Muscles worked
The Superman trains your spinal erectors, the muscles along your spine that hold your upper body off the floor. Your glutes and hamstrings lift your legs, while your upper back and the back of your shoulders hold your arms up. The load is low, as you only lift your own arms and legs a short way, which makes it a good start for beginners and a light complement to heavier back exercises. Arms stretched out in front make it hardest, arms by your sides easier.
Common mistakes
- Your glutes are switched off. If your lower back alone lifts your legs, it takes everything. Squeeze your glutes first, so your hips raise your legs, and keep your knees straight.
- Rattling through fast reps. Thirty quick lifts train mostly speed. Do fewer and pause at the top each time.
- Only one end lifts. Often the legs come up while the arms sink, or the other way round. Raise both together, and lower both a little rather than letting one drop.
Variations and alternatives
- The back extension on a bench is the next step when the Superman feels easy, with more range and the option to add weight.
- The prone YTW raise is also done face down but moves the work to your upper back and shoulder blades.
- The hollow hold is its opposite, on your back with the front of your trunk braced, and the two pair well.
Sets and reps
The Superman works for reps or as a hold: 8 to 15 lifts over 2 to 3 sets with two to three seconds at the top, or 2 to 4 holds of 10 to 30 seconds. It is light enough to do several times a week, and the guide on how often to train shows how you can spread your sessions. For the basics, see the guide to sets and reps.
Make it harder in small steps: hold longer at the top, and move your arms out in front if you started with them by your sides. Once 15 reps with a three second hold feel easy, it is time for back extensions. That is progressive overload with nothing but your bodyweight. If your lower back feels painful, rather than just tired, stop and have a doctor or physiotherapist look at it.