While the bones and soft tissues of your back are some of the strongest in your body, push-ups are a body-weight exercise that can cause lower back pain if you use the incorrect form or have weak core muscles.

Here are three reasons you might experience back pain when performing push-ups — plus how to fix it.

1. You're Using Incorrect Form

One way you can develop lower back pain from doing push-ups is by using improper form. More specifically, you may be letting your hips sag when lowering yourself down to the ground, which puts pressure on your spine and can cause lower back pain to flare up.

To prevent sagging hips during the down phase of a push-up, keep your abs and quads engaged as you lower yourself to the floor.

How to do a push-up with correct form

1. Position yourself on your hands and knees, with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
2. Step back with your feet and straighten your legs so that you're balanced on your palms and toes.
3. Check your body and hand position. Your body should make a straight line from head to hips to heels, and your hands should be directly under your shoulders or slightly wider apart.
4. Bend your elbows at a 45-degree angle to your body and lower your body to the floor.
5. Ensure your body remains in a straight line from the neck through the spine to the hips and down to the heels.
6. Press into your palms and push the floor away from you to return to a high plank, keeping your body in a single, straight line.

Tip

Doing knee push-ups or incline push-ups will put less pressure on your back.

2. You Need to Improve Your Core Strength

Core Exercises to Improve Strength and Prevent Back Pain

Add the following moves to your exercise routine to strengthen your core.

‌1. Plank‌

1. Lie face down with your forearms on the floor and your elbows directly beneath your shoulders. Keep your feet flexed with the bottoms of your toes on the floor, and keep your feet and legs together. Use a mat or towel if this is more comfortable.
2. Press into your forearms and rise up on your toes so that only your forearms and toes touch the floor. Your body should hover a few inches off the floor in a straight line from shoulders to feet.
3. Draw your navel toward your spine and tighten your glutes.
4. Look at the floor to keep your head in a neutral alignment, and breathe steadily and evenly.
5. Hold for at least up to 30 seconds before lowering yourself to the floor.

This is one set. Repeat this two or three times.

‌2. Side Plank‌

1. Lie on your right side with your feet stacked and your right elbow under your right shoulder, forearm along the floor.
2. Press through your right forearm and lift your body up so that you're balancing on your right forearm and foot. Keep your knees, shoulders, and hips in a straight line. Tighten your abdominal muscles for support.
3. Put your left hand on your hip or extend it toward the ceiling. To increase the difficulty, perform the motion while balancing on your right palm instead of your forearm.
4. Hold for at least 10 seconds or at least three deep breaths before lowering yourself to the floor.
5. Repeat on the other side.

‌3. Bird Dog‌

1. Get on your hands and knees with your hands directly in line with your shoulder and knees in line with your hips. Engage your abdominal muscles.
2. Look down at the floor and brace your core (tucking your tailbone just slightly) to create a straight line from the tip of your head to your tailbone. Avoid letting your back sag or arching it too much.
3. On an exhale, reach your left arm straight out in front of you until your upper arm is in line with your ear. Simultaneously, reach your right leg straight behind you, fully extending your knee. They should be as close to parallel with the floor as you can get.
4. Pause here for a moment.
5. Reverse the motion and return to the starting position.
6. Switch sides, reaching your right arm forward and raising your left leg back.
7. Pause and then go back to the starting position.

‌4. Dead Bug‌

1. Lie flat on your back with both arms stretched out on the floor behind you and your legs extended in front of you. Keep your lower back in contact with the floor throughout the entire exercise.

2. Lift your right leg toward you until your knee reaches a 90-degree bend. At the same time, keeping our left arm straight, lift it forward until it's pointing toward the ceiling.
3. Slowly and with control, extend your right arm and left leg away from each other.
4. Lower your limbs as far as you can while keeping your lower back on the ground. Fight the impulse to arch your back by tightening your abs and pressing your belly button down to anchor your lower back to the floor.
5. Exhale as you return your right arm and left leg to the starting position with the same slow, controlled movement.
6. Repeat with your left arm and right leg, then return to the center again. This counts as one rep.

‌5. Glute Bridge‌

1. Lie on your back with your arms resting by your sides, knees bent, and feet flat on the ground hip-width apart. Your feet should be close enough to your hips that if you reach one hand at a time toward each heel, you can just touch it with your fingertips.

2. Relax your arms alongside your body. Think of your shoulders being "glued" to the floor to help keep your spine neutral.
3. Squeeze your glutes and core, and press your heels into the ground to drive your hips up toward the ceiling, forming a diagonal line from your knees to hips to chest. Resist the urge to arch your lower back as you raise your hips. Focus on maintaining a neutral position for your spine throughout.
4. Hold this position for a few seconds while engaging your glutes. ‌To add difficulty, you can alternate bringing each knee off the ground for several seconds during this step, then lowering it with your foot flat on the floor before raising the other.
5. Slowly lower your hips back down to the ground and reset in the starting position for a second before lifting back up.

3. You're Doing Back-Intensive Push-Up Variations

You may experience lower back pain with more challenging push-up variations that increase activation in this area.

If you've noticed back pain during or after performing these variations, take a break from them and chat with a personal trainer or physical therapist to narrow down the cause of your lower back pain.

The Takeaway

• Push-ups can lead to lower back pain if you're using incorrect form, have a weak core, or are trying certain push-up variations that increase pressure on the lower back.
• Working on your core with exercises such as planks, side planks, dead bugs, and glute bridges may help to stabilize your lower back during push-ups by improving core strength.
• If you have an existing lower back problem or start to find push-ups painful, speak with a healthcare professional about using them in your workouts. They may be able to suggest alternatives or more comfortable modifications.