Long Lever Standing Hip Extension

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Position yourself in the standing leverage machine with the thigh pads adjusted just below your hip crease.
2. Place your feet hip-width apart on the platform, ensuring your knees are slightly soft but not bent.
3. Interlace your hands behind your head or extend them straight overhead to create a long lever arm.
4. Engage your core and set your shoulder blades back and down to maintain a neutral spine.

How to do it

1. Inhale and slowly hinge forward at the hips, lowering your torso toward the floor while keeping your back perfectly flat.
2. Continue the descent until you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings or your torso is nearly parallel to the floor.
3. Exhale and drive your hips forward into the pad, using your glutes and hamstrings to pull your torso back to the starting position.
4. Perform the movement with a controlled tempo, taking 3 seconds to lower and 1 second to rise.

Form checklist

• Maintain a neutral spine from head to tailbone; do not allow the lower back to round.
• Keep the movement strictly at the hip joint rather than bending from the waist.
• Ensure your weight remains centered over your mid-foot and heels.
• Stop the upward phase once your body reaches a straight line; do not hyperextend the lumbar spine.

Pro tips

• Focus on 'pulling' with your hamstrings to initiate the upward phase rather than just lifting your chest.
• Squeeze your glutes hard at the top of the movement to ensure full hip extension and pelvic stability.

Make it harder

• Hold a weight plate or medicine ball with arms fully extended overhead to maximize the lever length and resistance.
• Add a three-second isometric pause at the bottom of the hinge to increase time under tension.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the long lever standing hip extension work?

The long lever standing hip extension primarily targets the erector spinae, glutes, and hamstrings, and also works the abs and obliques as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the long lever standing hip extension?

The long lever standing hip extension requires no equipment — just your body weight.

Is the long lever standing hip extension good for beginners?

The long lever standing hip extension is rated intermediate. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

Related exercises

• Alternating SupermanBeginner · erector spinae, glutes, and hamstrings
• Around The World SupermanIntermediate · erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings, and lats
• Around The World Superman HoldIntermediate · erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings, lats, and trapezius
• Back Extension On Exercise BallBeginner · erector spinae, glutes, and hamstrings