The difference between horizontal and oblique hyperextension. What is hyperextension and how is it good for your back? Options for performing hyperextension on video

Hyperextensions - 9 exercise options!

Hyperextension is a universal exercise that strengthens the back muscles, hamstrings and buttocks. It is a simple and effective aid for increasing strength, muscle development and injury rehabilitation. Hyperextension is actively used by athletes in many sports.

This usually happens to people who are involved in sports competitions, such as football. The pain of an injury not only interferes with your ability to play sports, but can also make daily activities a challenge. Doctors have developed a series of treatments for elbow hyperextension that promote recovery.

Hyperextensive elbow is a traumatic injury to the elbow. This occurs when the arm is stretched involuntarily and with great strength. With this injury, the elbow moves beyond its normal range of motion, which can cause bruising to the humeral root or olecranon along with damage to the surrounding soft tissue. These injuries cause pain at the time of injury, as well as ongoing pain when you try to move the elbow through its normal range of motion. Doctors who work in sports medicine commonly see athletes with hyperextended elbows and have developed treatments for them.

Hyperextension - indications for use

The hyperextension exercise is unique; it is useful for both beginners and professionals. The peculiarity of the technique is focused on preparing the human body for working with heavy weights, helping to improve results in deadlifts, squats, and bending over with a barbell.

The exercise engages all muscles, from the middle part of the back to the hip flexors. As a result of performing movements, the muscles and ligamentous apparatus work with full amplitude, which contributes to their high-quality development.

The first form of treatment for elbow hyperextension, no matter how severe, is to stop the pain. All that is required is an over-the-counter pain reliever such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. You can take them as soon as the injury occurs and then during recovery as needed. If your elbow is swollen, icing the joint can help relieve both the swelling and pain.

If you have a more severely flared elbow, then you may experience a lot of pain when you move your arm and bend your elbow, especially as you adjust the joint. If this is the case, your doctor may suggest immobilizing your arm with a sling until the worst of the pain goes away.

The exercise also helps strengthen the tendons of the sacral back (its injuries are incredibly painful and require long rehabilitation). Hyperextension can be called insurance against such troubles.

Despite the benefits, hyperextension is a leading, auxiliary exercise. Many experts classify it as a group of basic, basic movements, but this is not entirely correct, since basic exercises emphasize strength and are competitive. Although with the advent of CrossFit, it is quite possible that hyperextension will become the main exercise included in some complex of movements. Another factor that makes it possible to classify an exercise as a basic one is its fame and popularity.

Once the worst of the pain has subsided, the next stage of treatment for elbow hyperextension can begin. Your doctor can teach you simple therapy to increase the range of motion you can get from your elbow without feeling pain. You can start with gentle range of motion exercises for your arm. After completing these exercises, you can begin resistance exercises with weights to increase strength in the muscles around your elbow.

The simplest form of treatment for hyperextended elbow is to simply give the body time to heal. If you have a very minor injury, you do not need a sling or therapy. The damage should heal within a few days, and you should then be able to resume daily activities without long-term ill effects. The most severe injuries heal in three weeks to a month.

Types of hyperextensions

There are several options for performing hyperextension; they differ from each other in technical nuances, as well as in the muscles involved in the work:

1. With an arched back - here the emphasis is on muscle training;

2. With a round back - in this case, the work is aimed at stretching and strengthening the ligaments of the lumbar region, and warming up the spine. This is important and useful, as it prevents compression of the spine, which subsequently becomes the cause of osteochondrosis;

Knee hyperextension is an injury caused by the knee being stretched beyond its normal socket joint. This injury is more common in athletes, and treatment focuses on releasing tension in the ligaments and reducing inflammation. If the ligaments are torn or have suffered significant tears, surgery may be required.

Symptoms of knee hyperextension appear almost instantly. You may experience an unnatural backward movement of the knee, accompanied by severe pain that may radiate to other parts of the leg. Behind a short time it usually develops inflammation in the area, which causes more stress on the damaged structures. The knee loses much of its functionality and those injured will have difficulty walking and it will be painful. The knee may be deformed and its normal movement may be blocked in certain positions, which helps in diagnosis in some cases where it is diffuse.

Each type of exercise is beneficial and for comprehensive training the athlete can alternate them in the training process.

Hyperextension - load, frequency of execution, approaches and repetitions

Hyperextension is an extremely useful exercise. It can be done literally at every workout as a warm-up or in a block of general physical fitness exercises (general physical training) after the main workout.

