The Superman exercise is a great bodyweight exercise to prevent lower back injuries, improve your posture, and develop a better connection between your mind and your back and glute muscles. When it comes to exercises that can be done almost anywhere that target often neglected muscle groups such as those in the lower back, the superman exercise lives up to its name to save the day.
5 Superman exercise alternatives
Here we show you the best Superman exercise alternatives to further develop your butt and back. If the original exercise causes any pain or discomfort or if you are looking for a variety of exercises to build hip and lower back strength for other athletic movements, substitute the following movements.
Inverted Hip Extension in Fitball
This first variation is one of the most optimal options if you lack mobility or suffer from pain in your shoulder. It places a lot of emphasis on the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. The stability ball elevates the movement (literally) and can help you correct the hooks in your technique, especially too much movement of the lower back; hyperextension could cause pinching that should be avoided. It is difficult to hide the technical errors of a stability ball.
Take a weight bench and place a stability ball on it. The ball should be small enough that when you lie on it, you can grab a bench. While maintaining balance, lift your feet off the ground and, while keeping your legs straight, lift your heels until your body hits parallel to the bench and lowers your back down.
Try not to let your toes touch the ground between reps. The burn should be palpable in the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings toward the top of the rep.
Inverted chinese iron
The reverse Chinese table takes post training to the next level. It is an advanced isometric exercise for the entire posterior chain, especially for the glutes and lower back muscles. Using only your upper back and heels for support, you are fully on your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings to keep you from hitting the floor.
Using two weight boxes or benches, place one under your shoulders and the other under your heels while lying supine. From when your mid back is down until your heel touches the bench you will not have any support. The goal is to maintain a plank position parallel to the ground by hooking up your rear chain.
When you're ready to increase resistance, hold a weight plate or dumbbell near your hips (it's best to have someone help you load it). You should instantly feel the need to activate your glutes more to maintain the plank.
Back extensions
The back extensions are performed from a 45 or 90 degree angle, train the same muscles (from a different angle) as the superman and are an equally effective exercise for strength and muscle development in the lower back and glutes .
Unlike the standard superman, this one can be loaded with plates, barbells, dumbbells, or resistance bands. When you do this exercise, test each type of resistance source so you can feel each one. Your technique should stay the same regardless of which one you use, but there are noticeable differences in practice.
Good morning with bar
Barbell Good Morning is a useful alternative for those who are more comfortable using a barbell and are focused on improving your squat or deadlift.
The bar puts pressure on your lower back, hips, and requires good shoulder mobility, so make sure you can perform them in proper form (work with a very light weight until you achieve the proper form). If shoulder mobility or back pain is an issue, it would be best to rely more on the other alternatives listed above. Good morning should be mastered with lighter loads before increasing intensity and range of motion.
Hip extension with hamstring curl
The movement of the stability ball requires you to mark your technique yourself. Any deviation in the extension or curvature of the hip will cause it to fall off the ball.
First things first, while lying semi-supine, place one heel on the stability ball. From here, engage your glute, roll your hips forward, and assume a plank position with the other leg bent.
Once you are in control, bend your straight leg by contracting your hamstring to draw the stability ball toward you. However, do not relax your glutes at any time; they must remain active all the time. Do the eccentric move back to the table. Once there, lower your hips to the ground until your butt touches the ground and immediately get back up on the board without resting.
