The two worst exercises for back pain

There are two very popular exercises almost everybody are doing in the gym:
bench press and leg extension!
If you experience some back pain, you should avoid these exercises; here the reasons:

- people tend to focus too much on these exercises: we know lying and sitting position are comfortable, but you’re going to create more muscle imbalances which pull joints and bones out of their normal alignment.

- Bench press is too often overused which leads to an overdevelopment of the chest and front deltoids; the lack of strength in the upper back will lead to a poor posture called “turtle back”: the shoulders are pulled forward, the upper back is rounded. This bad posture will create upper back and neck pain due to very tensed muscles, and shoulders problem (rotator cuff).

- Too much leg extensions create also an imbalance with the hamstrings: weak and tight hamstrings are often a cause for low back pain.

If you use these exercises, be sure to balance your program working the opposing muscles; if not, be prepared for problems!
Here an excellent resource I recommend to get rid of back pain: Get your free back pain relief guide.

Check also these workouts for a healthy back!