Superman's (Lower Back Exercise) Hurts My Lower Back

[fapel]

Hi, 
I work out at home and I have no exercises to strengthen my lower back. 
im not flexible enough for doing bridges and I have no idea why but whenever I do superman's it hurts my lower back.. 
is there any fix to this? 

exercise looks like this: 

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/exerciseImages/sequences/228/Female/l/228_2.jpg

[Anze Merhar]

I would wager that the problem is your hip flexors. May I suggest some foam rolling and stretches?

 

Here's a video from Kit Laughlin for an effective hip flexor stretch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bWQGIm9raw

 

EDIT: As well, the exercise requires some glute and hamstring activation, so don't forget to tense those.

[Alan Tseng]

It can either be hips or thoracic spine.

[Kyle Clayton]

Stuart McGill, who is probably the most-respected researcher in the world on the topic of the human back, says in his book Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance that the superman can place up to 6000N (1400 lbs) of force on a hyperextended spine. Now that doesn't mean everyone can generate that kind of force, or that some people can't get away with it. But for people who've had injuries to the lumbar spine, or people of certain body types and strength levels, the superman can be problematic. I have a bulging lumbar disc and it causes me too much pain to hold the position as well, whereas neutral or hollow positions are pain-free. What McGill recommended as a substitute was Bird Dogs with strong abdominal bracing to keep the spine in neutral.

 

Maybe you could try to build up your back strength with the Bird Dog and the other Foundation progressions to a point that your back will be able to handle supermans at a later time.

 

And as others have mentioned, maybe some hip mobility would allow you to get into extension with less force.

[Arthur Wong]

A little derail but didn't want to make a new thread.

 

I have been working up my superman holds but it started to tire my shoulders out way more than my lower back and it was keeping my from making progress. I took a break then tried again but I changed my form a bit and now it taxes my glutes more than anything. Without a picture can anyone who is familiar with the exercise still tell which form would be correct?

[Jon Douglas]

Glutes/hamstring activation is absolutely the focus of the exercise.

I don't feel these holds in my lower back at all, as a matter of fact.

[Arthur Wong]

ok thank you. looks like I have been building strength in the wrong places until recently

[Jon Douglas]

ok thank you. looks like I have been building strength in the wrong places until recently

While you should prefer the form that gives you that activation, it doesn't mean you've wasted time. If your lower back is the weak link in that particular hold then that's just where you'll feel the most work. For me the hamstrings is actually where I feel it the most don't be too hard on yourself.

[Alessandro Mainente]

As jon said you can feel activation in your weak point. you can feel it in shoulders (in case of poor shoulders flexion flexibility), in your lower back, in the butt/hamstring (this is the case of low flexibility of the anterior chain talking about hips flexors and quads) or in the medium high back, this is usually referred to people who have vow strength in the spinal erectors especially when head in flexed backward (in that case F series helps to prevent low stabilization in this sector).

[James Hall]

Make sure you follow each set of spinal extension with light flexion. Kit Laughlin mentions this very early on posture and flexibility. It really helps to ease tension and will likely help with activating glutes/hams during multiple sets. Gently rolling back and forth on the spine while curled up (grasping knees) works for me. Use a stretch which targets the spot with greatest tension.

[Marios Roussos]

My suggestion would be to try making the exercise easier by bringing your arms back and by bending your legs at the knees.

 

The easiest version would be arms pointing straight back to your legs, and bending your legs 90 degrees at the knees with the legs spread open. When I tried these, I felt a much stronger activation in my upper back and glutes, as my lower back was no longer the limiting factor. As my upper back and glutes then got stronger, I was then able to focus on increasing the intensity of the contraction in the lower back.

 

Once you can do these with good form, you can experiment with bringing your arms up closer to your head (eg. crucifix position), and either bringing your bent legs together or straightening them while keeping them straddled. Keep working these easier variations until you can master them, then make them harder and harder until you can gradually move your arms and legs to the full superman. 

[Graham Smith]

Glutes/hamstring activation is absolutely the focus of the exercise.

I don't feel these holds in my lower back at all, as a matter of fact.

 

So much this.  my L4 riddled with unstable stress fractures, I have a lot of lower back pain (unless I train!)  If I hinge from my lower back, supermans (supermen?) will put me out of action for days.  So long as I am squeezing the hell out of my glutes, no pain at all.

[John Cunningham]

Is there any part of the ROM that you can do without pain ? 

If so it may be worth starting from there building up time then extending the ROM, then  building the time up again etc.

I found I had lower back pain when I first tried this exercise too and used the above method to build it up.

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

My suggestion would be to try making the exercise easier by bringing your arms back and by bending your legs at the knees.

 

The easiest version would be arms pointing straight back to your legs, and bending your legs 90 degrees at the knees with the legs spread open. When I tried these, I felt a much stronger activation in my upper back and glutes, as my lower back was no longer the limiting factor. As my upper back and glutes then got stronger, I was then able to focus on increasing the intensity of the contraction in the lower back.

