What Exercises Can Cause Lower Back Pain?

Lower‑back pain has a nasty habit of crashing your workout party just when you’re starting to feel stronger. In fact, nearly 1 in 5 gym‑goers abandons their fitness plan each year because of back discomfort — and the culprit is often a single “harmless” move hiding in their routine.

If sit‑ups, Russian twists, or even an innocent set of supermans send a shockwave through your spine, you’re not alone. Reddit is packed with posts like “Almost every abs exercise hurts my lower back… should I just plank forever?” That frustration is real, but the good news is it’s fixable.

In this blog we talk about which popular exercises quietly sabotage your lumbar spine, why they hurt, and what proven, back‑friendly swaps can keep you training hard without the “ouch.” Ready to trade pain for power? Let’s dive in.

Why Exercising with Lower Back Pain Can Be Tricky: The Moves to Avoid

Research shows that exercise can be really helpful for easing lower back pain, but many people hesitate to get moving, fearing that they’ll actually make things worse. While the right exercises can provide long-term relief and improve your condition, the wrong ones could lead to even more pain or even injury.

To help you navigate your workout routine safely, we’ve identified the top 5 exercises you should avoid and their safer, more effective alternatives. Let’s dive in!

So, What Exercises Can Cause Lower Back Pain?

What exercises can cause lower back pain? While staying active is key to a strong, pain-free back, some exercises can do more harm than good by putting too much strain on your spine or forcing unnatural movements. And here’s our list of some of the biggest culprits you’ll want to avoid and what to do instead!

1. Sit Ups

This classic go-to for core strengthening may not be as good for your low back as you think. In fact, doing them the wrong way can actually put extra pressure on your spinal discs and make your back pain worse. Plus, most people end up using their hip muscles more than their abs, which means you're not getting the full core benefit.

Research even shows that improper sit-up form can lead to muscle strain and long-term spinal issues. So, while sit-ups seem like a quick fix, they might be more of a back problem than a solution! One Reddit user stated "Almost every abs exercise hurts my lower back… I heard this maybe caused by an anterior pelvic tilt… I will stop doing exercises that hurt my back.”

Try: A Partial Crunch

Partial crunches can help strengthen your back and stomach muscles. Proper form prevents excessive stress on your low back. Your feet, tailbone, and lower back should remain in contact with the mat at all times.

To perform a partial crunch:

• Lie with your knees bent and place your feet flat on the floor

• Cross your arms over your chest or put hands behind your neck for more support (if you put your hands behind your neck, make sure that you aren’t using your arms to pull your neck off the floor and that you aren’t leading with your elbows)

• Tighten your stomach muscles and lift your shoulders slightly off the floor

• As you raise your shoulders, breathe out

• Hold for a second, then slowly lower back down

• Repeat 8 to 12 times

2. Standing Toe Touches

Standing toe touches might seem pretty harmless, but when it comes to back pain they can actually do more harm than good. Not only can they irritate sciatica, but they also risk overstretching your hamstrings, which can add stress to your back muscles.

When you bend forward, your spine ends up taking the brunt of the motion, potentially making any pain you have worse. So, while it might feel like a simple stretch, toe touches are one move you probably want to skip when struggling with lower back pain. Feedback from one Reddit however suggested “Hip flexor tightness can pinch a nerve. Stretching the groin helped mine disappear.”

Try: A Knee To Chest Stretch

Doing a knee-to-chest stretch can help elongate the lower back and can relieve pain and reduce tension.

To perform the knee-to-chest stretch:

• Lie with your back on the floor

• Keeping both feet flat on the floor, bend your knees

• Use both hands to pull one knee in towards your chest

• Hold your knee against your chest for 5 seconds (your spine should be pressing into the floor and your abdominals should be tight and contracted)

• Return to the starting position and repeat with your opposite leg

• Repeat with each leg 2–3 times twice a day

3. Double Leg Lifts

Sure, double leg lifts are great for core strength—but not if you’re dealing with lower back pain. If your abs aren’t strong enough to support the movement, your lower back can end up doing all the work, which can lead to even more pain.

Strengthening your core is key to recovery, but this exercise is often just too intense for most people with back issues. There are plenty of safer ways to build core strength without putting that extra strain on your spine!

Try: The Bird Dog

The Bird Dog uses opposing movements of your arms and legs and that makes it one of the best ways that you can learn how to use your core muscles to support and stabilize your lower back.

An important thing to remember, when you are performing the bird dog exercise, is to make sure that your arms and legs never go higher than where your low back position dictates. You want to be careful not to overextend and reach too high.