Inflammation puts more stress on the injured area and the first treatment to be done is to apply ice as quickly as possible to reduce the inflammation. Applying topical cold can also help reduce pain. Ice should be applied to the cloth, never directly to the skin, as it can cause burns.

Main muscles involved

When applying for a cold, it is important to immediately obtain medical care. A doctor can evaluate the damage, often using X-ray film or other images. Depending on the severity of the injury, anti-inflammatories and compression bandages will be prescribed to keep the knee joint and ligaments in a natural position while the ligaments heal. If the injury is severe and there is significant tearing or tearing of ligaments or other structures knee joint, surgery may be required to reconnect the broken parts.

If this is a warm-up, it is better to do the hyperextension empty, without weight, so as not to clog the muscles. At the end of the workout, you can work with a load - take a barbell or dumbbell on your neck. You can also do extensions in combination with various types of traction, immediately after its completion.

Attention! The weight must be adjusted so that 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps can be done. Minimal amount repetitions 6–8 times. There is no point in doing strength exercises.

In mild cases of knee hyperextension, applying local cold several times a day and administering oral anti-inflammatory drugs may be sufficient. Keeping your leg elevated, giving the knee adequate support, can help with the healing process and reduce inflammation. If this is necessary for ambulation, it is advisable to do it with the help of crutches so as not to put weight on the affected knee. Will be used if necessary disabled carriage. The doctor will tell the patient when he will be able to support his leg again.

Interesting fact. An athlete of all times, Vasily Alekseev, holder of more than 80 world records in weightlifting, performed horizontal hyperextension with a 120 kg barbell. The strong man did it on a large number of repetitions. He subsequently used this exercise in the rehabilitation of athletes after injuries. Masters from various types sports, and he returned them to training without surgery or medication.

Overall recovery usually takes several months, usually six months to nine months, although very minor injuries may heal within a few weeks. During this time, the doctor or physical therapist will give the patient a chart of rehabilitation exercises to restore normal movement of the knee as it heals.

When it comes to structuring a solid training program, you should always be aware of the muscles that may end up suffering from hypotonia and imbalance in relation to their counterparts. Based on this importance, we are going to show you a great exercise for the lumbar region known as Trunk Extensions, or simply hyperextensions.

How to replace hyperextension?

Hyperextension is a specific exercise, a replacement for which is very difficult to find. It can be partially replaced by deadlifts from a stand without bending your back. But this specific exercise is much more difficult to perform and requires knowledge of the technical features.

The safety and effectiveness of hyperextension literally makes the exercise indispensable.

Technique for performing hyperextension

For this exercise you need to use incline bench, on which you can fix your ankles and support your hip, allowing your body to move. Support your body on the bench, at the joint of the hip and thigh bone, so that the pubis is on the outside. Breathe in. . For beginners, it is recommended to use an incline bench, although if there are no difficulties in performing it, you can use a horizontal bench or a specific machine to work the sacral-lumbar region.

Muscles involved in the exercise

Hyperextensions are characterized by the fact that efforts are required from the extensor spinal muscles of the spine and the lumbar frame. This exercise helps to relax the abdominal cavity, which is too important when working out. This achieves muscular compensation between the abdominal cavity and the spine, avoiding back pain caused by typical imbalances.

Hyperextension - contraindications

This is one of the few exercises that has no contraindications. It is used in a complex of physical therapy to correct spinal pathologies, such as:

The reason for refusing to perform the exercise can only be severe diseases of the spine, changes associated with age. And then the doctor can use hyperextension to a limited extent during rehabilitation after injuries and operations.

The most common mistakes and some tips to keep in mind

It is important that during lengthening of the trunk, very pronounced accentuation is not performed, as this can lead to serious back injury. To do this, it is always recommended to form a straight line from head to toe in moderation, avoiding impulses while traveling. You should also avoid straining your head by relaxing that part of the body to avoid contractures. One exercise that is widely used to build triceps brachii and triceps ankle is the triceps back to the pulley.

Some experts claim that during the exercise the sacral part of the back is deformed. But this is very doubtful and is only possible through excessive, sharp deflection when the body is raised sharply. Also, the cause of damage can be working with an unreasonably large weight: a barbell or dumbbell.

In conclusion, the traditional advice is that before you play sports and start doing hyperextension, it is advisable to consult an orthopedist.

