Superman exercise for the back. Increasing blood flow in the pelvic area How to perform the superman girl exercise correctly

At first glance, the superman exercise lying on the floor seems quite simple. It will not be easy for an unprepared person; several muscle groups are involved.

After several sessions, the body will get used to the loads, and it will be easier to carry out the load. The exercise, when performed in a fairly simple manner, is effective for strengthening the abs, buttock muscles, and back.

Strong abs are the dream of any person; Superman will help you achieve this in a short period of time. It is recommended to include the complex in home, independent exercises, because from a safety point of view, it is much easier on the back than other types of exercises with a barbell or exercise equipment.

The whole secret is this: the load on the intervertebral discs is much lower than when performing other types of exercises, therefore, injuries are practically eliminated.

At home, without having dumbbells or auxiliary devices, by doing this exercise you can make the tendons and muscles of the lower back stronger, get a sculpted, beautiful back, and perfect your abdominal muscles. When performing superman, the trainee uses the following types of muscles:

  • Gluteus maximus
  • Double-headed
  • Semitendinosus
  • Extensor spinae
  • Press the abdomen
  • Semimembranosus muscles

By the way, if you want to lose weight you need to be able to run properly. About this and more.

When you perform the superman exercise while lying on the floor, you need to maintain a balance in the level of the abdomen, its muscles are strengthened, therefore, this exercise must be performed regularly in order to achieve your ideal weight.

Attention! This exercise is strictly contraindicated for women expecting a baby!

The main feature of the exercise is that there is no need to use special sports equipment; you only need a mat and a little free space to stretch out to your full height and begin to strengthen the muscles of the abs and back.

It is quite difficult for a beginner performing this complex; the load is enormous. To achieve the desired effect, you need to be able to use the technique and nuances of execution.

How to perform the superman exercise while lying on the floor

  1. Starting position: lie with your stomach down, your abs should be very tense, arms extended forward, palms down, head slightly raised, look straight.
  2. Raise your legs and arms up, trying to keep them as high as possible. Ideally, they should be parallel to the floor plane. Trainees should have a semblance of the image of a flying Superman.
  3. The body must be held in this position for 3-5 seconds, then it must be taken to the starting position.
  4. Perform four to five sets of 25-30 repetitions, this amount can provide an intense load on the muscles.

To enhance the effect of training with parts of the body raised up, it is allowed to rotate the body.

Video instructions on how to do the superman exercise

Follow the execution technique if you want to achieve quick results. For beginners who find it difficult to train, professionals give some useful tips:

  • When starting a lesson, take off your shoes, this will make it much easier for you.
  • Do not raise your arms when performing, keep them pressed to the floor, along the body, at least when practicing for the first time.
  • You can do Superman on one side, lifting, lowering the left side of the body, then the right.
  • If you notice pain in your lower back while doing this workout, limit yourself to just lifting the front of your body.
  • You can also perform the complex by lifting your right leg, left arm, then do the opposite

To increase the load while performing superman, you can actually strengthen the training many times over by holding small dumbbells and continue the exercise in this way; the result for the abdominal and back muscles is fantastic.

Well, our next article has come to an end! Thank you all for your attention) We also recommend reading the article on the topic - how to lose weight without dieting. In this article we talked about the most effective method for girls and women.

Reading time: 9 minutes

Superman is an excellent exercise for strengthening the muscles of the back and lower back, working out the abs and buttocks, and correcting posture. This exercise is very useful for both a slim figure and a healthy spine. This article will discuss the benefits of the “superman”, features and correct technique, as well as options for performing the superman.

Superman: technique and performance features

If you want to strengthen your back muscles safely and effectively, then include the superman exercise in your training plan. This simple, but very high-quality exercise helps to work out the muscle corset, improve your figure, strengthen your lower back and eliminate slouching in the back. Most back exercises are very traumatic: for example, deadlifts can injure your back if performed incorrectly. Superman will not only not harm your health, but will also help stretch the spine, improve posture and strengthen the lumbar muscles as a preventive measure for lower back pain.

Superman exercise technique:

1. Lie on your stomach on the floor, face down, head slightly raised. Stretch your arms forward, palms facing the floor, try to stretch your whole body. This is the starting position.

