Superman Pose: Back Extension Exercise

What is Superman’s Exercise?

This Superman pose can be a great way to target the back and shoulders. It’s also a great way to build strength and endurance in the back and arms. To do the Superman pose, start by standing with your feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips. Next, extend your right arm and left leg in the air, and arch your back like you’re pushing your chest forward and up.

Introduction

• The Superman exercise is the best exercise to strengthen the lower back.
• This exercise is also called the dorsal raise.
• It is a very good exercise to strengthen your lower back muscles, glutes, hamstrings, shoulder girdles, Neck extensors, and Back extensors.
• Supermen exercise is a floor exercise that involves your arm and leg lifting simultaneously from the ground.
• This is a very good back extension exercise for reducing back pain.

Health benefits of Superman exercise:

1. Spinal support
   2. Improve Posture.
   3. Back Injury prevention
   4. Stronger legs and buttocks
   5. Tones your Back extension exercise
   6. Keeps your back flexible
   7. Improves blood circulation
   8. Strengthens your core muscle
   9. Decrease back pain
   10. Degenerative disk disease
   11. Muscle strains
   12. Nerve pain

How to do the Superman exercise:

• Take a prone lying position(lie on your stomach) then your arm stretched out in front of you.
• Take a deep breath in and slowly lift your head arms and legs at the same time. try to stretch your body upward, and hold this position for 6 to 7 seconds.
• Try to use your core and pelvic floor muscles to maintain this position.
• Then slowly return to normal prone
• You can do this exercise 3 to 5 times when you start and gradually increase the reps.
• Do this exercise 2 to 3 times a day.
• This is also called as Traditional Superman Exercise.

What happens in your back by doing the Superman exercise?

• The Superman exercise is intended to strengthen and improve the stabilization of your lumbar and hip extensors. this exercise is additionally a helpful exercise to raise strength and stability in your pectoral arch and higher back muscular structure.
• This exercise involves a back extension, in this, your whole spine goes into an extension position. your anterior thorax will stretch and conjointly your front thigh muscle like the quadriceps femoris will stretch.
• It will strengthen your larger, world-skeletal muscle system, like the paraspinal muscles (the muscles that from up to down in conjunction with your spine) and your gluteal muscle (the giant muscles that compose your butt).
• The most vital issue to not do with this exercise or the other exercises is to doing exercise with pain, especially if you have an acute injury or recent back injury.
• Some pain and injuries may be increased with extension-bias exercises like this Superman pose exercise. This exercise might probably make your symptoms worse, thus begin slow and go along with progression-wise.
• If you feel any numbness or tingling or any pain in the legs (radicular pain) or in the back, then stop doing this exercise and visit your nearest physiotherapist or healthcare provider.

There is some variation in the Superman pose exercise

1. Superman pose exercise with only one arm and only one leg
   2. Superman pose exercise with arms only
   3. Superman pose exercise with Legs Only
   4. Superman pose exercise with Alternating Arm / Leg
   5. Quadruped position Superman exercise with Alternating Arm / Leg

• For beginners, we advise to do this exercise in a progression form to decrease difficulty.
• It is too difficult to elevate both arms and legs at the same time from the floor. so there are some easy ways to do this exercise. This is explained below.
• Don’t go too fast and don’t use jerky motions Keep your motions slow, controlled, and smooth to get the most out of the exercise and avoid injury. And you may want to place a pillow or two under your stomach so you begin in a slightly flexed position.

1. Superman pose exercise with only one arm and only one leg:

Arm only:

• Take a prone lying position(lie on your stomach) then your arm stretched out in front of you.
• Take a deep breath in and slowly lift your head and one arm. try to stretch your upper body upward, and hold this position for 6 to 7 seconds.
• Try to use your core and pelvic floor muscles to maintain this position.
• Then slowly return to normal prone position
• You can do this exercise 3 to 5 times when you start and gradually increase the reps.
• Do this exercise 2 to 3 times in a day.

