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Standing Back Extension

A standing hip-hinge movement using just bodyweight, building the lower back and hamstrings without any equipment.

Setup

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hands on your hips or crossed over your chest.

Movement

Push your hips back as you hinge forward. Keep your back flat, knees with a slight, consistent bend. Lower until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Stop before your back starts to round.

Return

Drive your hips forward to return to standing. Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to reverse the hinge.

Common Mistake to Avoid

Rounding the back during the hinge. Same highest-risk error as any hip-hinge movement — keep the back flat.

Equipment None (bodyweight)
Primary Muscles Lower back, hamstrings
Secondary Muscles Glutes

Why it matters

This exercise trains the same basic hip-hinge pattern as a Romanian deadlift or good morning, using nothing but bodyweight, making it a genuinely accessible entry point for learning the hinge pattern before adding any external load.

How to do it

  1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hands on your hips or crossed over your chest.
  2. Push your hips back as you hinge forward. Keep your back flat, knees with a slight, consistent bend.
  3. Lower until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Stop before your back starts to round.
  4. Drive your hips forward to return to standing. Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to reverse the hinge.

Common mistakes

  • Rounding the back during the hinge. Same highest-risk error as any hip-hinge movement — keep the back flat.
  • Bending the knees too much, turning it into a squat. This is a hip-hinge pattern, not a knee-dominant one — keep the knee bend minimal and consistent.
  • Hinging too far for your current flexibility. Range of motion should match what you can control with a flat back.
  • Treating it as too easy to matter. Mastering this bodyweight pattern is genuinely valuable preparation for loaded hip-hinge exercises.

Sets & reps by level

Beginner

3 sets of 12–15 reps, focusing on the hip-hinge pattern.

Intermediate

3–4 sets of 15–20 reps, or hold light dumbbells for added resistance.

Advanced

Typically progressed to loaded hip-hinge exercises (Romanian deadlift, good morning) once the pattern is mastered.

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