EXERCISES

Hyperextensions This exercise places direct stress on the hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors. Lean forward, placing your hips on the pad and allowing your heels to come to rest beneath the smaller pads behind you. Your legs should be kept straight for the entire duration of the set. With your hands placed behind your head and neck or crossed on your chest, allow your torso to hang directly downward from your hips. To raise your torso up until you are parallel with the floor (sort of a reverse sit-up) use your glute, ham, and back strength. For added resistance, you can hold a loose barbell plate or two behind your head and neck or on your chest.

Deadlifts This is one of the best exercises for building terrific back muscles and all-over body power. Stress is directly placed on the spinal erectors, buttocks, quadriceps, forearm flexors, and trapezius muscles. Secodary groups stressed are the back and hamstrings. Load up a barbell with heavy weight lying on the gym floor. Take a shoulder-width grip on the bar and with toes pointing straight ahead and shins touching the bar, set your feet shoulder width apart. Keeping your arms straight, flatten your back and dip your hips to correctly assume the pulling position where your shoulders are above the level of your hips and your hips are above the level of your knees. Straighten your legs and extend your torso to lift the barbell from the floor to your upper thighs. You should be standing erect with the bar across your upper thighs and your arms extended down at your sides. Slowly reverse the movement along the same arc and return the barbell to the floor. You should wear a lifting belt with heavy weight. You can reinforce your grip on the bar with lifting straps. You can also reverse your grip on the bar (holding one palm inward and one palm outward). Or you can use a heavy pair of dumbbells. You can also do this with stiff legs... but be sure not to use really heavy weight.

Good Mornings

• This exercise places stress on the spinal erectors, glutes, hamstrings, and back.
• Lift a light barbell up to a position across your shoulders behind your neck, balancing it in this position by grasping the bar out near the plates.
• Stand erect and place your feet about shoulder width apart with toes angled straight ahead.
• Your legs should be held straight for the duration of the exercise.
• Slowly bend forward at the waist until your torso is slightly below a position parallel to the floor.
• Reverse the procedure slowly to the starting point.
• Tip: if you feel the bar is cutting into your spine wrap it with a towel or use a pad.

List of other lower back exercises...

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