3 Home Back Strengthening Exercises For Preventing Neck Pain And Headaches

Back strengthening exercises are essential in this day and age. If you use a computer for long hours a day, it's likely that your posture is not as good as it could be. Human bodies just weren't designed to sit on chairs for hours at a time. Rather, they were designed to walk, run, jump or sit on the ground. But computers force you to stay stationary and limit the use of your muscles. They can make your neck sore and give you terrible headaches.

When your muscles weaken from this unnatural use, even the easiest tasks can overwork them. Simple activities, like lifting a moderately heavy box, can strain them and cause them to tighten up. This tightening usually refers pain to different areas of your body. In the case of your upper back muscles, pain is referred to the head and neck.

So what can you do about it? Well the thought of giving up your job and going to live in the wild may not appeal to you. But there is another solution. And it's easier than you might think. You can strengthen your upper back muscles at home by doing a few simple exercises. Do the following 3 exercises 3 times per week and your upper back should begin to strengthen up in no time.

Exercise 1: Chainsaws

Get into a lunge position with one arm resting on your front knee and the other arm holding a weight on the floor - you can use a dumbbell or something else you have lying around, like a book. Now lift the weight up to your shoulder and squeeze your upper back muscles. This movement is similar to that of starting a chainsaw. Do 10-15 of these on each side.

Exercise 2: Bent over fly's

Stand with your feet at shoulder width apart. Bend forward at the hips and keep your back flat. Now, with a light weight in each hand - cans of soup are a good option - lift your arms out to the side, as though you were flying. Lift as high as you can before lowering back to the floor. Do 10-15 reps of these.

Exercise 3: Pull ups

These have got to be the best exercises you can do for your upper back. They are incredibly intense and they work like magic to strengthen your muscles. If you can't do any of them right away, put one foot on a chair to help lift yourself up. Get a door pull up bar. Place your hands on it, palms facing away from you. Lift your body up and pull the bar into your chest. Lower back down to the ground slowly.

By: Tom A. Wilson

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Tom Wilson is the creator of www.fitness-training-at-home.com the website which helps people ditch the gym and get fit at home. If you would like to build an even stronger upper back, it's worth trying out door pull up bars. Read more about which type of bar would be best for your home by clicking here www.fitness-training-at-home.com/door-pull-up-bar.html<