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Building Real Spinal Strength: Moving Beyond Abs
If you want a truly strong core, you need more than ab exercises—you must also strengthen the muscles of your back and spine itself. True core stability comes from balanced contraction and coordination of the transversospinalis, longissimus, and iliocostalis muscle groups, which support, rotate, and stabilize your whole trunk.
Key Muscles for Spinal Strengthening
Your primary focus is on three key muscle groups running from the center out:
- Transversospinalis
- Longissimus
- Iliocostalis
Training these means working both your upper and lower spinal segments, and integrating global (whole-body) and segmental (isolated) movement for stability.
Effective Spinal Strengthening Exercises
Upper Longissimus: Torso Raising
Lie face-down on a firm surface (bench, table, mat), feet securely anchored. Lower your torso with arms by your sides, engage your core by tucking your pelvis, push your chest out, and lift your upper body toward parallel with the floor. Never lose your pelvic tuck—control is key. Repeat, building up to three sets of 50–100 reps for stability and strength.
Lower Longissimus: Leg Raising
Flip your body around so your legs hang off and your upper body is anchored. Keep your torso stable, pelvis tucked, and legs straight, and lift your legs up toward the ceiling, stopping if the back arches. Repeat, focusing on spinal alignment for safe strengthening.
Fine-Tuning for Shoulder Girdle & Upper Back
Prone Butterfly for Rhomboids
To integrate your shoulder girdle, perform the butterfly drill. Lie face down with arms slightly wide and straight. Keeping chest and pelvis down, lift arms up and lower them, progressing to rapid “flaps” at higher reps (3 sets of 100). This targets the rhomboids and postural stabilizers between the shoulder blades.
ELDOA: The Ultimate Spine And Joint Exercises
The Big Picture: Sequencing for Optimal Spinal Health
Proper spinal strengthening isn’t just about muscle activation—it’s about sequencing exercises, starting with foundational movements and progressing to advanced drills. Segmental training, posture control, and consistent repetition safeguard against pain and injury and help you unlock true functional performance.
Ready to break past your roadblocks? Download or sign up for our advanced video series to progress further and optimize strength for lifelong spinal health.
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