The superman strengthens the muscles along the back of your body. Lying face down, you lift your straight arms and legs off the floor at the same time and hold briefly. In a lower back program it usually comes later, once the easier back exercises feel comfortable.

How to do the superman

Lie face down on a mat with your legs straight, your arms stretched out on the floor above your head and your forehead resting on the mat.
Gently tighten your stomach and squeeze your buttocks.
Breathe out and slowly lift both arms, your head and upper back, and both legs off the floor together. Keep your elbows and knees straight but not locked.
Your body makes a gentle U shape, with your hands and feet a few inches off the floor. Look at the floor a little in front of you so the back of your neck stays long.
Hold for about 5 seconds and keep breathing, then breathe out as you lower slowly back to the mat.

What you should feel

Work in the muscles along your spine and in your buttocks, with some effort in the backs of your thighs and shoulders. Hard work is fine. A pinch in the lower back is not.

Common mistakes

Lifting as high as you can. A small lift is enough, and extra height mostly adds arching in the lower back.
Pulling your head up to look straight ahead. That puts extra load on your neck.
Holding your breath while you hold the lift.

How often

A common start is 1 to 3 sets of 5 to 10 lifts, each with a hold of about 5 seconds. Your physio will adjust this and may start you on an easier version first.

Stop and check with your physio if

Pain spreads down your leg, or you get numbness or tingling.
Your back pain is worse after the set and does not settle within a few minutes.
Your neck or shoulders hurt when you lift your arms.

From the clinic

Of the floor exercises for the back, this is one of the harder ones, so it is rarely where a program starts. If lifting everything at once is too much, try an easier version: arms only, legs only, or one arm with the opposite leg.

A folded towel under your forehead makes the start position kinder on your neck. Build the hold time first. Height can come later, if at all.

Lying face down is one to clear with your physio if you are pregnant. They can give you a version on your hands and knees instead.

The lift puts your back into an arch, which often aggravates narrowing of the spinal canal (spinal stenosis) and a forward slip of one vertebra on another (spondylolisthesis). With either diagnosis, check with your physio first. If you have had a fracture in your spine, check with your physio before you begin.

Reviewed by the PocketPhysio by VirtueLife expert physiotherapy team. Last reviewed 2026-09-25.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Superman