How to Do a Weighted back Hyperextension
Extension exercises are good to do to keep the back muscles strong and free from injury. It is always best to do extension exercise without weight at first in order to learn proper form. Once the exercises get easier then you can start to add weight slowly. While back extension exercises are good to do you can easily overdo it. Start slowly with just one set of each exercise and then if you feel ok the next couple of days, try to do more. If you feel your back getting sore stay with just one set until you become stronger. You can do these exercises on a bench in the gym or on a physioball.
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Things You'll Need
- A back hyper extension bench or roman chair. Most gyms have these benches.
- You can also use a small physioball.
- A dumbbell or plate weight
Instructions
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On a bench
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Place a weight on the floor near the front of the bench. You can use a dumbbell or a flat weight that goes on a bar.
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Lay on the bench on your stomach. Position yourself so that your hip bones are on the bench and your stomach and chest are off the bench. Hook you feet so that the foot pad is over your heels. Reach down and grab the weight. Hold the weight against your chest. Do not let the weight hang as this will put too much stress on the back.
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Tighten your abdominal muscles to support your back. Bend forward from the hips and bring your head towards the floor. The further you lower down the more challenging this exercise is, so if you are dealing with back issues make the movement small at first.
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Lift back up. You can either lift to a neutral position where your head is at the same height as your hips, or you can come up higher and arch the back slightly. Again if you have back issues stop in the neutral position.
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Work up to three sets of eight to twelve repetitions.
On a physioball
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This exercise works best with a smaller size physioballs. Place the ball near a wall. Have a weight near the front of the ball.
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Press your feet up against the wall to stabilize yourself. Keep your knees on the floor. Lay over the ball on your hips. Make sure your stomach and chest extend out past the ball.
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A common mistake is to lay on the ball with the stomach, but this will restrict your motion. The ball should be directly under your hip bones.
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Tighten the abdominal muscles and follow the same instructions as above. To advance this exercise you can straighten the legs and keep the knees off the floor.
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Repeat for three sets of eight to twelve repetitions.
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Tips & Warnings
Go slowly and gently if you have any back issues or injuries.
Check with your health care provider if you are rehabilitating from a back injury or surgery.
Stop any exercise that increases your symptoms.
