Back muscles are grouped into three categories. Superficial (extrinsic) back muscles help you move your shoulders, intermediate back muscles help you breathe, and intrinsic (deep) back muscles ...

"Deep core muscles are crucial for maintaining spinal stability, supporting posture, and enabling efficient movement," notes Rowan Clift, training and nutrition specialist at AI-based fitness and ...

When people complain of lower back pain, this large, deep back muscle is often part of the problem. Certain twisting stretches can also get into the piriformis muscle, Spano adds, which can ...

This deep muscle attaches to the thoracolumbar fascia, a sheet of connective tissue spanning the lower back region. Through this connection, the TVA directly influences spinal stability.

When your deep core is adequately supporting your spine, you can protect against back strain and focus on working the muscles you actually want to train, Dr. Ennis explains.

The active muscle engagement required to maintain the squat position also strengthens your deep spinal stabilizers – the small muscles that support proper vertebral alignment.

These deep core exercises benefit everyone, even if back pain is not a concern. You’ll learn many lumbar stabilization exercises in movement modalities such as Pilates or physical therapy.