Back Extension

What do these positions have in common?

You got it! Back extension.

When you do crunches, that is spine flexion. These ladies are doing the opposite of spine flexion, which is extension of the spine.

We believe that spine extension is underrepresented in gyms and in fitness overall. This is unfortunate. A body of research by M. Sinaki going back to a landmark study in 1984 has shown that back extension exercises are protective against vertebrae fractures in post menopausal ladies.

The reason back extension is neglected in fitness might be because there aren’t a lot of good back extension exercises. While there is a long list of good exercises for your arms, for example, the list of good exercises for your back extensors is a short one.

At ActiveLab, we have made it part of our mission, bordering on obsession, to include as many back extension exercises as we can.