10 Best Hyperextension Alternatives & Substitutes (with Videos)

Your back is the most important part of your body that determines your posture and overall body strength. If you are a fitness freak and work out regularly, it is of the utmost importance to pay attention to your back. If you add back-focused exercises to your training routine, it will help you gain overall body strength, get rid of back pain, and acquire a great posture.

If you work on strengthening the muscles of your back, you are actually working on the primary support structure of your body. When you have a strong back, it will get manifold times easier to perform different exercises and attain the fitness goals.

When you look for the best exercises that will help you strengthen your back, hyperextension, or simply back extension, is a great exercise for you. This is also a therapeutic treatment that is used for medical conditions in one’s lower back like herniated disks. If you are suffering from back pain, this exercise is probably a must in your exercise routine as it will help you fetch the most desired results.

Nevertheless, if you do not have a fancy set-up or the equipment required to perform hyperextension, this article gives you a list of alternative exercises. All these replacements target your lower back and allow you to fetch the most-desired results, even when you are at home! Read on to find out.

10 Best Hyperextension Alternatives

The section below lists some of the best hyperextension substitute exercises that will target your lower back and help you have a great workout experience. It also provides a guide on how to perform these exercises. 

Supermans

This is a fun and easy hyperextension alternative exercise that does not require the involvement of any machinery. The movements involved in this exercise are also very simple to follow and provide great motion. This exercise is also advantageous for your upper body.

Why is it needed?

As you perform this exercise, you will feel the stress on your hamstrings, glutes, and the muscles in your back along the spine.

If you are looking for an accurate hyperextension alternative that will help you alleviate backache and strengthen the lower back of your body, Supermans is sure to suffice your requirement. 

Steps for performing this exercise:

1. Lay on your stomach.
2. For a starting position, outstretch your limbs so that you resemble a straight line.
3. Your glutes should be tightened as your hips remain close to the floor.
4. Once you have acquired the position, slowly lift your arms and your feet upwards. Make sure you do not lift it too high as it might result in injury.
5. As you hold the position, you will feel a slight stretch in the lower back, core, and glutes. Then slowly lower your limbs and come back to your starting position.

Glute Bridge

This is another easy hyperextension substitute that can serve the same purpose as hyperextension. You do not require a special station to perform this exercise. Nonetheless, this is just as effective as hyperextension.

Why is it needed?

As the name suggests, this exercise stresses more on the glutes. However, you can manipulate your execution to keep the stress either on the glutes or the hamstrings. This depends on the positioning of your feet. If you are wondering how to perform this exercise, have a look at the steps mentioned below.

Steps for performing this exercise:

1. Lie down on the floor. Your arms should be by your side and the lower back should be flat on the floor.
2. Position your feet in such a way that they are apart by your hip width.
3. Once you have taken position, start bending your knees at an angle of 70-90 degrees.
4. When you start to feel that your abs are engaged, slowly squeeze your glutes. Thrust your hips upwards in the air. Attain a position in which your knees, hips, and shoulders are aligned in a straight line.
5. Hold your position. Slowly lower your body and relax as you lay your back on the floor.

Good Mornings

If you can manage the load properly and maintain your form, you can effectively treat your back pain. This is another effective substitute for hyperextension.

Why is it needed?

This is a back hyperextension alternative which is perfect for your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. The best thing about this exercise is that you can perform it without using a barbell. This is also beneficial in strengthening an individual’s posterior chain.

Steps for performing this exercise:

1. Start from a point where your body is in an upright position. Your legs should be shoulder-width far from one another.
2. Once you have taken this position, lean forward. Form a hinge towards your hips.
3. As you lean forward, your back and legs should remain straight. Pay special attention that your legs do not bend, as it could affect your muscles differently and cause injury.
4. Stop as your body makes an angle of 90 degrees. Tighten towards your glutes and straighten your body.

Reverse Hyperextensions Using a Table

This is a variation of hyperextension that can be performed at home with the help of a table or any other equipment that has a flat surface. However, you have to be cautious because your table may not be as stable as a gym bench or hyperextension machine.

Why is it needed?

This exercise is effective as it helps to develop the hamstrings and glutes. Listed below are the steps that you should follow to perform this exercise seamlessly. 

Steps for performing this exercise:

1. First, you will have to find yourself a suitable table. It should be sturdy enough to support your body weight.
2. Slowly lay down on the table. Your torso should be on top of the table and your legs should be hanging. Your legs should be completely straight.
3. After this, you need to lift your legs upwards. Keep lifting your legs till they are parallel to your body.
4. Hold the position for some time, and lower your legs back to the starting position. Rest for one second and do as many reps as you want.

Nordic Curls

This exercise is also called Nordic Hamstring Curls. This is an advanced exercise that requires special equipment. You can also take the aid of some other person. This is not only one of the best exercises that will benefit your hamstrings, it will also work well on your posterior chain of muscles.

Why is it needed?

This exercise will immediately trigger your lower back and lower body muscles. To add some challenge to this exercise, you might consider holding a weight plate or a dumbbell.

