How to do it
- Lie face-down on the machine or a high bench with your hips at the edge and legs hanging.
- Raise the legs until they are in line with your torso.
- Lower slowly under control.
Cues that matter
- Squeeze the glutes to raise the legs rather than arching the spine.
- Excellent low-stress option on heavy training days.
Common mistakes
- Swinging the legs to build momentum.
- Hyperextending the lower back at the top.
Muscles worked
Primary
- Lower Back
- Erector spinae
Also works
- Glutes
- 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 Reverse Hyperextension 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 machine is taken, or a gym that does not have one.