3 Exercises That Are Hurting Your Spine & What to Do Instead

Do you ever start doing an exercise to help your spine... and somehow end up making it worse? You're not alone.

A lot of common movements that seem helpful, especially for stretching or strengthening the back, are actually doing more harm than good. And if you’ve ever felt sore or tight in your lower back after ab work or gym machines, we’re about to break down why.

Let’s dive into the top 3 exercise categories that might be aggravating your spine, and more importantly, what to do instead.

1. Twisting Stretches Done the Wrong Way

Twisting your spine feels good... until it doesn’t.

Trunk twists, especially in a seated position, are one of the biggest culprits here. Sitting is already the most compressive position for your spine. Add rotation to that? Now you’ve got torque going straight into your lumbar discs, not where we want it.

Here’s the thing:

The lumbar spine isn’t built for rotation. It’s just not. Biomechanically, it’s meant to stabilize, not twist. That role belongs to your thoracic spine, the part of your spine behind your ribcage. That’s where you should be getting rotation from.

What to do instead:

• Get out of the chair.
  
  
• Lock your hips and lower back in place (bent knees help).
  
  
• Initiate the rotation from the top down.
  
  
• Keep it slow and controlled, this isn’t a wind-up toy warmup.
  
  
• Focus on your core controlling the motion. 

Why this matters: When you rotate from the thoracic spine with control, you get all the benefits of a spinal twist without grinding away at your lower back. Total game changer.

2. Abs Exercises That Overload Your Back

Let’s talk core training.

You’ve probably seen (or done) exercises like the ab roller, straight-leg lifts, or flutter kicks. They burn, right? But that burn often comes at a cost, especially when you’re overextending your lower back.

Why these hurt:

When your legs are extended and you're working hard to keep them up, your hip flexors go into overdrive. These guys attach directly to your lumbar spine. So every time they yank, they’re pulling on that sensitive area.

Add overextension to the mix, like letting your back arch during an ab roller rollout, and now you’re putting a dangerous torque on your spine. It’s like trying to do a plank with a sagging belly: looks stable from the outside, but your spine is crying on the inside.

Better options:

• Shorten the leg extension, don’t go all the way out.
  
  
• Focus on core engagement, not distance or “burn.”
  
  
• Try dead bugs, bent-knee leg lifts, or the bridge pose (this one’s my personal favorite, more on that in a sec).  

Also... hip flexor stretches: These can also backfire if you’re not bracing your core. If your abs aren’t active, you’re just pulling on your spine like a rope. Not good.

And yes, even sit-ups:
 

I know, I know, this one’s tough to let go of. But sit-ups, especially when done fast or in high reps, create a lot of compression in the spine. There’s even talk that the military dropped them from some fitness tests because of the correlation with back injuries. Wild, right?

3. Machine Weights That Turn Off Your Core

You walk into the gym and there’s a machine for everything, leg curls, leg presses, abductions... all neat and tidy. Problem is, these machines do too much of the work for you. They isolate muscles, yes, but they also remove your stabilizers from the equation. And when your stabilizers (a.k.a. Your deep core) go offline, your spine pays the price.

Why I’m not a fan:

• Machines guide you. That means no balance required.
  
  
• You can lift heavier than you should, leading to joint strain.
  
  
• They create muscle imbalances by targeting isolated muscles, often the ones that are already overworked (looking at you, quads).
  
  

Try this instead:
Focus on functional training, think squats, deadlifts, bridges, single-leg work. Stuff that mimics real-life movement and demands full-body coordination.

Here’s a little tip: if your workout isn’t requiring your core to show up, it’s probably not helping your spine long-term.

So... What’s the Big Takeaway?

When it comes to back health, it’s not just about what you do, it’s about how you do it.

Avoid the exercises that:

• Twist your spine the wrong way
  
  
• Overextend your lower back
  
  
• Isolate superficial power muscles while letting your core take a nap
  
  

And replace them with movements that:

• Engage your deep core
  
  
• Protect your lumbar spine
  
  
• Train your body the way it was meant to move
  
  

If you’re not sure where to start... start with the bridge.

It’s hands-down one of the best beginner-friendly exercises for reversing the postural damage from sitting and stress. It wakes up your glutes, engages your abs, and opens up your hips, all at once.

Try it right now. Just lie on the floor, bend your knees, and gently lift your hips while squeezing your glutes and keeping your abs lightly active. That’s it. Hold, breathe, repeat.

It’s simple, but powerful.

Final Thought

Back pain doesn’t happen overnight, but neither does healing. The good news? You can absolutely reverse this stuff. Check out our 7-day free trial of the Core Balance Training program. The key is to train smarter, not harder.

So ditch the risky moves, get down on the floor, and reconnect with your core.

You’ve got this.