Steps for performing this exercise:

1. Anchor your feet to something.
2. To start the exercise, you will have to kneel on the floor.
3. Start lowering your body weight forward. As your back and hips remain straight, lower your body towards the ground.
4. Now comes the part where your hamstrings will be put to work. Contract your hamstrings and pull yourself back to the starting point.
5. Once you are back to the point where you started, wait for some time and try attempting another rep.

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Kneeling Hip Extensions

To perform this exercise, you will have to kneel down on the ground. This exercise will require the movement of the hips.

Why is it needed?

This exercise ensures the involvement of not just the hamstrings, but also of the lower back and the glutes. If you are desirous to perform this exercise, move on to the next part for guidelines on how to do it.

Steps for performing this exercise:

1. To begin with your exercise, you first have to kneel down with your torso straight up.
2. Sit back on the heels as you bend towards the front through your hips. Try to lean forward as much as you can. However, you have to make sure that you do not fall over.
3. Push your hips forward. After you have held the position for quite some time, return to the initial position. Now you might be ready to prepare for some more reps.

Barbell Hip Thrust

The Barbell Hip Thrust is another alternative to hyperextension. One of the major differences that you experience here is that you do not get to work your hamstrings as much because you do not stretch them out like you do during hyperextension.

Why is it needed?

If you are wondering how this exercise will help you, you need to note that this exercise focuses more on your glute. Therefore, if you are looking for an alternative that focuses more on your glute, then you can opt for this.

Steps for performing this exercise:

1. Get a stable flat bench and rest your upper back on the bench.
2. Place a barbell on your hip crease. Secure it with a foam pad.
3. Your feet should be kept parallel to the floor and your knees should be bent at an angle of 70-90 degrees.
4. Straighten your arms and hold onto the barbell.
5. As your chin is properly tucked in and your abs are tight, try to squeeze the glutes and thrust into the barbell. Keep doing this until you find your torso parallelly aligned to the floor.
6. Slowly lower your hips while keeping in mind that you do not lose the tension in the glutes or abs. With this, you will complete one rep of your exercise.

Glute Ham Raise

Some people find difficulty in performing this exercise, and are unable to perform a single rep of this exercise. Therefore, if you are not into advanced gym training, you should not opt for this exercise.

Why is it needed?

This is quite a challenging alternative to hyperextension. It stresses on your hamstring muscles and reaps benefits equivalent to performing hyperextension. To perform this exercise, you will require an equipment called the glute-ham developer.

Steps for performing this exercise:

1. The Glute Ham Raise begins with the equipment in alignment with the proportions of your body. The ankle pad should be firmly pressed against the Achilles tendon and the knees should be in the mid part of the knee pad.
2. Start exercising with your body upright. As your hips are straight and extended, your abs and glutes will be engaged.
3. Start lowering your body. The body should be in a position where it is parallel to the floor.
4. Squeeze the hamstrings and pull your body back to the beginning position. Your torso should remain upright.

Kettlebell Swings

You need to be very cautious while performing this exercise. You cannot just watch the other people in the gym performing this exercise and master this exercise.

Why is it needed?

Kettlebell is a steel ball with a handle, that you can use for a lot of exercises. This exercise is designed in such a way that it focuses more on the development of explosive strength than simply piling up the muscle mass.

Steps for performing this exercise:

1. Firmly grab the kettlebell’s handle and keep your feet shoulder-width apart. Your feet should be pointed in the outward direction.
2. Push your hip backwards as your gym equipment follows through. As you do this, bend your hip at an angle of 90 degrees.
3. Change your position. Move your hips and your kettlebell forward.
4. As you do this, allow your kettlebell to move forward and upwards. Your arms should be straight and parallelly aligned to the floor.
5. Then again, swing your arms backward and move your hips to follow in the same direction as you push your hips backward.

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Dumbbell romanian deadlift requires the use of lighter weights. Nevertheless, it is an effective substitute to hyperextensions.

Why is it needed?

Dumbbell romanian deadlift also offers you great flexibility in terms of positioning your arms, the way in which you hold your dumbbells, the amount of tension you put on your hips and your lower back, and so on.

Steps for performing this exercise:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells. Keep them close to the legs. You may keep the dumbbells either to the front or by the side.
2. Strengthen your core as you keep the center of gravity of your body on the midfoot or heels.
3. In the next step, you slowly push your hips backward and you slide the dumbbells down the legs. While you do all this, your back should remain flat.
4. You know you have attained the most range of motion when you find your back parallel to the floor. Once you have attained this position, try to stand up straight, and then squeeze your glutes and legs.

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On an Ending Note

Even if you do not have a hyperextension bench, there are plenty of alternative exercises that you can perform in order to strengthen your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings, and sculpt a great lower body.

These exercises will also help you get rid of any kind of lower back pain. Therefore, try out the different alternatives that are mentioned above and get working on your posterior chain muscles to fetch the results best suited for you!