2. As you exhale, lift your arms, chest and legs off the floor and slowly lift them as high as possible. The body should form a slight arch in the back, the whole body tense and taut. Try to raise your arms and legs as high as possible, to do this, engage your abdominal and buttock muscles. Do not throw your neck back; it should be an extension of your back. Stay in this position for 4-5 seconds.

3. As you inhale, slowly lower yourself to the floor to the starting position and relax a little. Perform 10-15 repetitions in 3-4 sets.

How to perform superman:

As you can see, the resulting position resembles a flying Superman, hence the name of this useful exercise for the back and lower back. In addition, due to the constant tension of the legs, there is a good load on the gluteal muscles and hamstrings. The Superman is a great exercise to work all the muscles in the back of your body. Superman is also a preparatory exercise for performing deadlifts - one of the most useful exercises for the back and buttocks, but requiring trained muscles to avoid injury.

Muscle work during superman

The purpose of performing the superman exercise is to work out the back and strengthen the spine, but in addition, during the exercises, the muscles of the buttocks, back of the thigh and shoulder muscles are also included in the work.

So, when performing superman, the following muscles are involved:

  • spinal extensors
  • gluteus maximus muscle
  • hamstrings
  • stabilizer muscles
  • deltoids

You should not perform the exercise during acute or chronic back pain. You should also not perform Superman during pregnancy.

Superman for Beginners

Although the superman exercise seems simple at first glance, not everyone, even experienced practitioners, will be able to cope with it flawlessly. To perform well as a superman, you need to have a pumped-up muscle corset and strong lower back muscles. If you cannot yet perform superman with full amplitude and a large number of repetitions, then do not worry. This exercise has a simplified version that will prepare your muscles for a “full-fledged” superman.

How to perform superman for beginners? Lie on your stomach face down with your head off the floor. Stretch your arms forward. Raise your right arm and left leg as high as possible, hold for 4-5 seconds and then slowly lower them to the floor. Then raise your left arm and right leg as high as possible, hold for 4-5 seconds and then slowly lower them to the floor. Repeat 15 repetitions on each side, alternating between them. Perform 3 sets.

Superman: 10 different modifications

One of the advantages of Superman is the variety of execution options. You can always make this exercise easier or more difficult depending on your fitness level.

1.

This version of the superman exercise is very useful for posture and getting rid of stoop.

If you find it difficult to perform superman with your arms extended forward, you can stretch them along your body. In this position, it will be easier for you to lift your body off the floor.

This version of the exercise will help you work out the rectus abdominis and oblique abdominal muscles even more effectively.

4. Superman with a dumbbell

For more advanced practitioners, you can perform superman with additional weight, for example, throwing a dumbbell behind your neck. To begin with, you can take a small weight of 1-2 kg. You can also perform superman with leg weights, in this case the lower part of the body will be pumped more intensely.

If you have a bench, comfortable chair or stool, then you can perform this version of the superman. For stability, place your feet against the wall.

If you have a fitball, then it is very effective and useful to perform back exercises on it.

The expander is one of the most useful exercises for the back. You can do the superman exercise with him too.

8. Superman with a fitness band for the buttocks

But if your goal is to work the muscles of the buttocks and the back of the thigh, then we recommend that you purchase a fitness elastic band. This is the most useful equipment for the muscles of the lower body.

Many thanks to YouTube channels for the gifs The Live fit girl and FitnessType.

After performing superman, you can relax your back muscles with the cat exercise, which involves bending and arching your back. Repeat this exercise slowly 10-15 times after performing the superman.

Benefits of performing superman

  • An ideal exercise to strengthen the muscles of the back and lower back
  • Strengthens the muscles and tendons of the lower back
  • Safe exercise with low risk of injury
  • Suitable even for beginners
  • Helps correct posture and get rid of slouching
  • Stretches the spine and is an excellent prevention of back and lower back pain
  • Allows you to strengthen your abdominal muscles and tighten your tummy
  • To complete this you will not need additional equipment
  • This is an exercise that has many modifications, so you can always diversify or complicate it

Anyone can get tired of push-ups if they are regular ones. Yes, you can do push-ups with dumbbells, with your feet on a bench or exercise ball, and even on one hand. But all the same, this is the same movement that can be done in dozens and even hundreds. What if we told you that there is a push-up, one repetition of which is worth thousands of ordinary ones? It's called "Superman push-ups." To master it, you will need to complete a monthly plan designed specifically for you.

