how important are they besides preventin injury? do you focus on the upper back more or the lower back? what are some good exercies if they are really important?

they are important, do pullups

Stand next to a wall make a X with your arms infront of you (add weight if you want) and then bend over and stand back straight and keep doing it.

they are important, do pullups

wide grip? narrow grip?

wide grip? narrow grip?

Wide grip and yea backs are really important, deadlifts help alot to.

Plank, wheel rollouts, supermans are all great for lower back.

Pullups shouldn't be done more than medium wide. A few inches wider than your shoulders. Wider than that will increase injury potential, and for a boxer doing them wide has no point, as you want to be able to pull back narrowly, like when you pull a punch back in.

Plank, wheel rollouts, supermans are all great for lower back.

Actually those are ab exercises.

supermans? your lieing on your stomach and contracting your lower back. The other two use both abs and lower back (aka core).

Pullups shouldn't be done more than medium wide. A few inches wider than your shoulders. Wider than that will increase injury potential, and for a boxer doing them wide has no point, as you want to be able to pull back narrowly, like when you pull a punch back in.

what's the difference between a medium grip and narrow one? would the narrow grip be more specific in trainin for boxin?

are one arm rows good as well?

supermans? your lieing on your stomach and contracting your lower back. The other two use both abs and lower back (aka core).

The first two are for abs. In the position you're in, in those exercises, what happens if you relax? your spine extends. Your lower back does the same thing; extends the spine, therefore using your back muscles would mean you end up on the floor. Your abs on the other hand, will flex the spine, which is the opposite, and this is exactly what you need, to stay in position in those exercises. Therefore; ab exercises.

what's the difference between a medium grip and narrow one? would the narrow grip be more specific in trainin for boxin?

are one arm rows good as well?

Not much, really. Narrow grip is a little easier, which means you can do more reps. Someone who is weak in the exercise might start out with narrow ones, since he'd be able to do more work there, and then work his way out, as he gets stronger.

One arm rows are excellent. It is closer to pulling back a punch, and there's quite a bit of core stability work in it as well, since it is unilateral. I use both excersises a lot with my fighters.

Keeping your hamstring muscles on the back of your legs loose and flexible helps prevent back injuries. For me it is essential to stretch these muscles daily or I can easily hurt my lower back.
I also do deadlifts, bent over rows, and pull-ups once a week.

Pullups shouldn't be done more than medium wide. A few inches wider than your shoulders. Wider than that will increase injury potential, and for a boxer doing them wide has no point, as you want to be able to pull back narrowly, like when you pull a punch back in.

Well you don't do strength exercises to simulate your actions in the ring. You do it to get stronger.

Keeping your hamstring muscles on the back of your legs loose and flexible helps prevent back injuries. For me it is essential to stretch these muscles daily or I can easily hurt my lower back.
I also do deadlifts, bent over rows, and pull-ups once a week.

First of all, I've never heard of anyone getting back injuries from tight hamstrings, but I could have missed something...

Second, that doesn't mean you have to stretch them every day.

Third, if you're able to do ATG squats, and lunges with good ROM, then I' say you're good to go.

Fourth, I'm assuming you don't do your stretching in preparation for deadlifting etc.?

First of all, I've never heard of anyone getting back injuries from tight hamstrings, but I could have missed something...

Second, that doesn't mean you have to stretch them every day.

Third, if you're able to do ATG squats, and lunges with good ROM, then I' say you're good to go.

Fourth, I'm assuming you don't do your stretching in preparation for deadlifting etc.?

1. A small spinal defect in my back caused me many troubles when I boxed as a teenager, to the point that I could hardly walk. I found that stretching my hamstrings takes strain and pressure off my lower back, and it has been essential for me. I have heard this helps others with lower back problems too.I would say this would probably help most people with lower back problems.

2. Well I stretch them before boxing training, and before doing leg work so probably 4 o 5 times a week anyway. I hardly get back problems now.

3. Squats and lunges dont effect my back so much because it is a controlled movement.

4. I do Deadlifts same day I do squats etc so I do stretch my hams (touch my toes and hold for about 10 seconds x 3). Is this bad?
Deads I need to do with care and back off if I feel the slightest twinge, but in general they have helped greatly in preventing back problems for me.

1. A lot of the lower back problems I've encountered stem from one of two things: 1. Imbalance between core muscle groups - either abs or lower back is dominant over the other - bring the lagging side up to par, problem fixed. 2. Spinal problems or nerve impingement. Both would require professional help, and no amount of stretching will help. If this is what you have, I'd bet that real treatment would be a lot better for you, and quite possibly the fix I mentioned in 1 would be better as well.

2. I'd still have it looked at if I were you (I interpret the hardly as a sign you do still have problems, albeit less than before?)

3. I wasn't talking about whether you could do them or not, I was saying that doing them will result in increased hip/ham mobility. :)

4. Yes, I think stretching before lifting is outright bad, and your condition makes it an even worse idea.

1. A lot of the lower back problems I've encountered stem from one of two things: 1. Imbalance between core muscle groups - either abs or lower back is dominant over the other - bring the lagging side up to par, problem fixed. 2. Spinal problems or nerve impingement. Both would require professional help, and no amount of stretching will help. If this is what you have, I'd bet that real treatment would be a lot better for you, and quite possibly the fix I mentioned in 1 would be better as well.

2. I'd still have it looked at if I were you (I interpret the hardly as a sign you do still have problems, albeit less than before?)

3. I wasn't talking about whether you could do them or not, I was saying that doing them will result in increased hip/ham mobility. :)

4. Yes, I think stretching before lifting is outright bad, and your condition makes it an even worse idea.

Thanks for the reply, I dont have a ´condition´with my back (my knee, yes!!!) Sometimes I get lower back pain, but like I said stretching and weights help. If I dont stretch my hams properly I get back probs, if I do stretch I dont get problems, this is something I have known for many years and works for me anyway so I am not gonna change it!.
Also when I had the probs as a teen, I saw various doctors, including sports doctor to the instute of sport, had x-rays and physio!

About the stretching, I heard too much stretching is bad but I didnt know that you should do no stretching before weights. Can you start a stretching thread to let us know more? thanks

thanks fellas