Strengthening back muscles
 

Can any one recommend ways to improve back muscles. Preferable with as little equipment as possible. (No access to a gym)

Pushups work on the upperback, a bit.

But lower back? Damned if I know. I want help too.

lawn-mower pulls are nice if you have access to some dumbells. chin ups and pulls ups with varying grip widths are killer for a cut up back and can even put on a good amount of size if you throw in a few sets of negatives. so i guess if you have some dumbells and a pull up bar, you have everything you need for some excellent back workouts.

On the lower back...

Take a broomstick, place it behind your neck over your shoulders
take a decent stance, bend your knees some
and rotate your torso back and forth. (like a washing machine)
This will get your obliques, love handles and lower back.

You can take a light weight and SLOWLY lower it down & lift up again,
be very careful to protect your back.

Easy lower back exercise:

Lay on your stomach on the floor, cross your ankles. put your hands behind your head and lift your chest up off ground, while keeping your toes on the ground.

Don't do too many at first (esp if you have a weak back).

Also,
Can be modified to work your obliques(that muscle sitting under your love handles) by laying on your side and doing the same thing.

get on your hands and knees. lift the right hand and left knee off the ground, and hold them there for 10 seconds. keep them hovering just about an inch off of the ground. then switch to your left hand and right knee.

thanks for all the input.

Weighted pull-ups, done correctly, are the king of all back exercises. The most important thing about a pull-up though is your form. Don't use a swining motion and try to keep your legs crossed, behind you. keep your arms rought shoulder length apart and do the exercise in a smooth, fluid motion.

For a great lower back exercise I'd suggest deadlifts, but make sure you research them properly as performing them with bad form WILL seriously injure your lower back.

http://www.menshealth.co.uk/fitness/index.html

worth a look

I found a great site for information on back pain due to inadequate muscular support. It lists some exercises, no equipment necessary, but they may be too easy. Give them a try:

http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/health-.../strength.html