To Perform The Bird Dog:

• Get on your hands and knees on the floor

• Squeeze your abdominal muscles by drawing them in to your belly, contracting them

• Slowly lift one leg and extend it directly behind you, while keeping your hips level

• Take your opposite arm and lift and extend it in front of you, reaching forwards

• Hold your position for 5 seconds, then repeat with the opposite leg and the opposite arm

• Repeat on each side 8 -12 times

4. Straight Leg Deadlift

Straight leg deadlifts are a powerhouse exercise, working multiple muscle groups in one go. No wonder personal trainers love them! But if you have lower back pain or a weak core, this move can do more harm than good.

Without proper form and support, your spine can round out, shifting the strain to your lower back instead of your core and glutes—exactly where you don’t want it. If you're dealing with back issues, it’s best to skip this one and opt for safer alternatives.

Try: Bridges

Bridges are a fantastic exercise for strengthening the gluteus maximus (your glutes) —the powerhouse muscle of your buttocks. Your glutes play a crucial role in stabilizing your hips, pelvis, and lower back, which makes them one of the most important muscle groups for spinal support. Weak glutes can contribute to poor posture, misalignment, and lower back pain, so strengthening them is key to long-term relief.

Bridges also engage your hamstrings and core, helping to create a strong foundation for movement. This exercise mimics the activation of muscles used in squats, but with much less strain on the lower back. By incorporating bridges into your routine, you can improve your posture, reduce discomfort, and help prevent future injuries—all while working toward stronger, more resilient muscles.

To perform a bridge:

• Lie on the ground with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.

• Press your feet into the floor, keeping your arms next to your sides.

• Slowly raise your buttocks off the ground until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.

• With your shoulders resting on the floor, squeeze and hold your glutes for 3 seconds.

• Slowly lower the buttocks to the ground and rest for a few seconds.

• Repeat this exercise 15 times and then rest for 1 minute.

• Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

5. Seated Russian Twist

Russian Twists are one of the worst exercises you can do if you have lower back pain. While they may be popular for building core strength, they put your spine in a highly vulnerable position.

Your lower back is primarily designed for forward and backward movement—bending (flexion) and extending—not for excessive twisting. In fact, twisting motions are one of the leading causes of back injuries, particularly in athletes and those who engage in repetitive rotational movements. One Reddit user says “Stop this madness :) … once your abs tire, you compensate with your lower back.”

With a seated Russian Twist, your spine is forced into excessive rotation, often while holding a weight, which increases strain on the lumbar discs. This motion, combined with the disc compression that happens when sitting, puts a huge amount of stress on the lower back.

Over time, this can contribute to disc degeneration, herniation, or even acute injuries. Research has shown that repetitive twisting movements can increase the risk of lower back pain and sciatica, especially when core stability is weak.

Try: Seated Lower Back Rotational Stretches

The seated lower back rotational stretch helps to relieve pain, while working your core muscles and strengthening your lower back.

To perform the seated lower back rotational stretch:

• Find a chair (that doesn’t have arms) or a stool and sit on it with your feet placed flat on the floor

• Slowly twist from your waist to the right, using your core. Keep your spine tall and your hips facing squarely forward

• Place your hands behind your head, or you can place your left hand on your right knee to support or deepen the stretch

• Hold this position for 10 seconds

• Repeat the exercise on the left-hand side

• Repeat on each side 3–5 times twice a day

Conclusions

The verdict from nearly every major spine society on the planet is loud and clear: movement—not mattress time—is the fastest way out of low‑back misery. The North American Spine Society puts it bluntly: “Patients who keep exercising during an acute flare tend to regain function faster than those who hit pause and stay in bed.” Translation? Your body was built to move, and the right exercises act like WD‑40 for a creaky lumbar spine.

That said, smart movement beats random reps every time. Before you jump in:

1. Get the green light from a qualified healthcare professional, especially if pain shoots down a leg, disrupts sleep, or follows an injury.

2. Start with the back‑friendly swaps you learned today—planks over sit‑ups, bird‑dogs over supermans, glute bridges over straight‑leg deadlifts.

3. Progress gradually. When in doubt, add time under tension (longer holds) before layering on extra sets, reps, or weight.

   
   

Hungry for more low‑impact ideas? Check out the Mayo Clinic’s curated list of spine‑safe moves, or explore our own video library for step‑by‑step guides. Then share your victories—and questions—in the comments. After all, every success story starts with the very first (pain‑free) rep. Ready to rewrite yours? Let’s get moving.