 

Once you can do these with good form, you can experiment with bringing your arms up closer to your head (eg. crucifix position), and either bringing your bent legs together or straightening them while keeping them straddled. Keep working these easier variations until you can master them, then make them harder and harder until you can gradually move your arms and legs to the full superman. 

 

 

I know these earlier progressions were discussed, but I don't recall this method ever being officially endorsed - Caveat emptor.

[Connor Davies]

Stuart McGill, who is probably the most-respected researcher in the world on the topic of the human back, says in his book Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance that the superman can place up to 6000N (1400 lbs) of force on a hyperextended spine.

Fascinating.  I wonder how much force is generated during a back limber...

[Connor Davies]

I know these earlier progressions were discussed, but I don't recall this method ever being officially endorsed - Caveat emptor.

Maybe not by Coach, but they are employed in other places (yoga for example)

 

I remember someone saying coach was surprised by the amount of difficulty adult GST students were having with the arch hold.

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

Maybe not by Coach, but they are employed in other places (yoga for example)

 

I remember someone saying coach was surprised by the amount of difficulty adult GST students were having with the arch hold.

 

Yes, that is what I meant by "officially"

I also remember that

[Marios Roussos]

I think the best thing in this situation is for people to experiment and see what works for them. This approach seemed logical to me, especially when noting the progression for other exercises in the Foundation series and Coach's comments in the private forum. I merely offered it as a suggestion as I have found it useful for my own progress.

 

Kit Laughlin seems to have a similar approach to progressing to the full arch hold, and references Coach as his source: http://www.kitlaughlin.com/docs/wrist-mobility_bodyline-exercises_handstands.pdf

 

Arch progressions are at the bottom of page 4 (Coach is mentioned at the top of page 1).

[Kit Laughlin]

The KEY cue in the arch is to press the legs away from the body. If you self cue "lift the legs" AND your hip flexors are tight, then you will lift the leg using erector spinae, for sure (it is the pattern in your body, brought about by the tight HF). That is how the girl is doing it, too.

 

And, worse, tight HF mean that in the very ROM you want to use the glutes in, in this exercise (extension) they will be being switched off by the reciprocal inhibition reflex.

 

So: press the legs away from you (in the plane of the floor), then squeeze the glutes, and only then try to pull the legs a tiny amount away from the floor. You may need to just practise the first two cues for a while before trying any lifting at all.

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

This is gold Mr Laughlin, thank you!

[Connor Davies]

The KEY cue in the arch is to press the legs away from the body. If you self cue "lift the legs" AND your hip flexors are tight, then you will lift the leg using erector spinae, for sure (it is the pattern in your body, brought about by the tight HF). That is how the girl is doing it, too.

 

And, worse, tight HF mean that in the very ROM you want to use the glutes in, in this exercise (extension) they will be being switched off by the reciprocal inhibition reflex.

 

So: press the legs away from you (in the plane of the floor), then squeeze the glutes, and only then try to pull the legs a tiny amount away from the floor. You may need to just practise the first two cues for a while before trying any lifting at all.

Excellent cue.  I accessed a much greater range of motion with a lot less perceived effort.  I'm feeling it higher up in my back as well, which I think means I'm activating the correct muscles now.

 

Thanks Kit!

[Kit Laughlin]

I was a bit pressed for time this morning, so was brief. The self-cue of pressing the legs away from the body (in the plane of the floor) does activate the glutes. You can enhance the effects if you hollow first (as odd as that sounds); hollow so you are resting on the front of the shoulders and the front of the legs. Then press the legs away, and then squeeze the glutes harder—then you are set. With this activation and alignment, when you do try to lift the legs a little from the floor, there will be no adverse/excessive activation of the lower back (erector spinae). 

 

What most people do not realise is that when challenged with a new movement requirement, your body will always fall back on its established patterns, regardless of what you might want! This fact is a good reason to do all new movements with a relatively low intensity, if you can, and feel/check/make sure that you are using the muscles that should be used.

 

This is also the reason behind the OP's lower back pain. The lower back is engaging trying to help you—but it cramps/spasms instead, because it is doing work in the contracted range of its range of movement, Recall the last time you did a max. foot point: the arch or the calf muscle cramped. No big deal—all muscles will do this, if asked to contract in the contracted end range of movement. In the foot, no problem, but if in the lower back, you will regard it as a problem (and it will leave a lingering pain, too).

[Cu Fang]

Does it mean that during arch hold you should not activate lower back ?

[Connor Davies]

Does it mean that during arch hold you should not activate lower back ?

I don't think you should feel it in the lower back, but rather in the glutes, hamstrings and maybe upper back.

[Alan Tseng]

What does it mean when I do this exercise and my calves cramp