From what I can gather, athletes often say that they have a tight back. When queried about this most athletes have different versions of what a tight back means. It seems that most often they describe a tight back differently, when they can describe it.
To many athletes a tight back means that they have difficulty in bending over or are unable to move effectively especially when it involves rotation. Still others state that the lower back just does not feel right and must be stretched. At times the problem appears to be the upper back or there is little difference between what they experience in the lower or upper back.
If you read articles about tight backs you will invariably be presented with a stretch – usually static, for the lower back. This in itself shows that a tight back is defined as tight or shortened lower back muscles. However, if the muscles for truly shortened, there should be hyperextension (arching) of the lower back.
If the athlete complains of an acute tight back he means that it came on suddenly and that he does not experience this condition very often. In many cases it is a chronic condition that often creates a continual problem for the individual. Cases such as these typically relate to a posture problem, one that has persisted for a long time.
In “tight lower back” cases it is necessary to determine what is causing the “tight” problem. Is it due to excessive strength work, faulty posture or is the soreness associated with some other condition? Until these questions are answered, it is impossible to prescribe a specific fix for a tight back.
However, maintenance of a strong and healthy lower back can alleviate these problems and prevent them from happening. Rather than being concerned with a fix for a tight back it may be more important to be concerned with how to develop and maintain a strong and flexible spine. I see very few programs that address this objective.
For example, most trainers in articles that appear in various fitness magazines or on the web recommend doing the Superman (prone back arches). This is a good exercise but it accentuates an arched back that may exacerbate a tight back the problem if the individual already has a hyperextended spine.
In most cases individuals require strengthening of the abdominal muscles together with strengthening of the lower back muscles. But this is rarely done. Most programs overemphasize development of the abdominals and ignore the lower back muscles. When the lower back is addressed it is typically with the Superman exercise or with stretches.
Much more effective for strengthening the lower back muscles is to do the back raise exercise on the Glute Ham Back machine. In this exercise you stretch the low back muscles as you lower the body and strengthen the lower back muscles through their full range of motion as you raise the trunk. Doing this on a regular basis will keep the low back muscles fully stretched and very strong. As an extra bonus you will have good posture.
More information on lower back strength exercises and how the back raise is executed, seeBiomechanics and Kinesiology of Exercise and Explosive Golf.