Week 1

Let's do clap push-ups- at the top point, pushing off the floor, clap your palms.


Day 1 | 5 sets of 6 repetitions.

Day 2 | 5 sets of 6 repetitions.

Day 3 | 5 sets of 8 repetitions.

Day 4 |"Superman" lying down. Lie on the floor with your arms extended forward. Synchronously lift your legs and arms off the floor and freeze for a second. Return to the starting position. Do 5 sets of 10 repetitions.

Day 5 | 5 sets of 10 repetitions.

Day 6 | 5 sets of 12 repetitions.

Day 7 | Test: Perform 15 clapping push-ups in a row, without stopping. If it doesn’t work, repeat the 1st week.

Week 2

Let's move on to chest clap push-ups: the task is to have time to slap yourself on the chest while lifting off the ground.


Day 8 | 5 sets of 4 repetitions.

Day 9 | 5 sets of 4 repetitions.

Day 10 | 5 sets of 6 repetitions.

Day 11 | "Superman" lying down. 5 sets of 10 repetitions.

Day 12 | 5 sets of 6 repetitions.

Day 13 | 5 sets of 8 repetitions.

Day 14 | Test: Do 10 repetitions of chest slap push-ups in a row. Couldn't? Repeat for a week.

Week 3

The next step - while pushing off the ground, have time to stretch your arms forward, do
flying push-ups.


Day 15 | 4 sets of 3 repetitions.

Day 16 | 4 sets of 3 repetitions.

Day 17 | 4 sets of 4 repetitions.

Day 18 |"Superman" lying down. This time, hold for 2 seconds on each rise. Do 4 sets of 8 repetitions.

Day 19 | 4 sets of 6 repetitions.

Day 20 | 4 sets of 6 repetitions.

Day 21 | Test: Do 8 flying push-ups in a row. If you fail, repeat the whole week again.

Week 4

Let's do jumping push-ups. The task is to push off so hard as to lift not only your arms, but also your legs off the floor.

The boat exercise for the back is loved by all those people who have been practicing it for a long time. This movement should be well known to fans of CrossFit and bodyflex. She has several other names - superman and swallow.

She's well works the main muscle groups, giving you a feeling of lightness and pleasant fatigue at the same time. Those who have just started doing it note that the exercise is quite difficult to perform, but gives a good effect.

In reality, doing it according to all the rules in the initial stages is not so easy. This movement is easy for those who are in good physical shape. Those who have recently started practicing it should try to follow all the necessary recommendations when performing it in order to quickly master it and get the desired result - a slim figure and a toned stomach.

The benefits of this movement - 9 facts

This movement uses a huge variety of different muscle groups. What muscles work:

It also has many positive properties:

  1. Formation of ideal posture. Correct posture is not only aesthetically important, but also contributes to the anatomically correct location of internal organs. Although it is more effective for posture;
  2. Strengthening the corset muscles. Promotes the formation of the correct position of the spinal column, the prevention of osteochondrosis and other diseases of the spine;
  3. Development, first of all, of the joints of the spine, as well as the shoulder and hip joints. Stimulating the production of joint fluid and strengthening the cartilage layer.
  4. Improving blood flow in internal organs and tissues;
  5. Restoration of the disturbed muscle tension-relaxation process. Due to pain and spasms in the back muscles, this process is disrupted, and it can be difficult for the muscles to relax even at rest;
  6. Favorable effect on various body systems - the vascular system, the digestive system and others;
  7. Restoration of disrupted nerve impulses. Superman helps relieve muscle spasms, release nerve roots and restore normal organ function;
  8. This is the movement included by therapeutic gymnastics instructors as part of exercises for the treatment of various curvatures of the spine and osteochondrosis. In this case, it is necessary to contact a doctor to clarify the nuances of performing a swallow, since with varying degrees of curvature, the types of loads and their quantity are individually selected for each patient.
  9. This movement also helps. See about it on our website.

