Reverse Hyperextension on Stability Ball

Description

How to Do Reverse Hyperextension on Stability Ball

1. 1
   Setup

   Position your torso face down on a stability ball, with your hips centered on top, and place your hands flat on the floor for support.

2. 2
   Setup

   Extend your legs straight behind you, keeping them together and off the floor, engaging your core to maintain a neutral spine.

3. 3

   Exhale as you squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to lift your legs towards the ceiling, keeping your knees straight but not locked.

4. 4

   Pause briefly at the peak of the movement, focusing on the contraction in your posterior chain, ensuring your lower back does not over-arch.

5. 5

   Inhale slowly as you lower your legs back to the starting position with controlled movement, resisting gravity.

6. 6

   Ensure your feet do not touch the floor at the bottom of the movement before initiating the next repetition.

Tips

• Focus on initiating the movement primarily with your glutes and hamstrings, rather than just lifting with your lower back.
• Maintain a strong core brace throughout the exercise to protect your lower back and prevent excessive lumbar hyperextension.
• Control both the lifting and lowering phases of the movement; avoid using momentum to swing your legs up.
• Keep your gaze neutral, looking towards the floor, to maintain proper cervical spine alignment with the rest of your spine.

Common Mistakes

• ×Arching the lower back excessively rather than extending at the hips can put undue stress on the lumbar spine; fix this by focusing on glute contraction and limiting the range of motion.
• ×Using momentum to swing the legs up reduces muscle activation; fix this by performing the movement slowly and deliberately, focusing on the mind-muscle connection.
• ×Allowing the legs to drop quickly without control minimizes time under tension; fix this by actively resisting gravity during the eccentric (lowering) phase.