Superman: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The superman exercise works your lower back, which extends your spine as you lift your chest off the floor. Your glutes and hamstrings extend your hips at the same time, lifting your legs and helping support your lower back through the hold.
- Primary muscle:
- Lower back
- Secondary muscles:
- Glutes, Hamstrings
Muscles worked
Your lower back, the erector spinae muscles that run alongside your spine, is the prime mover in the superman. It contracts to extend your spine and lift your chest and arms off the floor.
Your glutes and hamstrings extend your hips to lift your legs at the same time, which takes some of the demand off your lower back and trains the whole posterior chain together.
Log Superman in PR Streak
PR Streak's library has 873 exercises, each with photos and step-by-step instructions like this one. Log this move and see what you lifted last time right next to every set, with every PR caught automatically and a chart for every exercise.
How to do it
- To begin, lie straight and face down on the floor or exercise mat. Your arms should be fully extended in front of you. This is the starting position.
- Simultaneously raise your arms, legs, and chest off of the floor and hold this contraction for 2 seconds. Tip: Squeeze your lower back to get the best results from this exercise. Remember to exhale during this movement. Note: When holding the contracted position, you should look like superman when he is flying.
- Slowly begin to lower your arms, legs and chest back down to the starting position while inhaling.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions prescribed in your program.
Form tips
- Lift your arms, chest and legs at the same time rather than just one end of your body.
- Hold the top position for a second or two and squeeze your glutes and lower back before lowering.
- Keep your neck in a neutral position, looking at the floor a few feet in front of you instead of craning upward.
- Move slowly and under control; this is not a movement to rush or bounce through.
- Once bodyweight holds feel easy, progress to good mornings to load the same muscles with resistance.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Bodyweight |
|---|---|
| Level | Beginner |
| Mechanic | Compound |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the superman exercise good for lower back pain?
It can help build lower back and glute endurance, which supports a healthy spine, but check with a professional before adding any new exercise if you have existing back pain. Start with a small range of motion and build up gradually.
How many reps of supermans should I do?
Since it is a bodyweight endurance move for the lower back and glutes, most lifters use higher reps, 12 or more per set, holding each rep briefly at the top rather than rushing through the range.
More lower back exercises
Exercise instructions and photos come from the free-exercise-db library, public domain, the same library used inside the PR Streak app.
