The superman exercise is a very effective and efficient exercise for individuals of all fitness levels. This exercise focuses on your lower back muscles, glutes, hamstrings as well as your abs. What’s more, the superman exercise complements other core exercises — such as leg raises and sit-ups — which mostly focus on the abdominal muscles in the front of your body.
This being said, you may be wondering how to do it properly and safely in order to ensure that you’re targeting the correct muscles without hurting yourself. Although you may not become a superhero performing this exercise, you’ll certainly have a super strong core after adding it to your fitness routine.
You don’t need elaborate equipment in order to get in an amazing workout in the comfort of your own home. The superman exercise is one of those great bodyweight moves which works practically every single muscle in the body. However, this movement may be tricky to master and although it seems simple, this exercise can easily be done incorrectly.
Which Muscles Are Worked In The Superman Exercise?
In spite of popular belief, your core is a lot more than just your abs. It includes the following muscles:
- The abdominal muscles to the front of the body (rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, internal as well as external obliques),
- The lower and upper back muscles, as well as
- Other surrounding muscles.
Particularly, the superman exercise targets mainly the erector spinae muscles of your lower back. The erector spinae muscles consist of the spinalis, longissimus, and iliocostalis, which play a key role in back extension.
In addition, this exercise also targets the glutes, hamstrings, upper back, shoulders as well as abdominal muscles.
Communally, this move supports a stronger core. And that’s very important for activities of daily living (such as bending, squatting as well as lifting), athletic performance, good posture, and the avoidance of lower back injury.
Luckily, the superman exercise is easy and safe to perform for people of all fitness levels. One note of caution: People with chronic back injuries should stay away from this move or speak with a healthcare professional first.
How To Do The Superman Exercise
- Lie with your face down on your stomach with your arms and legs extended. Make sure that you keep your neck in a neutral position.
- Keep your arms and legs straight (however not locked) and torso stationary and, at the same time, lift your arms and legs up toward the ceiling in order to form an elongated “u” shape with your body. You back will arch and lift your arms and legs several centimetres off the floor.
- Hold the position for between two and five seconds and then lower back down in order to complete one.
- Do three sets of 12.
Perform the superman exercise prior to a workout to wake up and activate the core. You are able to incorporate this movement at any point in your workout. Performing the exercise after a workout can assist to stretch the back and relieve any tension built up during your sweat session.
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