How to Stretch Your Back at the Gym

Pushing yourself a bit at the gym can help you reach your weight-loss and muscle-toning goals, but you can also end up with sore muscles. Likewise, hunching over the computer or carrying the kids around can affect your posture and cause back aches. Stretching your back muscles regularly will relieve muscle soreness from exercise or everyday activities while also improving your posture.

Even though stretching is a gentle form of exercise, you still need to prepare your body before you start doing back-stretching exercises at the gym. If you're not planning to perform cardio or weight training beforehand, warm up with a five- to 10-minute walk before you begin your stretching routine or class. If you've already done your cardio or weight routine, your body is warmed up and ready to move directly into your back stretches.

The variety of gym equipment and classes offered at the gym help you avoid exercise boredom, while giving you the opportunity to try different exercises you might not be able to do at home. Yoga and tai chi classes are effective health club classes to take that are devoted to stretching. Additionally, gyms often have equipment available that's specifically for stretching, such as the seated lever back stretch and the fixed bar back stretch, which can be done with a heavy weight machine or total-body stretching apparatus. You can also use a stability ball at the gym to do walkouts and reverse extensions.

Do stretching exercises two to three times weekly to reap the benefits. Even 15 to 20 minutes each session will help relieve back soreness, improve flexibility and posture and help you maintain a full range of motion. You should plan to see your doctor first before you start any new stretching exercises. Once you get started, always ease into a stretch, holding the position without bouncing. While it's beneficial to use gentle stretches to relieve sore back muscles from exercise or everyday activities, do not try to stretch when you suffer from severe or acute back pain. Instead, stop exercising and see your doctor.