Does your body sound like old furniture? Are you hunched over? The older you get, the more neglected your spine and, eventually, your quality of life tend to be. So you have to do exercises to counter that problem.
Fortunately, you don’t necessarily need complicated routines to do this. Exercises like this Superman are not difficult to do. And the Superman Hold opens up your thoracic spine. Poor posture, particularly this forward bending of the spine, can lead to an imbalance of the muscles in the front of your body, primarily the chest muscles and the muscles in the neck and back. A condition called upper crossing syndrome, which can appear as pain in the back of the neck and in the spine between the shoulder blades, could occur in the absence of good postural hygiene. (The best exercises to relieve back pain).
Doing the Superman hold twice a week (two sets of 10 reps) will go a long way toward counteracting your poor posture. The exercise is also a valuable bodyweight back movement, giving you a chance to balance out your quick push-up-based workouts that you resort to when you’re in a pinch.
How to do the superman exercise
Lie on your stomach on a firm, flat surface with your arms extended in front of you, legs extended behind you.
Squeeze your buttocks, lift your legs a few inches off the ground, and squeeze your back muscles, lifting your arms a few inches off the ground, as if you’re flying like Superman.
Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
Best Training Tips for Superman Hold
Keep your head in line with the rest of your body. There is no need to “look” ahead of you. Your nose should be pointing to the ground.
Engage core, gluteal, and back muscles before thinking about lifting your legs and torso off the ground.
Do not forget to breathe during this movement. Breathe before energetic exercise. Breathe out slowly as you do the movement. Repeat.
Helpful Hint for Exercise Superman
You should try to get your belly button and thighs off the floor while stabilizing (putting the most pressure) on your lower abdomen. (The 25 Best Core Exercises for Your Abs.)
