How to do it
- Stand on a box holding a light weight with straight arms and locked knees.
- Roll down one vertebra at a time until you are fully folded over.
- Roll back up just as slowly, stacking the spine from the bottom.
Cues that matter
- This is a loaded mobility drill — go extremely light.
- Move at a crawl. There is nothing to gain from speed.
Common mistakes
- Using meaningful weight, which is how people get hurt here.
- Rushing back up instead of stacking segment by segment.
Muscles worked
Primary
- Lower Back
- Erector spinae
Also works
- Hamstrings
Sets and reps
What to do with it depends on what you are training for. These are the ranges MuscleMap uses when it puts Jefferson Curl in a session, with 75 seconds between sets.
- Strength
- 6–8 reps
- Build muscle
- 10–15 reps
- Endurance
- 15–25 reps
Same muscle, different kit
Movements that train the same part of the lower back with different equipment — for a day the dumbbell is taken, or a gym that does not have one.