Personal trainers or physical education teachers who act as teachers in resistance training rooms most often prescribe this exercise for intermediate or advanced individuals in training. In addition to the primary motor muscles of the movement, the brachialis and triceps ankle, several muscles will be activated during this exercise to stabilize the joints and body of the individual.

Since the resistance will be in the direction and direction of the cable, that is, in the oblique direction and from bottom to top, it will cause movement tendencies in some joints. For example, resistance will tend to move the object's body roughly away from the device. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to perform an anteroposterior interval. Another movement trend is the prolongation of the pelvis. The vertebral column will undergo hyperextension, but this movement does not occur due to isometric contraction of the thoracolumbar flexors.

Hyperextension is one of the most useful exercises, thanks to which it strengthens and develops muscular system back, as well as the lumbar area.

This exercise is especially popular among women, as it helps remove excess volume in the abdominal area.

Despite its high efficiency, hyperextension must be performed under the supervision of an experienced trainer who can teach the correct technique and prevent possible injuries.

How to properly perform triceps exercises from back to pulley?

Finally, the resistance will tend to produce flexion in the shoulders. This movement will be blocked by isometric contraction of the shoulder extensor muscles. Initially, the individual should make an imprint on the bar with shoulder spacing equal to shoulder width. Then pull the bar and rotate your body, keeping your back to the pulley. Once this first point has been achieved, the individual must stabilize his body. To do this, he must produce a lateral distance from the feet of the width of the hips and together a front distance.

This exercise helps develop the spinal erectors, gluteal muscles, and hip flexors.

The exercise does not create a load on the joints, allows you to keep the abdominal and back muscles toned, while strengthening the tendon muscles of the spine.

If the hyperextension technique is performed incorrectly, a person can injure the spine, so before starting classes, a mandatory consultation with a trainer is necessary.

Once the imprint and positioning are complete, the individual should position the shoulders at approximately 90° of flexion. Finally, you must keep the natural and physiological curvature of the spine intact and keep your elbows in flexion. Once the initial positioning described above is completed, the individual can begin performing triceps exercises from the back to the pulley. To do this, perform the elbow lengthening movement in the concentric phase of flexion and the elbow in the eccentric phase.

What is the main mistake when training from triceps to pulleys?

When performing triceps from the back to the pulley, individuals are commonly visualized positioning the upper extremities with exaggerated glenohumeral or shoulder flexion. This exaggerated shoulder flexion will make the exercise difficult because it will make the shoulder of the triceps brachialis too long and therefore give the muscle a passive deficiency. This behavior of the long head of the triceps brachialis can cause a person's spinal column to hyperextend such that they may bend their elbows during the eccentric phase of the movement.

What muscles work

According to some people, the hyperextension exercise puts the main load on the buttock muscles, however, this is not the case.

During the exercise, the muscles of the lower back are involved, as well as the back of the thighs. Also, the short spinal muscles are trained, the training of which is impossible during other exercises.

What joints and muscles are used dynamically when performing triceps back to pulley exercises?

Thus, this hyperextension will cause excessive overload in the posterior region of the intervertebral discs, which is unsafe. Therefore, the shoulders should be supported at approximately 90° of flexion during execution. As discussed above in the text during back to pulley triceps exercises, the individual will perform an elbow lengthening movement during the concentric phase. During this phase of the exercise, he will overcome the resistance created against the movement, since since the resistance is in the direction and direction of the cable, that is, in the oblique direction and in the upward direction, the tendency is to create elbows and the individual will create a force against this tendencies by performing elbow lengthening.

When doing hyperextension, the following muscles work:

  • biceps femoris muscle;
  • semitendinosus femoris muscle;
  • semimembranosus femoris muscle;
  • large muscles of the buttocks.

The results of the exercises will be noticeable if the execution technique complies with the rules.

You need to study systematically, the duration of classes is from 3 to 4 weeks.

Exercise options

  • Warm-up before complex exercises: it is recommended to perform 2 warm-up approaches without weights, 20 times each. You can perform the approaches after cardio exercises.
  • For back pain: in this case the best option The exercise will be hyperextension on a fitball. Do 2 sets of 15 times. During the first lesson, only 2 approaches are performed. It is recommended to exercise a couple of times a week.
  • Exercises with weights: the very first approach is performed without weights. After which, with each step you need to increase the weight by a couple of kg. If the working weight is 30 kg, then the next 10 repetitions increase the weight by 5 kg, gradually reaching the working weight. To perform this version of the exercise, you need a Roman chair.
  • Option for the gluteal muscles: in order to shift the main load from the back to the buttocks, it should be performed with a rounded back. This option is suitable for those who have mastered the basic hyperextension technique and also do not have difficulties with the spinal column. During execution, you need to strain your buttock muscles as much as possible.
  • Reverse hyperextension: in this case, it is necessary to lift not the torso, but the legs up.

