SupermanMuscles Worked
The superman works your lower back as you lift your chest and legs off the floor, with your glutes and hamstrings helping raise your legs. It needs no equipment, and the short hold at the top trains your back muscles to work for time rather than through a big range.
PrimaryLower Back
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Beginner
- Type
- Compound
- Force
- Static hold
How to do it
- Lie face down on a mat with your legs straight and your arms reaching forward past your head.
- Rest your forehead lightly on the mat or keep your gaze down so your neck stays long.
- Squeeze your glutes and lift your arms, chest and legs a few inches off the floor at the same time.
- Hold the top position for a breath or two, keeping your neck in line rather than looking up.
- Lower everything back down slowly, relax for a moment, and repeat.
Form tips
- Lift only as high as you can with a relaxed neck, since the height should come from your back and glutes, not from craning your head.
- Think long rather than high, reaching your hands and feet away from each other.
- If lifting everything at once is too much, start by raising the opposite arm and leg together.
Why it made the list
No. 4 of 10
Best Lower Back Exercises
Zero equipment bodyweight erector spinae exercise. Good for home workouts and beginners. Universally prescribed by physios and trainers.
More lower back exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Superman sets in KasMaker and watch your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
