Building up your back muscles is essential to developing a strong core. A lot of people will focus primarily on their abs to build core strength, but your back muscles need to develop as well.
Extensions are an exercise that is superb for building up your back muscles and giving you a strong core. How to do back extensions at home? You can do them with or without exercise equipment, there are a few different kinds of back extensions you can do, depending on what kind of equipment you have available.
You do need to be careful about how you do this exercise. Knowing how to do back extensions and having the right form and method as you do it will keep you from getting hurt with this exercise. Like any kind of exercise, there is a risk of injury if you’re doing it improperly and if you don’t know the right form or you’re moving too fast.
One of the biggest mistakes people make with back extensions is that they use jerky movements. This can cause muscle damage, if you’re not careful.
We’re going to show you how to do back extensions properly and share a few different ways you can do them at home. You might want to know different exercises to build up your core and not just focus on your abs, but you also need to know how to do the exercises in the best way so that they’ll be effective and so that you don’t injure yourself.
How to Do Back Extensions Correctly
We want to share with you a few tips about the correct way to do back extensions. No matter which kind of back extension you’re doing, whether unaided or on a machine, you should do them very slowly and make sure you have complete control over your form and movement at all times. Try not to jerk in any direction, as this is most likely way you will injure yourself.
You want to be careful about how far you arch your back. Try not to go as far back as possible, since that can strain your lower back and lead to injury. Back extensions or something that may not be safe for everybody, particularly those who have shoulder or back problems.
Now, we want to tell you how to do back extensions without a machine. This is an exercise you can do with or without a machine, and it will be a little different based on what kind of equipment you have available to you. So, if you don’t have a bench or you can’t get to a gym, it is possible to do back extensions while lying on the floor.
You will be working against gravity as you do these exercises, engaging the muscles of your hips, shoulders, butt, and lower back. Make sure there’s enough space on the floor for you to do this, and you can use a mat to lie down on while you work out.
It is good to start with the base back extension rather than trying some variation that may be more complicated or difficult. The more complex ones may be something you can try after you get down the basic back extension. This also puts very little pressure on your lower back, so it’s definitely the safest kind of back extension to do.
Start by lying down on the mat with your stomach touching the floor. Make sure your legs are laying straight out behind you. Your elbow should be resting on the ground and your shoulders should be relaxed and down.
From that position, you can lift your upper back, forcing your hips down toward the mat. Try to keep your head and neck at a neutral position and hold that pose for half a minute. Then, return to the starting position. You can do three to five sets of back extensions at once before taking a break. Don’t overdo it, and definitely stop when you feel sharp pain. You may need to reassess your form and method to make sure you’re doing it properly.
You can get an even deeper stretch from this exercise if you place your hands underneath your shoulders and touch the floor. Another variation would be to put your hands up against your body, as this makes you work harder to do the exercise.
Now you know how to do lower back extensions, and we want to share with you a powerful variation that can help burn extra calories and strengthen your lower back even faster.
How to do Superman Back Extensions
If you’re ready to move onto something with a little more challenge, you can try what’s called the Superman back extension.
Start by lying down on the mat in the same position as before, with your stomach touching the floor and your legs straight behind you. Make sure your neck is lined up with your spine and keep it relaxed. Your arms should be laying straight ahead.
Using your glutes and your core strength, lift your arms about an inch or two off the floor. Raise your chest as well and lift your legs about an inch or two off the floor at the same time. Pause in that pose for about five seconds, and then lower your limbs back to the floor slowly. It can help to look down at the mat to keep your neck relaxed.
This is an exercise that can be tough to do at first, but as you get used to it, you can keep it challenging for yourself. You can try to hold the pose for longer, like 10 seconds. You’ll get more out of it this way. Try to lift your legs and your arms even higher, but don’t hurt yourself trying to do so. Only go as high as you are comfortable with.
How to Do Hyper Back Extensions without a Machine
Hyperextensions are just another name for back extensions. These can go by a lot of names, and there are ways to do them without using an exercise machine. At the gym, you can use what’s called a back extension machine to pull them off pretty easily. Not everybody has access to a gym or will have a back extension machine at home.
We showed you how to do back extensions exercise without having to use a machine at all. There are other ways to do them as well, and if you have a bench handy, you can try a variation on what we’ve already given you.
You will go in to similar pose on the bench as you would on the mat. Rest your chest on the bench and allow your head and neck to hang off the end of the bench. You can let your arms hang down off the side of the bench as well. Depending on your size, you may have trouble keeping your legs on the bench and staying balanced on it. You can let your legs hang to either side of the bench and squeeze them together to keep you on it while you do this move. This can help you retain your balance and prevent you from slipping off the bench.
Now that you have your position, you can simply do the back extension on the bench the same way as you would do it on the floor. Lift your head and neck up as well as your chest until your chest is off the bench by an inch or two. Hold that position for a few seconds, and then come back down slowly to your starting position, resting your chest on the bench. Do this a few more times for full set.
You can make this exercise more impactful for you by holding the post for longer or lifting yourself higher off the bench. As you get used to it, you can do more reps each time.
