Exercise Profile
- Target Muscle Group
- Exercise TypeStrength
- Equipment RequiredBodyweight
- MechanicsIsolation
- Force TypeHinge (Bilateral)
- Experience LevelBeginner
- Secondary Muscles
Glutes
Target Muscle Group
Lower Back
Superman Overview
The superman is an exercise used to isolate the muscles of the lower back.
One can risk injury through over extending the spine with this exercise.
There are better ways to target your back (indirectly) to strengthen your lower back and build lean muscle mass.
Superman Instructions
- Set up in a prone position with your hands by your side (or behind your back) and your feet together.
- Extend your lower back by contracting your spinal erectors.
- Slowly lower back to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Superman Tips
- Make sure to keep some tension through your abs and glutes as you complete the movement. If you feeling a pressure or pinching sensation within one spinal vertebrae directly then you are dealing with an issue of segmental extension (usually at your thoracolumbar junction: T12-L1) versus global extension.
- This movement is fairly outdated and there are much better options given the high level of compression that is generated within the spine itself during the course of the movement.
4 Comments
If this move is "fairly outdated" what's a better move to do instead that's more up-to-date?
Where did you see this was fairly outdated?
I'm quoting the article itself, located at the end. Heres what the author wrote
Superman Tips
2. This movement is fairly outdated and there are much better options given the high level of compression that is generated within the spine itself during the course of the movement.
Yeah, I saw it after I replied. Apologies.
I actually don't think it's outdated at all. I've used it for years and found it helps with back and lower body training. I don't know who wrote this description, but I disagree with it.
Nonetheless, if you want to try something different, you can do hyperextensions on an exercise bal or reverse hypers. If you're training at a gym and they have a low back machine, that would work as well.