Machine Back Extension
A seated back extension on a weight-stack machine: you push a pad behind your upper back from a forward lean to upright. It trains the lower back muscles, with the glutes and hamstrings helping. Choose it for lower-back work with a load that is easy to set and increase.
Updated
Primary muscles: lower back. Supporting muscles: glutes, hamstrings. Equipment: machine.
Muscles worked
Primary
Secondary
Equipment
How to do it
- Set the seat so the back pad sits across your shoulder blades.
- Sit all the way back on the seat with your feet flat on the footplate.
- Fasten the thigh strap or set the thigh pad snug, then cross your arms over your chest or hold the handles.
- Brace your core and push the pad back until your torso is upright.
- Pause for a moment with your glutes tight.
- Lean forward from the hips under control, keeping your back long, until the stack is just above its rest.
Watch for
- Throwing your head and shoulders back to swing the weight.
- Arching your lower back to push past upright.
- Rounding your lower back as you lean forward.
- Pressing through your feet until your hips lift off the seat.
Breathing
Exhale as you push back, inhale as you lean forward.
Tip
Start with a light weight if you have not trained your lower back on its own before, and lengthen the range over a few sessions.
Track this exercise in the SmartReps app
Log sets, reps and weight, and follow your progress with the free workout tracker for iOS and Android. AI coaching is available with SmartReps Pro.
Log this exercise in SmartReps
