Back Hyperextensions are a fantastic exercise for working your posterior chain. Despite the name, you don’t actually hyperextend your back during this exercise, but instead merely go into a more extended position than your normal neutral posture. But why is this beneficial?

They Strengthen the Low Back, Hamstrings, and Glutes – for those that don’t feel confident using a barbell for exercises like deadlifts, the back extension is a great exercise variation to load the posterior chain.

They Get Out of Neutral – in a society rife with sedentary behaviour, daily movement is often lacking, limiting the range of motion we move through during the day, which is correlated to reductions in range of motion and likely strength in the specific bodily regions. The hyperextension is great for working the low back through an extended movement pattern, increasing the capacity of the lower back so that it is more robust to deal with high loads and movements outside of neutral when it inevitably encounters them in day-to-day life and sport.

 Can be Performed on a Variety of Equipment – the back extension can be easily performed on a variety of pieces of equipment, for example, the Hyperextension bench, Roman Chair and the GHD Machine, thus making them easy to perform in most gym set ups.

How to Use a Hyperextension Bench

This bench secures you with your heel against the footplate, freeing your knees up to move during the exercise. This reduces the stretch on the hamstrings and makes it a good variation for those new to loading the hamstrings at long muscle lengths or for people with tight hamstrings.

• Place your feet on the footplate, with your heels up against the back lip, laying face down into the support pad, adjusted to just below hip height.

• Lower your chest towards the floor until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings.

• Drive your heels into the footplate, reversing the movement and then attempting to ‘show your chest to the sky’ to put the back into extension.

• Hold briefly before going into the next rep.

How to Use a Roman Chair

The leg pad secures the lower body in a straight position, thus stretching the hamstrings much more than the previous exercise. This makes it a more hamstring intense exercise and thus can be a great progression.

• Secure yourself with your calves against the leg pad, lying face down into the support pad, adjusted to just below hip height, locking your legs.

• Lower your chest to the floor until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings.

• Drive your calves into the leg pad, reversing the movement and then attempting to ‘show your chest to the sky’ to put the back into extension.

• Hold briefly before going into the next rep.

How to Use a GHD Machine

The GHD machine puts you horizontal to the floor, instead of at a diagonal. This increases the lever arm at the top of the exercise, thus making it even more difficult at the top.

• Secure your feet under the foot pads, up against the footplate, lying face down into the support pad, adjusted to just below hip height.

• Lower your chest to the floor until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings.

• Drive your legs into the foot pad, reversing the movement and squeezing the glutes and getting the chest as high as possible to put the back into extension.

• Hold briefly before going into the next rep.

Add hyperextensions onto your next training session for a strong and robust lower back. Remember, whichever kit you use, you can be continually progress by adding extra resistance, using equipment like dumbbells, kettlebells, plates or resistance bands…

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Tags: Equipment > Benches ; Exercise Type > Strength