My newborn son made for the perfect dumbbell. As he got heavier, I got stronger.
Lately, however, he’s grown so much that lifting him out of his cot and overhead is becoming increasingly difficult. Occasionally, it’s downright painful.
Much like when I press weights overhead in the gym, I often feel a sharp twinge in my mid to lower back, which I presumed was a sign that the weight I chose was too heavy for me, or my form had gotten sloppy.
“Back pain when lifting things overhead is a very common issue,” osteopath Hibah Memon from the Central London Osteopathy & Sports Injury Clinic reassures me.
Typically, she says, it stems from a combination of core instability, spinal alignment stress and poor load distribution.
“The lumbar spine (lower back) tends to compensate when the thoracic spine (mid back), hips or core lack mobility or stability,” she tells Fit&Well.
“If your core isn’t engaging properly or your pelvis is tipped excessively forward due to an anterior pelvic tilt, you will put undue strain on your lower back.”
When lifting my toddler—or doing shoulder presses—I might also be unconsciously arching my lower back, she adds, due to limited shoulder or thoracic mobility.
“This arching or overextension, repeatedly or under load, is a common cause of that twinge sensation in the back,” she says.
Thankfully, these issues can all be remedied by improving core strength, addressing spinal mobility and choosing smart overhead pressing variations when lifting weights overhead.
7 exercises to protect your lower back when lifting overhead
Memon says these seven exercises will help improve overall core control and spinal mobility.
I plan to use the core moves as part of my strength workouts once or twice a week, and the mobility drills as part of my regular warm-up and pre-bed stretching routine.
Back-strengthening core exercises
1. Dead bug
“This exercise teaches effective abdominal control without spinal movement,” says Memon. “Focus on slow, controlled movements throughout.”
How to do it:
- Lie on your back with arms extended straight up.
- Raise your knees so they’re over your hips and bend them to 90˚.
- Press your lower back into the floor to engage your deep core muscles.
- Slowly lower your left arm and your right leg until just above the floor, then return them to the start and repeat with the other arm and leg.
- Aim for three sets of 10 reps each side.
2. Bird dog
“This is another great exercise for posterior chain coordination and lumbar stability,” says Memon.
How to do it:
- Kneel on all fours with your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees.
- Maintain a neutral spine, ensuring your back doesn’t sag or round.
- Extend and lift your left arm in front of you and your right leg behind you until both are parallel to the floor.
- Lengthen your spine by reaching forward with your hand and back with your foot.
- Slowly return your arm and leg to the start and repeat on the opposite side.
- Aim for three sets of 8-10 controlled reps each side.
3. Side plank with reach-through
“This move works the obliques that run down the side of your torso and the deep transverse abdominis muscles that are crucial for rotational stability,” says Memon.
How to do it:
- Lie on your left side with your right foot on top of your left, and your left forearm on the floor, with your elbow directly under your shoulder.
- Raise your hips so that your body forms a straight line.
- Extend your right arm straight up.
- Once stable, bring your right hand down and through the gap below your torso, slowly rotating your torso to reach as far behind you as possible.
- Reverse the movement, reaching your right hand straight up.
- Continue for time.
- Aim for three sets of 30 seconds each side.
4. Pallof press
“If you have access to a cable machine in the gym, this terrific exercise will teach your core to resist twisting forces, which is especially vital during weight lifting,” says Memon. You can also use a resistance band looped around a secure anchor.
How to do it:
- Set a cable pulley handle at chest height.
- Stand perpendicular to the cable machine and hold the handle in both hands.
- Step away from the cable machine until there’s tension in the cable.
- Bring the handle close to your chest, using your core to resist rotation.
- Slowly extend your hands forward to increase the challenge to your core to maintain a stable stance.
- Hold each rep for 2-3 seconds at full extension, then slowly return your hands to your chest.
- Continue with this slow and controlled motion for three sets of 12 reps each side.
Spinal mobility drills
5. Cat-cow
“A gentle mobility exercise, the cat-cow stretch promotes spinal fluidity,” says Memon.
How to do it:
- Kneel on your hands and knees with a neutral spine.
- Inhale as you gently round your back, drawing your naval into your spine.
- Exhale as you slowly arch your back, extending your spine and lifting your head.
- Perform 1-2 sets of 10 reps daily.
6. Wall thoracic rotation
“Thoracic rotations open up the upper back, helping to reduce lumbar compression,” says Memon.
How to do it:
- Kneel with your left side side-on to a wall, with your left knee on the floor and your right foot flat on the floor, both arms extended in front of you.
- Keeping your left arm next to the wall, rotate your torso to the right, sweeping your right arm toward the wall behind you, moving as far as your mobility comfortably allows.
- Work to keep your right knee stable throughout. To aid this, you can pin a foam roller against the wall with your raised knee, as in the accompanying video.
- Aim for two sets of 8-10 slow and controlled reps each side.
7. 90/90 hip drill
“Use this routine to improve pelvic control and reduce lower back strain during bending and lifting movements,” says Memon.
How to do it:
- Sit with your feet on the floor, knees shoulder-width apart and hands behind you to keep your torso upright. The more you can keep your torso upright, the greater the stretch you will feel in your hips.
- Lower both knees to one side, aiming to bring both knees to gently touch the floor, although only moving as far as your mobility comfortably allows.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Aim for 2-3 sets of 30 seconds each side.
