Put your back into it

We generally don't think too much about our lower back until it suddenly starts to hurt. When it comes to areas of the body that we tend to focus on in the gym, very seldom are we psyched about the killer lower back workout we just finished. But, if your goal is to build a healthy and fit body, you're doing yourself a disservice -- and potentially risking injury -- by neglecting to target this area, too.

The lower back is an important stabilizing muscle group, which is called upon during many other exercises (not to mention simply keeping you standing upright). Still, to prevent a muscular imbalance, try implementing at least one of the following exercises (clicking on each will bring you to a video demonstration that I managed to track down) into your resistance training workouts:

• Good Mornings
• Seated Row
• Hyperextensions
• Supermans
• Deadlifts

One word of caution: Use extra care when performing lower back exercises. As you may have found out in the past while lifting a heavy box or piece of furniture, if you do not use proper form, it may result in injury.