Leg only:

• Take a prone lying position(lie on your stomach).
• Take a deep breath in and slowly lift your one leg. try to stretch your lower body upward, and hold this position for 6 to 7 seconds.
• Try to use your core and pelvic floor muscles to maintain this position.
• Then slowly return to normal prone position
• You can do this exercise 3 to 5 times when you start and gradually increase the reps.
• Do this exercise 2 to 3 times a day.

2. Superman pose exercise with arms only:

• Take a prone lying position(lie on your stomach) then your arm stretched out in front of you.
• Take a deep breath in and slowly lift your head and both arms at the same time. try to stretch your body upward, and hold this position for 6 to 7 seconds.
• Try to use your core and pelvic floor muscles to maintain this position.
• Then slowly return to normal prone position
• You can do this exercise 3 to 5 times when you start and gradually increase the reps.
• Do this exercise 2 to 3 times a day.

3. Superman pose exercise with Legs Only:

• Take a prone lying position(lie on your stomach) then your arm stretched out in front of you.
• Take a deep breath in and slowly lift your both legs at the same time. try to stretch your both legs upward, and hold this position for 6 to 7 seconds.
• Try to use your core and pelvic floor muscles to maintain this position.
• Then slowly return to normal prone position
• You can do this exercise 3 to 5 times when you start and gradually increase the reps.
• Do this exercise 2 to 3 times a day.
• It is difficult to elevate both the arms and the legs off the ground at the same time, do only legs, or only arms, or only one leg, or only one arm.

4. Superman pose exercise with Alternating Arm / Leg:

• Take a prone lying position(lie on your stomach) then your arm stretched out in front of you.
• Take a deep breath in and slowly lift your head arms and legs at the same time. try to stretch your body upward, and hold this position for 6 to 7 seconds.
• Try to use your core and pelvic floor muscles to maintain this position.
• then slowly return to a normal prone position
• You can do this exercise 3 to 5 times when you start and gradually increase the reps.
• Do this exercise 2 to 4 times a day.
• You notice this exercise mainly in quadruped alternating arm leg but you also do this exercise with superman pose also.

5. Quadruped position Superman exercise with Alternating Arm / Leg:

• Take quadruped position (Start on hands and knees with neck straight and eyes on the floor)then your arm stretched out in front of you. Take a deep breath in and slowly elevate your head arms and legs at the same time. try to stretch your body upward, and hold this position for 6 to 7 seconds.
• Try to use your core and pelvic floor muscles to maintain this position.
• Then slowly return to the normal quadruped position.
• You can do this exercise 3 to 5 times when you start and gradually increase the reps.
• Do this exercise with another arm or leg.
• Do this exercise 2 to 4 times a day.
• This exercise is also called a kneeling Superman exercise.

Here are some tips for keeping the Superman exercise safe:

• There is no high risk of injury doing a Superman pose exercise if you want to get the most benefits from this movement, you want to have a good, solid form, and perfectly do this exercise to avoid these common mistakes.
• Try to tuck your chin in throughout the Superman exercise. In another way, do not strain your neck by looking forward, maintain it in a neutral position. You will decrease the stress on your neck if you keep your eyes looking down at the ground.
• You have to take a normal breath throughout the exercise and avoid holding your breath. This is one of those things everyone does at first – but try to breathe naturally throughout the exercise.
• Keep your elbows slightly flexed. When you elevate your arms, don’t lock your forearm, instead, keep a slight bend in your arms. Avoid hyper-extending your back by elevating your legs too high. Avoid putting too much pressure on your spine when you elevate your legs and arms. we aim to have your arms and legs roughly elevated at the same distance from the ground.

When are you not to do the Superman pose exercise?

1. Chronic spinal injury
2. If you have numbness tingling or any pain in the legs
3. Acute injury.
4. Recent surgery
5. if exercise painful
6. Lumbar spondylolisthesis where exercise is not recommended.
7. if you advise you not to do exercise (a few Back pain-related conditions where extension exercise will increase your pain.)