Complete Core Workout: Superman Exercise
Leah ZahnerDescription
Your core consists of muscles around your stomach and the mid/lower back. Crunches are a great way to impact your core but exclude the mid/lower back, an often under exercised area of our core. The superman exercise is done on the floor and has you reach your hands out in front of your head and your legs extended while you balance yourself on your stomach, pretending to fly like Superman. Pretending optional.
This exercise targets all 360º of your core and helps strengthen your lower back while increasing range of mobility in your thoracic spine. Important for all the rigors bowling offers on a league night or tournament.
Step 1
Start by laying on your stomach with your arms overhead and your legs extended.
Step 2
Next, squeeze the muscles in your back and lift up your arms and legs simultaneously until you find your highest point. Then return to your starting position, controlling your weight on the way down.
There are two ways to work reps into your exercise program. Smooth controlled lifts (demonstrated above) or hold at the highest point of the exercise for as long as you can, before coming back down.
Common mistakes made when doing the superman exercise include:
- – Overextending your arms and legs
- – Holding your breath
- – Looking up
- – Going too fast
- – Not believing you are Superman (again, optional)
Avoiding these common mistakes when doing the superman exercise will help prevent injury and build your core muscles.
Check out more exercises from National Bowling Academy that will improve your bowling performance and overall wellness.
Any time you're strengthening your core, it's important to remember the muscles in your back as well. One of the exercises that you can use to strengthen your back is called the Superman. It's done on the floor with your arms reaching out in front of you and your legs long behind you. You'll create a big lift by squeezing the muscles of your back, and then controlling the release back down to the floor. It will look like this. Start laying all the way forward with your arms overhead, legs long behind you, and start to squeeze the muscles of your back to lift up. Find your very highest point, and then control your way all the way back down to the floor. You can do this in two ways. Very slow, smooth, controlled lifts and lowers, or squeeze the muscles, lift to the top, and hold for as long as you can before coming back down. Once you feel that the muscles of your back have been strengthened, finish your repetitions, support your way up to a seated position, and you're done.
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