This
is an exercise that actually surprised
me with how good it felt...and I actually
made it a staple of my training after
that!
It's
not a heavy exercise...it's a back
extension done with lateral-pulling
resistance from the cable, which immediately
activates the lateral stabilizing
muscles of the lower back and spine
as you're doing the back extension
exercise.
Here's
the good part...it involves NO twisting
on the spine even though it works
the lateral and rotational-stabilizing
muscles. The uneven resistance on
the body is what forces that activation
by PREVENTING rotation and twisting.
It's
an extremely effective exercise that
really hit my lower back and mid-back
in a way I hadn't ever experienced
before and is DEFINITELY worth trying
out. Do just a few sets at the end
of each workout, aiming for about
6 to 8 reps per set.
So to
do this, you'll need a low pulley
and a moveable hyper bench (45 degree
one will work the best).
Set
it in the center of the two pulleys
(or if you just have one, set it about
4 or 5 feet away) and a little back
from being in line. You'll see why
it needs to be a bit back when you
see the exercise in action.
Go to
the left pulley and grab it with your
left hand. Use a light weight for
this - only a couple of notches on
the cable stack, especially the first
time you do it. As I mentioned, it's
NOT a heavy exercise - it directs
unilateral resistance through your
torso, forcing the small stabilizing
muscles of the spine to activate to
counter that torque.
Get
in position on the hyper bench as
you normally would, but holding your
left arm (and the cable) directly
out to the side, with your right arm
behind your back.
Now
lower down in the bottom of the extension.
Keep that arm STRAIGHT out to the
side. The only function of the weight
here is to provide lateral-pulling
tension on the body.
Perform
these very deliberately and with tight
form. Because the pull is coming from
the left, you'll need to push with
your left foot a bit harder to maintain
balance.
Once
you've performed your reps on the
one side, switch to the other.
This
gives you a good vide of how the cable
is held. Here you can see exactly
why the bench needs to be a bit back
from the line of the cable.
Come
down into the extension, keeping that
arm straight out to the side.
That's
the exercise! It's performed almost
exactly like a normal back extension...the
lateral pulling tension is going to
really hit those small stabilizer
muscles of the lower back and spine
and help you develop much better spinal
strength and stability, while also
working the bigger spinal erector
muscles.
