Hyperextensions (Back Extensions)
Also works: Glutes · Hamstrings
A hinge performed face-down on a 45-degree or horizontal back extension bench, with the thighs on the pad and the ankles under the rollers. The spinal erectors, glutes and hamstrings work isometrically or through a short arc to raise the torso back to a straight line — and the name is misleading, because the rep should finish level, not arched.
Own the movement
Set up first, then execute. Every cue below is something you can check on your next set.
Before the first rep
- Set the hip pad so its top edge sits just below your hip bones — high enough to support you, low enough that you can fold at the hip without the pad digging in.
- Wedge the heels firmly under the ankle rollers and press the toes down; loose feet make the whole set wobble.
- Cross the arms over the chest to start. Hands behind the head adds leverage, a plate on the chest adds more.
- Set the body in one straight line from heels to head before the first rep, then hold that line.
- Take a breath and brace the abs — the trunk is meant to be rigid, not to bend segment by segment.
Every rep
Breathing & tempo — Inhale on the way down, exhale as you rise. Three seconds down, a one-second hold at the straight-line top, one to two seconds up.
Sets, reps & load
Where to start, and what to change when it stops being hard.
Start with bodyweight and arms crossed. Once you can do 15 controlled reps with a one-second hold at the top, move the hands behind your head, then add a 5 kg plate held against the chest and build in 2.5 kg steps. Adding a second of pause at the straight-line position is usually a better progression than the next plate.
What goes wrong
The errors that show up most often, and the cue that fixes each one.
Finish every rep in a straight line from heels to head and hold it for a full second. If momentum is needed to get there, drop the plate and slow the descent to three seconds.
Hinge at the hips with a flat back and stop where the flat back stops. A shorter clean range under load builds more than a long range that turns into a spinal flexion drill.
Drop the pad until its top edge is just below the hip bones. You should be able to fold forward freely without the pad compressing your abdomen or your breathing.
Cap the load where you can hit 12 controlled full-range reps and use tempo instead — three seconds down, a one-second hold at the top. The erectors respond to time under tension far better than to heavy partials.
Why bother
It is the only common movement that loads the spinal erectors with the hips fixed. A deadlift trains them too, but only as much as the rest of the chain allows; here the erectors, glutes and hamstrings are the whole exercise, and you can accumulate 40-50 hard reps a week without adding meaningful fatigue to your squat or pull.
Where you place the hip pad decides the exercise. Set so the pad sits just below the hip crease, the pelvis is free to rotate and the movement is a hip hinge that emphasises hamstrings and glutes. Set higher, so the pad crosses the hips themselves, the pelvis is pinned and the lumbar erectors have to do the lifting. Both are useful; know which one you have set up.
Where it fits
After the heavy work on a lower-body or pulling day, 3-4 sets of 10-15. It is also one of the better things to do in the weeks after a back tweak, because you control the load in 1.25 kg increments and can stop the range wherever it stays comfortable. Two sessions a week is plenty.
If this one isn't it
No kit, too hard, or too easy — here's where to go instead.
Same job, different kit
Start here instead
When this gets easy
Asked and answered
Should I actually hyperextend at the top?
No, despite the name. Stop when your body forms a straight line from heels to head. Arching past that point stacks compressive load onto the lumbar facet joints and adds nothing for the erectors, which are already fully shortened at level. If you finish each rep with a hard glute squeeze, you will naturally stop in the right place.
How do I make this hit hamstrings instead of lower back?
Drop the hip pad so it sits below your hip crease, keep the spine rigid, and treat the whole movement as a hip hinge — push the hips back rather than bending the torso down. Straighter legs increase the hamstring stretch further. To bias the erectors instead, raise the pad so the pelvis is pinned and let the movement happen through the lower back.
Is this safe if my lower back is already sore?
Usually yes, and it is often the best thing available. Use bodyweight, a short range that stays comfortable, and slow tempo. Loaded spinal work generally makes cranky backs better rather than worse, provided you do not chase range or load. Sharp or radiating pain down a leg is different — that needs assessment, not more reps.
Do I still need this if I deadlift?
It is not mandatory, but it is cheap. Deadlifts train the erectors as part of a whole-body effort, capped by grip and by systemic fatigue; back extensions let you give the erectors and glutes another 40 hard reps a week for almost no recovery cost. Lifters with a weak lockout in particular get more out of this than out of more deadlift volume.