Before starting exercises, it is necessary to prepare the body for the load.

The options described above can be adjusted by the trainer due to the individuality of each organism.

Execution technique

Hyperextension in the gym

The good thing about working out in the gym is that it is equipped with special equipment that allows you to work out your muscles effectively and without the risk of injury. The correct execution technique is a quick path to the desired result.

Hyperextension using a goat is the most popular method to pump up the lumbar muscles. To perform this exercise you will need a standard sports goat and a wall bars. If there is no wall, you can enlist the help of a partner. The exercise is performed in the following way:

  • The trestle is installed so that the feet in a lying position can reach the bar of the wall bars.
  • You need to lie with your pelvis on the goat, with your face perpendicular to the floor. The pelvis must be completely immersed in the machine.
  • The heels are placed under the wall bars. We choose the height of the crossbar ourselves. If there is no wall, the partner must hold his legs firmly, preventing the body from swaying.
  • Hands are placed on the chest or behind the head. This will help make the exercise easier. The starting position of the body should be straight, the spine relaxed. You should not arch your back or slouch. Then we lift our heads and hold in this position. Then we lower ourselves down, bending only in the lumbar region.
  • When the body is at an angle of 90 degrees, we return to the starting position. You need to stay in the upper position for a couple of seconds, do not make sudden movements. After which, we perform the required number of approaches.

Training on the simulator. Currently, every gym has hyperextension machines. With their help, you can pump not only the back muscles, but also the abs and side muscles.


If there is no such exercise machine in the gym, a Roman chair will do. The training is done as follows:

  • Before starting, you need to adjust the machine so that your pelvis is level on the pillow. The edges of the pillow are located where the body is folded.
  • The backs of your legs need to rest against the bolsters. You need to lie down so that they rest against the heel tendon, but not against the calves - for girls this can result in bruises.
  • Arms are crossed on the chest. The body is in a level position.
  • Next, we perform the same movements as in the above exercise with a goat. The movements are measured, without jerking or strong bends of the back.

Home option

Fitball will help you work out your muscles perfectly without going to the gym. This version is suitable for pregnant women, as well as for those who suffer from pain in the lumbar region.

This activity will help improve your back health and stabilize the spine.

During exercises with a ball, the spine is not subject to excessive pressure, as is the case with a machine. The ball acts as a shock absorber for your body. How to perform hyperextension on a ball:

  • We place the ball in the center of the room, then lie down on it with our pelvis, back up.
  • We put our hands forward, insuring ourselves in case of a fall. We keep our feet on the floor.
  • We lower the body down as far as the fitball will allow. Typically, this is a tilt of 50-55 degrees.
  • In this case, the shoulders should be straight, the lower back bent.
  • Repeat the movement the required number of times. Once completed, you can do some stretching.

  • The exercise must be performed without jerking, smoothly and measuredly.
  • Do not exercise if you are tired or muscle exhausted.
  • Don't forget about proper breathing. Otherwise, blood circulation is disrupted. Inhale when lifting, exhale when returning to the starting position.
  • You should not load your body in the first days of training; you need to gradually increase the load.
  • You need to train 3 times a week.
  • During the first training, it is better to place your hands on the chest without loading the cervical vertebrae.

Common mistakes

  • The most serious and common mistake is a strong lowering of the body. It is necessary to descend no more than 60 degrees. If a person has problems with posture, this will cause injury.
  • The next mistake is a large deflection of the torso when returning to the original position.
  • Beginners often place their arms and legs incorrectly. The legs should not be bent at the knees, the body should be tense from head to toe. Your arms should be bent at the elbows and rest on your chest.
  • Too much load during the first training is also a mistake. It is better to perform exercises with weights after a person has mastered the basic hyperextension technique.

Alternative and video

If you get tired of doing this exercise, you can switch to reverse hyperextension. The same muscles are loaded, and experts note that this exercise reduces the risk of back injury. You need to do it as follows:


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