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Back Extension
How to do the Back Extension with good form: step-by-step technique, the muscles it works (lower back), coaching cues and the mistakes to avoid.
Muscles worked
- Primary
- Lower back
- Secondary
- Glutes, Hamstrings
How to do it
- Position yourself on the back extension apparatus so the pad rests just below your hip crease.
- Secure your ankles under the rear roller pads and cross your arms over your chest.
- Begin with your body in a straight line from your head to your heels.
- Lower your torso by hinging strictly at the hips, keeping your spine in a neutral alignment.
- Continue lowering until you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings, usually near a 90-degree bend.
- Contract your glutes and lower back to raise your torso back to the starting straight-line position.
Coaching cues
- Hinge at the hips, don't round the spine
- Squeeze the glutes to rise
- Stop at a straight line, do not hyperextend
Common mistakes
- Hyper-extending the spine backward past a straight line at the top
- Rounding the upper and mid-back to get deeper
- Using momentum to swing up rapidly
Equipment and setup
45-degree back extension bench
Adjust the hip pad so it sits just below the hip crease, allowing free pelvic tilt.
Also known as: Hyperextension
Track your Back Extension in ROAN
ROAN fills in last session’s weight and reps, estimates your 1RM and keeps your best sets.
