Lat Pull Downs - Using a cable machine with the long
overhead hanging bar position yourself just slightly behind
it with your legs anchored. Tilt your body about ten
degrees back grabbing the bar slightly wider than shoulder
width with an overhand grip. Pull the bar to your
breastbone drawing the elbows down and back toward your
spine. Keep your chin parallel to the floor, not looking
up but out in front of you.

This exercise helps to strengthen the Latissimus Dorsi
muscles that run the length of the back on either side of
the spine helping to support the back in twisting and
turning motions.

· Reverse Push Ups or Inverted Row - Using a straight bar
on a rack or Smith Machine with bar set around waist height.

Position yourself under the bar with your hands on top and
slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Walk your feet
out until your body is completely extended with heels on
floor and toes up. Chest is square with the bar and arms
are extended at chest level.

Bend your arms pulling your chest up to the bar keeping
your abdominals tight and body aligned straight. Lower and
repeat for as many as you can repeat with good form.

· Pilates Reformer/Long Box Pulling Straps - Using the
Reformer under a watchful eye is a great way to improve
your posture and back strength helping to realign your
spine.

Lying on your stomach with chest just off the front edge of
the long box grab the straps one in each hand. Inhale as
you pull the straps with straight arms down and back to
your hips bringing the head and chest up opening the front
of the spine. Exhale as you release. Repeat for 6-8
repetitions adding a triceps extension at the end of the
pull for another set.

· Pilates Reformer/Rowing Back - Sitting tall on the
Reformer facing backwards holding the straps pull elbows
straight back as your hands come to your waist. Release
and repeat for 8 -10 times. This can be done with straight
arms pulling down and back. Feel the chest expand as you
draw the arms back.

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Jennifer Adolfs is a certified Pilates Mat and Equipment
Specialist who works with musculoskeletal injuries. Find
more articles and her new Pilates ebook that outlines many
great exercises to help strengthen your back and improve
your posture by going to her web site at
http://www.Pilates-Back-Joint-Exercise.com