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Reverse hyperextension

Also called reverse hyper, reverse hyperextension machine.

What is a reverse hyperextension?

A reverse hyperextension raises the legs behind you while your torso rests on a padded support. This guide uses a dedicated plate-loaded machine with a lever connected to a lower-leg attachment. The glutes and hamstrings move the legs at the hips.

Rear three-quarter views of a man lying face down on a plate-loaded reverse hyper machine, with the legs hanging on the left and lifted behind him on the right. Rollers surround the lower legs; the glutes and backs of the thighs are shaded.

How do you perform a reverse hyperextension?

Set up

  1. Select a light starting load and set the machine according to its instructions. Secure the lower-leg attachment; the illustrated model uses rollers, while some machines use a strap.
  2. Lie face down with your hips near the pad edge and thighs free to move. Grip the handles and let the legs hang clear of the floor.

Execution

  1. Raise both legs behind you from the hips, keeping the torso settled on the pad and the knees almost straight.
  2. Stop around the point where your legs line up with your torso, without forcing a larger back arch.
  3. Lower the lever smoothly to the hanging position. Keep control through the change of direction instead of bouncing into the next lift.

Common mistakes

  • Throwing the lever into a large swing

    Reduce the load or the range until you can control the return and start the next lift deliberately.

  • Chasing height by arching the back

    Finish near torso height rather than using a larger back bend to send the feet higher.

Where it fits in a session

Include this exercise where it fits your planned lower-body session.

Record the machine settings and controlled range along with repetitions.

Muscles worked

Front
Front — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.
Back
Back — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

Primary

Secondary

Select a muscle name to locate it.

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

The gluteus maximus and hamstrings extend the hips while the torso is supported.

Variations

  • Two-frame anatomical illustration of a back extension on a 45-degree bench. A woman lies face down with her hips on the angled pad, ankles hooked under the rollers and forearms crossed in front of her chest. In the left frame she is at the top of the rep, body in a straight line from head to heels; in the right frame she has hinged at the hips and hangs down toward the floor, head lowest. In both frames the gluteus maximus and the hamstrings down the back of the thigh are shaded red, and so is a strip of muscle running up either side of the spine from the pelvis to the neck.
    Back extensionSupports the legs while the torso moves; the reverse hyper supports the torso while the legs move.

Frequently asked questions

Is a reverse hyperextension the same as a back extension?

No. A reverse hyperextension holds the torso on a pad and moves the legs. A back extension supports the lower body and moves the torso.

How high should I raise my legs?

For the version in this guide, finish near alignment with the torso. Use a lower endpoint if reaching that height makes you arch or lose contact with the pad.

Sources

  1. Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Gluteus Maximus Muscle. Adel Elzanie, Judith Borger. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/books/NBK538193/
  2. Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Hamstring Muscle. Young Hu, Avais Raja. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/books/NBK546688/

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