Supermans
What you'll gain
Strengthens the lower back and rear chain with no equipment needed.
Counteracts the weak-back posture that builds up from prolonged sitting.
Provides a beginner-friendly entry point to spinal extension work.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Lie face-down on a mat with your arms extended overhead and your legs straight behind you.
- 2
Brace your core and squeeze your glutes to set tension before lifting anything off the floor.
- 3
Lift your arms, chest, and legs off the floor at the same time, leading with the upper back.
- 4
Hold the top position for a full 1 to 2 seconds, squeezing the lower back and glutes tight.
- 5
Lower everything back to the floor slowly over 2 to 3 seconds, keeping the neck in line with the spine.
- 6
Repeat for 10 to 15 reps, prioritizing a smooth lift and squeeze over how high you go.
Common Mistakes
Cranking the head up to the ceiling, which strains the neck instead of working the back.
Using momentum to bounce the chest and legs up instead of lifting with control.
Holding the breath through the rep, which spikes blood pressure unnecessarily.
Trying to lift extremely high, which compresses the lower back instead of strengthening it.
About This Exercise
The superman is the simplest bodyweight exercise for the lower back. Lying face-down with arms extended overhead, the lifter lifts the arms, chest, and legs off the floor at the same time, holding briefly before lowering back down. The movement loads the lower back and rear chain through a small but high-tension extension. For app and content use, this clip is foundational inventory for low-back-strengthening tracks, rehab-adjacent content, beginner core programs, and warm-up flows. It's also a smart inclusion in office-worker and posture-focused programming where the lower back tends to get weak from prolonged sitting.
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A prone bodyweight extension that strengthens the lower back, glutes, and rear chain — the floor-friendly low-back exercise.
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Specifications
Built for
- Low-back-strengthening tracks in fitness apps
- Rehab-adjacent content for return-to-training programs
- Office-worker and posture-focused program content
- Warm-up flows for hinge and deadlift sessions
Muscles Worked
Details
License Includes
Abdominals Stretch Variation One
$4.99A floor-based ab stretch that rises from forearm support into a cobra-style press-up to open the front of the core.
Abdominals Stretch Variation Three
$4.99A standing one-arm overhead side bend that lengthens the obliques and opens the side of the core.
Abdominals Stretch Variation Two
$4.99A standing bilateral arm sweep to overhead that opens the front of the torso through mild spinal extension.
Bird Dog
$4.99A quadruped core drill that extends one arm and the opposite leg while the trunk resists rotation and extension.
Bodyweight Deadlift
$4.99An unloaded hip hinge that teaches the deadlift pattern — the safest way to learn how to bend, brace, and stand back up.
Bodyweight Russian Twist
$4.99A seated rotational core exercise that twists side to side — the most recognizable oblique builder in any ab program.