Back Extension
ಕೆಳ ಬೆನ್ನು
What moves the load, and what it costs
3.5MET
Lower back is the prime mover, with the glutes, hamstrings assisting. Direct training for the muscles that hold your spine in position under load. High reps, bodyweight first, and no swinging.
Cue: Set the pad just below the hip bones and finish each rep in a straight line rather than an arch.
Written on other cards as: Hyperextension
ಮೂಲ.2024 ವಯಸ್ಕರ ದೈಹಿಕ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳ ಸಂಗ್ರಹ.FILED UNDER WEIGHTS, 8–15 REPS.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026
SHARED AXIS · SEVEN VALUES FROM ONE TABLE · HIGHLIGHTED ROW IS THIS MOVEMENT
The compendium files back extension under a category, not a lift. Read the ladder as position, not precision: this is heavier work than sitting quietly by a factor of 3.5, and middling for conditioning work.
Turning that MET value into a real energy cost
- Map the movement to a published category. The compendium measures categories of conditioning work, never individual lifts, so back extension is filed under Resistance training (weight lifting), multiple exercises, 8–15 repetitions at varied resistance.
- Take the category's MET value — 3.5. One MET is the cost of sitting quietly, so this is 3.5 times resting metabolism.
- Multiply by 3.5 to get millilitres of oxygen per kilogram per minute, the unit the MET is actually defined in.
- Multiply by your bodyweight in kilograms and divide by 200. The result is kilocalories per minute of work.
- Count working minutes only. Under load, not under the roof — a set of eight is about 25 seconds of the hour you were there.
kcal/min = MET × 3.5 × body mass (kg) ÷ 200 Back Extension: 3.5 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 4.29 kcal/min
ಮೂಲ.ACSM metabolic equation + 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities.REFERENCE BODY MASS 70 KG.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026
What is actually doing the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| Lower backErector spinae and quadratus lumborum | Prime mover | Extends the spine and, in most lifting, holds it still against a bending force. It is a stabiliser far more often than a prime mover. |
| GlutesGluteus maximus, medius and minimus | ಸಹಾಯಕ / ಸ್ಥಿರಕಾರಿ | Extends the hip (maximus), and abducts and stabilises it (medius and minimus). The strongest single muscle group in the body. |
| ಹ್ಯಾಮ್ಸ್ಟ್ರಿಂಗ್Biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus | ಸಹಾಯಕ / ಸ್ಥಿರಕಾರಿ | Bends the knee and extends the hip. Because they cross both joints, they need both a hinge (hip) and a curl (knee) to be trained fully. |
The prime mover produces the movement against the resistance; synergists assist and stabilisers hold a joint still without moving it. An exercise trains the whole muscle it loads — there is no way to work only part of a muscle, and no exercise removes fat from the area around it.
Set up, then earn the rep
Machine, Bodyweight. Every rep should look like the first one. The moment it stops looking like the first one, the set is finished.
PATTERN · HINGE
- Set the pad just below the hip bones so the hips can fold freely.
- Cross the arms on the chest or hold a light weight there, and set a flat spine.
- Set the pad just below the hip bones and finish each rep in a straight line rather than an arch.
- Fold at the hips and lower the torso under control until you feel the hamstrings and lower back lengthen.
- Return by squeezing the glutes and hamstrings until the body is in a straight line.
- Stop at straight. There is nothing to gain from arching past it.
Where this one breaks down
Not theory. These are the faults you correct on a gym floor, and the correction that actually works.
Hyperextending at the top.
Swinging up into an arch under load is the one genuinely poor part of this exercise. Finish in a straight line.
Pad set too high.
If the pad sits on the belly the hips cannot fold and the movement becomes purely spinal. Set it below the hip bones.
Holding a heavy plate too early.
Bodyweight first, for high reps, until the position is automatic.
Regress it, or progress it
Regress — earn it first
Nothing on this site regresses it further: this is already near the entry point of its pattern. Take load off, shorten the range, or slow the tempo — in that order.
