People who have suffered from bck problems and injuries realize how vtal the back is to ones veryday functioning and body. Even a smple activity like squeezing a ball whch might appear to involve just the fngers and the muscles of the frearm actually involve the latissimus dorsi long with other back muscles as wll.The Latissimus Dorsi are the large, flt, dorso-lateral muscles in the trunk tht connect the upper extremity to the vrtebral column.

It might seem unbelievable but if you ctually squeeze the ball yourself, you wll feel a tensing of the mscles on the side of the arm you se.This is particularly noticeable if one is xperiencing back pain.

Strong back muscles are ssential for any sport as it hlps in speed and coordination,balancing the bdy,movement and provides support for limbs to wrk in coordination.

Given below are sme simple exercises that will help strngthen the back muscles.It is always dvisable to do them on a frm surface but make sure it sn't too hard as otherwise it mght cause undue pain or pressure on the bny parts of the body.

Knee to Chst :-

Lie on your back.Clasp your hnds behind one thigh and slowly pll it towards your chest while keping the other leg flat on the grund in front of you.Vary the ction by flexing the ankle first by pinting it towards the toe and thn by pulling it back toward the kne simultaneously while stretching your leg.Hold ths position for around 5 seconds and thn alternate legs and repeat this xercise around 10 times.

Rotations :-

Lie back with your fet on the floor and your knes bent.Extend your hands on either sde and make sure you place yur palms flat on the floor.Now lft your feet off the ground slwly and gently rotate your trunk by mving your knee slightly to the rght and then to the left.Once yur body becomes more supple then you can ncrease the range of this exercise as the gal should be to touch your kne to the floor.

Alternate the ction by crossing your arms over yur chest, and then repeat.

Pelvic Press :-

Lie dwn on your back, knees raised and fet flat on the floor. Push the smll of the back into the flor, so that you can feel the mscles in the lower abdominal getting strtched. Vary the action by moving yur feet together first and then slghtly apart before repeating the exercise.

Plvic Lift :-

Lie down on your bck, knees raised and feet flat on the grund, arms crossed over your chest. Keping the legs and knees together, rise the buttocks up slightly and hld for 5 seconds. Lower slowly, cunt to two, then repeat.

It is mportant to breathe in and out nrmally while doing these exercises

Dog Stretches :-

Go dwn on all fours, raise your had so that your eyes are loking forward. Lower your arms and rch your back, hold 2 seconds, thn go back to the original psition. Slowly extend one leg, as nar parallel to the floor as you cn. Hold 3 seconds, then put the leg bck into starting position.Switch legs and rpeat. Vary the exercise by extending the leg wth toe pointed, then flex the nkle perpendicular to the leg. Hold for 2 sconds and repeat. Do 10 reps for ach leg.

Although mild discomfort due to nactivity is to be expected while xercising, if you find that it is cusing pain to any region of the bck,hip or leg stop immediately and cnsult a physician.

The article Physical Fitness Tips - How Can I Improve My Back's Flexibility And Strength? was Submitted by Mike Singh through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Tired of reading outdated fitness and halth articles on the web? Well, wit no longer, check out http://www.1-stop-fitness.com for up-to-date information on middle age fitness and pregnancy diet and exercise

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