Back lengthening works best when you stop making these 4 mistakes

Back lengthening works best when you stop making these 4 mistakes

There's a term for movement that Tim Anderson of Original Strength invented: good, better, and best. Even if a movement is performed poorly, it is still “good” because any movement is better than sitting on the couch. But the number of times I've seen lifters make back extension mistakes over the years tests Tim's ethos.

When performed correctly, the back extension exercise trains the muscles of the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings through a wide range of motion, resulting in greater strength and hypertrophy. And it's an extremely versatile exercise that can be loaded in a variety of ways for increased size and strength.

The problem is that this exercise is either neglected by far more TikTok-worthy exercises or just done sloppily. The correct form works “best” with the back extension.

Here's how to do this great exercise, what it takes, and common back extension mistakes that prevent you from getting the most out of it.

How to perform back extensions using your own body weight

1. Sichern Sie Ihre Füße auf der Rückenstreckmaschine, wobei sich Ihre Hüften über der Polsterung befinden.
2. Verschränke deine Arme vor deiner Brust.
3. Halten Sie dann Ihre Brust oben und Ihre Schultern unten und senken Sie Ihren Oberkörper langsam ab, bis Sie eine starke Dehnung in Ihren Kniesehnen spüren.
4. Achten Sie darauf, Ihren unteren Rücken nicht abzurunden.
5. Heben Sie Ihre Gesäßmuskulatur und Ihren unteren Rücken an, bis Ihr Körper mit Ihren Beinen übereinstimmt.
6. Zurücksetzen und wiederholen.

What good form requires

There isn't much to do when it comes to back extensions, and after watching a YouTube video or two, you too can get a few good reps on the back extension machine. It is an exercise that is easy to progress and regress in and is beneficial to all strength athletes. Because you can't have enough strength in your lower back and buttocks.

• Das Setup ist für diese Übung von entscheidender Bedeutung. Dieser einfache Schritt bringt einige Lifter zum Stolpern. Stellen Sie sicher, dass die Fersen gesichert sind und Ihr Becken NICHT auf dem Polster liegt.
• Neutrale Wirbelsäule im gesamten Bewegungsbereich, denn wenn Sie Ihren unteren Rücken beugen und strecken, trainieren Sie nicht die vorgesehenen Muskeln.
• Eine gewisse Beweglichkeit des Brustkorbs (oberer Rücken) ist erforderlich, um die Brust anzuheben und die Schultern abzusenken, damit Sie eine gute Hebehaltung einnehmen können.
• Gehen Sie langsam, nicht schnell. Einige Übungen sind darauf ausgelegt, schnell ausgeführt zu werden, die Rückenstreckungsübung gehört jedoch nicht dazu. Sie möchten spüren, wie die Muskeln arbeiten.

4 common back extension mistakes

Although it is a simple step, mistakes can still be made that will reduce the effectiveness of this exercise. Here are four things NOT to do during this excellent lower back and glutes exercise.

Artificial range of motion

When doing exercises that target the lower back and glutes, there is a temptation to hyperextend the lower back to gain more range of motion. This is a big no-no because if you keep doing this, your lower back will somehow tell you that this isn't working properly. If you feel this in your lower back rather than your glutes, that's a sign you're going too far.

Fix it:Complete the range of motion with the glutes by squeezing them firmly until you lock out your approach. Here's how to make sure you don't go too far.

Too much momentum

The back extension is not a 1RM exercise, but rather adds muscle building volume to the glutes and lower back. It is better to exercise in a controlled manner and feel the glutes and hamstrings rather than using momentum. Here it is better to focus on tension and not speed.

Fix it:It's easy to say that you should slow down, which you should, but performing the back extension at tempo, say three seconds eccentric and concentric with a three second glute squeeze (tempo 3033), is enough.

Know the difference between hips and back

As with the bird dog exercise, some exercisers find it difficult to tell the difference between the hip and lower back stretches. To perform this exercise well, it is important to know how to hinge the hip joint and not the lumbar spine.

Fix it:Performing at tempo is a good place to start, and the key here is to feel the stretch in the hamstrings rather than the back. It is also important to know how the hip joints work. If you're having trouble understanding the difference between hips and back, it may be necessary to go back to the basics.

Proper setup

Back extension is easier to perform with the hips resting on the pad, but is less effective. The movement for this exercise occurs at the hip joint, and if you squeeze the hips, the muscle-building benefits to the lower back and glutes are lost.

Fix it:Adjust the padding so that it rests on your quadriceps rather than your pelvis.