If there’s one movement that makes the trainer feel awkward while moving a very little amount of weight, it’s hyperextensions. Parallel to the ground, two feet off your ground, with your backside in the air and your arms crossed on your chest grasping a weight, the bodybuilder completing the hyperextension will experience a head rush like with no other movement. When you stand up afterwards, your lower back is on fire, your face is usually a shade of red or purple from all the blood which has rushed to it, and you may have moved a massive 35 or 45 pounds a dozen times. It’s not all that rewarding of a movement when it comes to the ego. However, if your long-term goals include remaining injury-free, then the hyperextension should be a part of your regular lifting routine.

Hyperextensions strengthen the lower back, as well as the muscles which support the lower back. While deadlifts are infamous for the amount of thickness they add to the lower back, hyperextensions are known for something else. This movement is key because it fosters an environment which makes it safer for deadlifting. If you deadlift, you darn sure should be using hyperextensions as well. They build up the obliques, the lumbar region, and the lower and middle back. They are a high-intensity movement, even though you are not able to go heavy, in that they draw so much blood into the area. This blood helps to protect the region from injury, and also delivers a great deal of nitrogen-rich aminos to the area, which are required for growth.

Avoid holding too much weight in your arms when completing hyperextensions. Even the top pros are only seen using a single 45 pound plate in their DVDs – and we all know how much pros work to show off on their DVDs! They are well aware of the amount of damage which could be inflicted by using 90 or more pounds, or even attaching chains to the body and attempting such a movement. For lower back mass, the deadlift is the movement you should use.

Always stretch for about five minutes before beginning hyperextensions. Run through 2 to 3 sets of hyperextensions with no weight in your arms to warm up the area. It’s debated as to whether or not a belt should be worn when completing hyperextensions. Some bodybuilders use the belt for every movement, while others believe it serves as a crutch during hyperextensions and limits growth. Make your own determination based upon your goals and experiences.

As an alternative to hyperextensions, or to further their effectiveness using supersetting, you can add Good Mornings into your routine. This exercise is simple. Start with an empty 45 pound barbell on your back, and bend over. Then, return to the starting position. This movement emulates the free weight and intensity of a deadlift, but delivers some of the safety and support role of the hyperextension. It’s a good movement to use as an in-between, or in conjunction with either of them.

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