Six Exercises That Fix 95% of Lower Back Pain In Adults
Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons adults over 40 stop exercising, limit daily activities, or feel like their body is “breaking down.” The good news is that you don’t need to rely on pills, injections, or endless doctor visits. You also don’t need some expensive, complicated exercise program. In fact, a small handful of the right exercises—done correctly and consistently—can resolve the vast majority of lower back pain in adult.
In this article, I’ll share six simple, proven exercises that fix about 95% of lower back pain in adults by improving core strength, hip stability, and spinal resilience. These are the same movements I use with adults who want to get out of pain, move confidently again, and stay active for life—without relying on injections, medications, or endless passive treatments.
The Glute Bridge
One thing almost all adults with back pain share is weakness in their glutes. Our glutes set the foundation for your spinal alignment. Glute weakness can lead to poor spinal alignment which leads to more impact on your discs and joints. Overtime this leads to pain. Building strong glutes is a cornerstone to solving lower back pain in adults. The glute bridge is a effective way to target your glutes while placing limited impact on the spine itself. This makes it a great choice to solve lower back pain in adults.
Learn 10 Glute Bridge Variations Here
The Plank
Building a strong core is another important cornerstone to solving lower back pain in adults. If you look online there are 100’s of ways to strengthen your core…not all are good for your lower back. The plank is a great way to strengthen your core without aggravating joint pain because it is a static hold…meaning there’s no moving or twisting. This makes is a SAFE and EFFECTIVE choice for solving lower back pain in adults.
The Side Plank
The side plank is considered one of the essential exercises for lower back pain in adults. This movement strengthens our lateral core (obliques) while also targeting deeper spinal stabilizers. This is often a difficult exercise for people because they are muscles we don’t use much in our daily life. Be sure to start on your knees before progressing to your feet.
Romanian Deadlift
The hip hinge is one of the most important movement patterns for adults with lower back pain to learn. Not only is it a great strength exercise. It teaches you how to maintain a neutral spine while reaching forward which protects your lower back throughout your day. The Romanian deadlift is a weighted variation of the hip hinge that allows you to strengthen you glutes/hamstrings while ingraining the hip hinge movement pattern.
Learn How To Hip Hinge For Less Lower Back Pain
The Kettlebell Deadlift
The deadlift is a full body strengthening exercise. When performed correctly it helps with lower back pain by strengthening your glute/hamstring/core, teaching you how to properly brace, and ingrain an important movement pattern that you use in everyday life. The kettlebell deadlift is a safer variation of the deadlift exercise that allows you to build confidence in the movement before moving on to heavier weights.
Learn How To Perform The Deadlift
The Farmer’s Carry
Weighted carries are full body, functional core strengthening exercise that are great for lower back pain. Simply lifting heavy weights and walking improves bracing and builds functional core strength for more spinal stability and less pain.
Conclusion
Lower back pain rarely improves by avoiding movement—it improves when your body becomes strong, stable, and resilient. The exercises covered in this article work because they address the most common underlying causes of back pain in adults: weak glutes, poor core stability, limited hip strength, and an inability to safely handle everyday loads. Do them correctly and consistently and start seeing the results!