Technique for performing the boat exercise

In the classic version, the superman exercise lying on the floor, or simply “boat”, uses the muscles of the abs, hips, back, etc. At the beginning, a warm-up is recommended, which can include any active movements. to warm up your muscles. Then you need exercises aimed at stretching the back muscles.

How to do it correctly:

  1. Lie on your back, stretch your arms parallel to your body.
  2. Legs touch tightly.
  3. At the same time, raise your straight legs and arms up, leaning on your buttocks.
  4. We hold the maximum position for a few seconds, lower ourselves, lie on our back and relax for three counts.
  5. We repeat the exercise three times to start. With each workout we increase the number of repetitions.

Watch the video for more details:

You can try different versions of the superman pose, depending on what kind of physical shape you are in.

Note! Don’t forget to control your breathing - tension as you exhale, relaxation as you inhale.

Reverse boat exercise

This option uses the muscles of the thighs, back, abs, gluteus maximus and gastrocnemius. In general, this option is very similar to the usual one.

  1. We lie down on our stomachs and relax. If your muscles are stiff, the exercise will not be possible.
  2. We stretch our arms forward, keep our legs together.
  3. As we exhale, we raise our legs and arms, lifting them off the floor, trying to bend as much as possible. Important! We keep our legs and arms straight - they should not be bent at the knees or elbows.
  4. We hold this position for a few seconds, and while inhaling, lie down on our stomach. We rest for a few seconds. Breathing is free.
  5. We repeat from three to seven times - depending on your physical form.

How long should you hold the boat pose? Start with a few seconds and, over time, work your way up to 20-30 seconds at a time.

Learn more from the video:

If you don’t manage to bend very much the first time, that’s okay. It is enough if to begin with, you will simply lift your feet and palms off the floor. Each time you will be able to perform this exercise much better, as the muscles will be stretched and the hip and shoulder joints will be developed.

Important! Take a break between exercises. This is necessary so that the muscles can relax and the tension-relaxation connection is not disrupted. Otherwise, instead of benefit, you may get muscle spasm. When you get used to this load, the rest time between exercises can be reduced and done at a fairly high pace.

Boat in a storm

If you are in good physical shape, then you will most likely succeed in the exercise the first time. If you have not often paid attention to physical education, then you will have to master the technique over a certain period of time. But then the exercise will become one of your favorites. Let's start mastering it:

  1. We lie on our stomach, stretch our arms along the body, legs together.
  2. We bend our legs at the knees, reach for our feet with our hands and cover them with our palms.
  3. We bend as much as possible and begin to slowly sway forward and backward. We maintain our balance and don’t fall over on our side. We lower our legs and arms and lie on our stomach. We rest for a few seconds and repeat the exercise several times.

The muscles involved in this exercise are the same as in the previous one.

Important! Breathing should be free when performing superman. You cannot hold your breath, as this is harmful to the cardiovascular system. Before performing the “storm boat”, you can try other, easier to perform variations of this exercise, for example, “reverse boat”.

Side variety

This variation works the spinalis dorsi, longissimus dorsi, lumbar and pectoral muscles.

  1. We lie on our side, leaning on our hand, with our other hand we take ourselves by the back of our head, and with our legs we stretch down.
  2. Raise your legs above the floor and hold for a few seconds. We rely on the lateral surface of the pelvis and the lateral part of the thoracic region.
  3. We lower our legs and roll over to the other side.
  4. We repeat, to begin with, up to seven times, gradually increasing the number of repetitions.

Pause for a few seconds between rolling over to the other side.

For beginners, the rest time between repetitions of the exercise can be increased to thirty seconds. This is necessary so that the muscles can fully relax. As you adapt, you can gradually increase the total number of exercises and reduce periods of muscle relaxation. Control your balance position, do not roll onto your back or stomach.

Note! Don't hold your breath, breathe freely and measuredly.

The following complexes also showed high efficiency:

These exercises are used both in home exercises, and as part of a physical therapy complex, and in bodybuilding. The “boat” is a universal movement that can make your figure slim and your posture ideal. To create a “fighting spirit” for classes, come up with some attractive incentive. And then just start doing the exercise. And don’t put it off “for later”!