Aight, a lot of what goes into keeping your back musket healthy isn’t specifically using the back muscles. I spent years power lifting, and even longer doing general strength training. That still didn’t prepare me for life after a major series of back injuries.

First thing to realize is that your core contributes to a healthy back. So you can’t skip that.

Second thing is that you don’t ever exercise back muscles without stretching first. You have to work that in so that before you ever do any weight based exercise with the back, it’s limbered up and the muscles are “warm”. And that goes for body wbeight, not just lifting.

Third is that you need to adjust your back exercises and your front exercises. You don’t want to get your pecs stronger than your lats and upper back can balance, you dig? Later on, you can worry about increasing strength to different muscles like the pecs and get them bigger. But the first year or two of building your body into a healthy state, don’t go crazy with the front of your body. What happens is that you’ll be doing stuff and your back can’t support the movements properly, leading to injury.

Now, specific exercises. I like the superman a lot for early stages. You’re belly down, arms extended above your head. You then lift your legs and your upper body. Kind of like the inverse of a situp. Hold for a three count, then back down.

Rows are great for the upper back. Bent over rows in specific. Start with low weights. Anything like a can of food is good for beginners.

Side planks are bomb. They also help with keeping things balanced as you aren’t only engaging back muscles. Regular planks are a solid pick as well.

Overhead lifts with light weight, like a can of food. It focuses more on the trapezius, but it’ll also work out everything connected to the shoulders to some degree.

Add in some squats, without weight, to connect it all to your base, and you’ve got it all balanced with “leg day” as well as core day.

Remember, the key to preventing back pain and injury is warming up. Doesn’t matter if you’re doing body weight, power lifts, intensive yoga, martial arts, whatever. You want the back loose and with the blood flowing before you start adding in anything that makes the muscles work hard.