Progress — the next demand
Prescription: load, reps, rest
Read off the goal, then hold the technique constant as the load climbs. Derived from the movement's mechanics, not invented for this page: a single-joint movement does its best work in moderate to high reps — very low reps load the joint before the muscle.
| Goal | Sets | Reps | ವಿಶ್ರಾಂತಿ | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3–4 | 6–10 | 2 ನಿಮಿ | Single-joint work responds poorly to very low reps — the joint gets the load before the muscle does. |
| Muscle size | 3–4 | 10–15 | 60–90 sec | This is where isolation work earns its place: cheap volume for one muscle, little systemic fatigue. |
| Endurance / fat loss | 2–3 | 15–25 | 30–45 sec | High reps here are genuinely useful — the load is small enough that form survives the fatigue. |
| First month | 2 | 12–15 | 60 sec | Light. Isolation work is for adding volume later, not for building a base. |
Time under load, in kilocalories
Read these as minutes of work, not minutes in the building. A set of eight takes about twenty-five seconds; the rest of the hour is rest, chalk and queueing.
Mapped category: Resistance training (weight lifting), multiple exercises, 8–15 repetitions at varied resistance — 3.5 MET. That is the published category this movement is filed under, not a measurement of this specific lift.
Worked at 3.5 MET × 3.5 × 70 kg ÷ 200 = 4.29 kcal per working minute for a 70 kg adult. Scale it by your own bodyweight; the equation is linear. The full activity dataset lives at BurnLab.
ಮೂಲ.2024 ವಯಸ್ಕರ ದೈಹಿಕ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳ ಸಂಗ್ರಹ.CATEGORY VALUE, NOT A PER-EXERCISE MEASUREMENT.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026
If the rack is taken
Substitutes train the same prime mover through the same pattern with different kit. Computed from the muscle and pattern data on this card, not hand-picked to fill a grid.
Nothing at all to hand: Superman is the closest match — same prime mover, same pattern, no kit.
Where it sits in a week
One movement is not a programme. The twelve templates put these in order, including 6 that need no gym at all.
The questions that come up on the floor
What muscles does the back extension work?
Back Extension is a single-joint isolation movement in which the lower back is the prime mover, assisted by the glutes, hamstrings. Extends the spine and, in most lifting, holds it still against a bending force. It is a stabiliser far more often than a prime mover.
Is the back extension good for beginners?
Yes. It rates 1 out of 5 for technical difficulty on this site — learnable in a single session with no coaching. Start with the lightest sensible load and two or three sets of 12–15.
What can I do instead of the back extension at home?
The closest no-equipment substitute is the superman, which trains the same prime mover through the same movement pattern. It will not load you as heavily, so use higher reps and slower tempo to make up the difference.
How many sets and reps of the back extension should I do?
For muscle size, 3–4 sets of 10–15 with 60–90 sec rest. For strength, 3–4 sets of 6–10 with 2 min rest. In your first month, 2 sets of 12–15, stopping well short of failure. Total weekly hard sets per muscle group matters more than the exact rep number in any of these ranges.
Does the back extension burn fat from the lower back?
No. No exercise removes fat from the area it trains — spot reduction has been tested repeatedly and does not happen. Training the lower back builds the muscle underneath; where body fat is lost from is decided by an overall calorie deficit and by your genetics, not by which exercise you chose.
Muscle roles follow standard kinesiology references and are described by joint action rather than by gym convention — see how this site is built. Energy figures are derived from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. Every reference is named and dated on the ಮೂಲಗಳು page. General information only — not medical or coaching advice. Load, form and progression should be adjusted to your own experience and any injury history. When in doubt, get coached in person.
ಮೂಲ.ಪ್ರಕಟಿತ ವ್ಯಾಯಾಮ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಗಳು.MUSCLE ROLES ASSIGNED BY JOINT ACTION.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026
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