Exercises for Lower Back Pain: Coached, Not Guessed

For most common, non-specific lower back pain, staying active and gradually getting stronger is one of the best things you can do. Here's how we approach it with clients, and when you should see a doctor first.

See a doctor urgently if back pain comes with numbness around your bottom or genitals, problems controlling your bladder or bowels, weakness in your legs, a fever, unexplained weight loss, or follows a fall or accident. These need medical assessment, not exercise.

Why exercise helps a sore back

Most lower back pain isn't caused by serious damage. It often improves within a few weeks, and staying gently active tends to help it settle faster than resting in bed. Over the longer term, getting stronger and moving well makes flare-ups less likely and less worrying when they happen.

The aim isn't to avoid using your back. It's to build up how much your back, hips and legs can comfortably handle, a little at a time.

Where to start

When a client comes to us with back pain, the first sessions are about finding what they can do comfortably and building from there. Gentle options include:

• Walking, little and often, is one of the simplest ways to keep a sore back moving.
• Glute bridges to get the hips and glutes working.
• Bird dogs and dead bugs to practise keeping the spine steady while the arms and legs move.
• Hip mobility work such as hip flexor stretches, because stiff hips often push extra movement into the lower back.

Some discomfort during exercise can be acceptable. A useful guide is that it should settle back to normal within about 24 hours. If it is getting worse each time, change the exercise or the load.

Building real strength

Once the basics feel comfortable, we progress to loaded movements: goblet squats, hip hinges, rows, carries and eventually deadlift variations. Done with good technique and the right load, these strengthen the muscles that support your spine. Learning to brace your core properly is a big part of this.

Progress is gradual. We change one thing at a time, more weight, more reps or a harder variation, and watch how your back responds.

Common mistakes

• Resting completely for weeks and hoping it goes away.
• Jumping straight back into heavy lifting after a flare-up.
• Doing only stretches and never building strength.
• Copying a routine online that doesn't account for what aggravates your back.

How a personal trainer helps

A good trainer watches your technique, picks the right starting point and adjusts each week. At SYP Fitness that's the whole idea behind our injury-safe personal training: build strength around the problem, not through it, and work alongside your GP or physio when needed.

Want this coached 1-to-1? We build every programme around your back, with your GP or physio's advice. Book a free consultation at our Archway studio.

Frequently asked questions

Should I exercise with lower back pain?

For most common lower back pain, staying gently active helps it recover. If you have warning signs such as numbness around the bottom or genitals, bladder or bowel problems, leg weakness or a fever, see a doctor urgently instead.

What exercises are good for lower back pain?

Walking, glute bridges, bird dogs, dead bugs and hip mobility work are good starting points. Over time, coached strength exercises like goblet squats, hip hinges and carries help build a more resilient back.

Can a personal trainer help with back pain?

Yes, alongside advice from your GP or physio. A trainer can choose suitable exercises, coach your technique and progress the load gradually so your back gets stronger without flaring up.

Is deadlifting bad for your back?

Not when it's done with good technique and a sensible load. Hip hinge movements like deadlifts can strengthen the back, but they should be built up gradually and coached properly.

Start your transformation

SYP Fitness is a private 1-to-1 personal training studio at 2-4 Navigator Square, Archway, London N19 3UB, 2 minutes from Archway tube. Rated 5.0 from 106 Google reviews.

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