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erector spinae

The erector spinae muscles are a group of long muscles that originate near the sacrum and extend vertically up the length of the back. The erector spinae muscles lie on each side of the vertebral column and extend alongside the lumbar, thoracic, and cervical sections of the spine.

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Deadlift

Barbell

Strength Standards (1RM)

  • Beginner - 77 kg

  • Novice - 111 kg

  • Intermediate - 152 kg

  • Advanced - 199 kg

  • Elite - 250 kg

Based on an 80kg Male Lifter, for more strength standards we recommend you visit strengthlevel.com

  1. Prepare the barbell by loading the plates and placing the bar on the floor in front of you. 

  2. Position your foot halfway underneath the bar, you should see your toes on the other side. Your foot stance should be shoulder-width. 

  3. Next, hinge at your hips, bend your knees slightly, and grasp the bar using a standard overhand grip about one thumb-length away from your legs. However, where you choose to grip the bar should be comfortable, so if you feel more natural with a grip closer or farther away from your legs, this is fine. 

  4. Prepare for the lift by bracing your core and feeling your feet well-grounded. Be sure your shoulders aren’t rounded by keeping your chest high. It may also help to look outward in front of you rather than down at the bar to ensure a straight, neutral spine. 

  5. Lift the weight in a slow and controlled manner by slowly unhinging your hips until you’re standing upright. The bar should stay close to your body grazing your legs. It is normal for this to cause bruising or scraping, but this can be avoided by wearing shin guards or tall socks. Be sure to maintain good posture and a stable, engaged core throughout. 

  6. At the top of the movement, avoid overextending the hips outward. This is a common mistake and you have probably seen it done several times, but this over-arching of the lower back can cause serious injury. A slight extension forward is all you’ll need. 

  7. Lower the weight back down slowly, still focusing on a neutral back and a forward gaze. Remember to avoid rounded shoulders by keeping your chest out. 

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Most people use deadlifts to focus on strengthening legs, they are also an efficient way to gain low back strength.

 

Proper form with your deadlifts is vital since they can put your body under a lot of stress!

Good Morning

Barbell

Strength Standards (1RM)

  • Beginner - 24 kg

  • Novice - 50 kg

  • Intermediate - 87 kg

  • Advanced - 135 kg

  • Elite - 190 kg

Based on an 80kg Male Lifter, for more strength standards we recommend you visit strengthlevel.com

  1. Prepare a barbell on a squat rack and place it on your back just above your shoulder blades. It is important you do not rest the barbell on your neck, but rather on a “shelf” created by holding the bar on either side and squeezing your shoulder blades together. 

  2. Position your feet at shoulder-width. 

  3. Prepare for the movement by engaging your core and checking in with your back posture. 

  4. Begin the movement by hinging forward at the hips, moving your torso down towards the floor in a slow, controlled fashion. Keep your back straight, neck neutral, and your gaze forward. Allow your knees to bend. 

  5. Stop hinging when your upper body is parallel to the floor unless the stretch in your hamstrings is too much at any point prior, in which case you’ll want to stop there to avoid injury. Though, you should work up to a fully extended movement for optimum results.

  6. Finish the movement by returning to the upright position. 

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With this exercise you’ll not only be getting a workout for your posterior chain, but also for your legs and glutes.

Rack Pull

Barbell

Strength Standards (1RM)

  • Beginner - 89 kg

  • Novice - 133 kg

  • Intermediate - 189 kg

  • Advanced - 253 kg

  • Elite - 324 kg

Based on an 80kg Male Lifter, for more strength standards we recommend you visit strengthlevel.com

  1. Start by preparing the rack so that the barbell will sit at about knee height. 

  2. Position your feet shoulder-width apart and slightly under the bar like you would for a deadlift.

  3. Hinge at your hips and bend your knees in order to grip the bar. Grasp the bar outside of your legs in an overhand position. 

  4. Prepare for the lift by engaging your core and maintaining a neutral back. Keep your gaze forward throughout the movement. Feel your feet grounded into the floor. 

  5. Lift the bar off the rack keeping the weight close to your body.  

  6. At the top of the movement, like deadlifting, avoid overextension of your hips as this can lead to injury. 

  7. Slowly place the weight back down on the rack, maintaining good posture throughout.

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Because of the shorter range of motion, most lifters find they can move more weight with rack pulls than with deadlifts

Hyperextensions

Body Weight

Strength Standards

  • Beginner - <1

  • Novice - 7

  • Intermediate - 29

  • Advanced - 57

  • Elite - 89

Based on an 80kg Male Lifter, for more strength standards we recommend you visit strengthlevel.com

  1. Get onto the back extension machine. Your thighs should be against the machine’s pad and your feet secured. 

  2. In the upright position, cross your arms over your chest and check in with your posture. Your back should be neutral. 

  3. Next, begin lowering yourself forward by hinging at the hips. The machine will force the form of the movement to some extent, but be sure to keep your shoulders back and avoiding a caved chest. 

  4. Slowly lower yourself down to the floor as far as desired or is possible for your body. 

  5. Next, lift yourself back up to the upright position. Be sure to not overextend at the top by keeping your neck and back in a straight line. 

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Hyperextensions are often also called 'Back Extensions' and you can add weight to make the exercise more difficult.

Bent Over Row

Barbell

Strength Standards (1RM)

  • Beginner - 40 kg

  • Novice - 60 kg

  • Intermediate - 85 kg

  • Advanced - 114 kg

  • Elite - 146 kg

Based on an 80kg Male Lifter, for more strength standards we recommend you visit strengthlevel.com

  1. Prepare your barbell and sit it on the floor in front of you. Always remember less weight is better when learning a new movement, especially one involving sensitive areas like the back. 

  2. Position your feet shoulder-width apart and hinge at your hips, bending your knees and keeping a neutral back. 

  3. Grab your weight from the floor with the standard overhand grip, remembering to engage your core. However, unlike the deadlift, your reps will not start and end at the floor, but rather at the end of the arm extension. 

  4. Begin the movement by squeezing your shoulder blades together and bringing the weight to your chest. It should mimic the movement needed to row a boat, hence the name. Be sure to keep a neutral spine and avoid rounded shoulders by keeping your chest out. Maintain proper neck positioning by keeping your gaze forward. 

  5. Lower the weight back down to the full extension of your arms. Always maintain a slow and controlled approach.

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Bent over rows are one of the best variations for your erector spinae.

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