I was wondering if you could help me. I can't do hyper extentions to save my life yet and was wondering if a light good morning is a equal replacment.
My lower body workout is as follows:
RDL 5x5
SQUATS 5x5
LUNGES 8x3
HYPERS 8x3
I'd like to put goodmorings inplace of the hypers for awhile until I can build up the strength to do the hypers properly.
Curious to see that you can perform 5x5 RDL but unable to perform hyper extensions.
Can you confirm the description of how you are performing hyper extensionsans whether you are performing these with body weight only or with added load.
I would have to say they are pretty close in muscle involvment... scottsman has a good question though, if you can go that heavy on RDLs you should be able to do hypers... is it just a form issue?
Thanks alot for your input. I just started working out again after about 6 years off. When I do hypers I use the bench that locks your feet in and has pads under your quads. when I try to do them I'm not comfortable with how I come upwards.I know my back is not straight. I think I'm curving higher up in my spine as aposed to my hips. Hopefully this makes sense.
First...You already have a bending exercise in the RDL, therefore, assuming a decent effort on the RDL, another bend is overkill, will most likely be performed at a sub-standard level than if you had performed them first, and will simply create more wear and tear on your back which extends your recovery time before the next workout.
Second...because maximum tension is reached in the hip extended position (top) of the hyperextension, good mornings,which has maximum tension in the hip flexed position, are not an appropriate substitution as the biomechanics are different.
Your progression starting a very low level would be 2 leg bridge, single leg bridge, single leg reverse hyper, reverse hyper, hyperextension, hyperextension with extra load.
If I were you, I'd stick to one movement that loads the spine such as RDLs, good mornings, and hypers. Alternate standing vs. prone (i.e., good morning alt. with reverse hyper) exercises. Because you're also squatting (which you may consider doing in another workout to save your back or if you must squat in the same workout go with a front squat), you're looking at a lot of lower back stress.
Bill
P.S. Your description of how you're doing the hypers indicates that you are not recruiting your glute max. Not a good thing. This indicates that you are either weak or suffer from synergistic dominance whick means you preferentially recruit lumbar erectors and hamstrings to create extension at the hip. This means more wear and tear on the spine with all bends, squats, and hip extension movements. You need to go through the progression I listed above with emphasis on contraction of the glutes for hip extension. Also if you're like most folks with that problem, you need to stretch your hip flexors frequently and especially before you perfom hip extension movements.
Mr Hartman, Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my question. I will start with the progression you listed, I do spend about 20 min every workout streching my hip flexors, hamstrings and hips, as well as my quads.( I've been to PT for this before).Usually I do my streching after my workout as I'm all ready warmed up.(not to damage anything). Should I do sonw of the hip flexor stretchs before my workout aswell? after I warm up on the bike.
Uh, the name is Bill, so you no need to be formal. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
When you are in a corrective mode, pre-exercises stretching to reduce the influence of certain muscle groups is ideal.
If your hip flexors are tight, I'd find an alternative to the bike as a warm-up. The bike tends to train the hip flexors to function throughout a very short range of motion and make them "neurologically" tight. BTW, if hip flexors are tight, you hammie probably are not. [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]
Consider moving to a dynamic warm-up of body weight exercises and calisthenics that includes plenty of lunge variations for the hip flexors.
Bill, I've done neither hypers nor good mornings, ever (well, I've tried them a time or two, but that's it). Just regular deads and RDL's. Am I possibly/likely missing something, development or balance-wise? How might I know?
Mr. Bill is not something I've been called since high school ever since Don Tudrow called me that once and only once if you get my drift.
I can't say for sure whether you're missing out.
Good mornings and RDLs will be similar because of the load being maximal in the hip flexed position, however, if you try them you'll quickly grasp the difference in loading of the upper back and feel the longer lever arm of the resistance.
I don't particularly like the bent over exerises in folks that lack glute max function. It tends to become a lower back + hamstring exercise which can lead to back issues.
Try a hyper some time and see what you lift with. If you feel primarily lower back, then you may be lacking some glute function. Single leg bridge can tell you as well with less of a compressive spinal load.
BTW, if you lack hip extension (tight hip flexors), be sure to stretch the beejeezus out of your hip flexors before glute work. (Beejeezus is a technical term of course meaning more than 10,000...one, couple, few, gross, grand, beejeezus [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img])
last night is switched my lower body workout to.
5x5 RDL
8x3 front squats
12x3 step ups
12x3 bridges.
I think this will help get my started in the right direction.
Note: The weights I'm using for my squats and RDLs are far from my 1RPM as I just starting to workout again. My main goal for this program is to get my body used to bigger movements to gain strengh and lose some fat.
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