Lever Back Extension

1. Set the seat and pad positions so the back pad sits across your upper back and the pivot lines up roughly with your hips.
2. Select a light to moderate weight on the stack and sit down with feet secured on the platform or under the pads.
3. Cross your arms over your chest or hold the handles, and start with your torso flexed slightly forward.
4. Exhale and drive your torso backward against the pad by extending through your hips and lower back.
5. Stop when your torso is in line with your thighs; do not hyperextend past neutral.
6. Pause briefly at the top with the glutes engaged.
7. Inhale and return forward slowly to the starting position without letting the stack slam down.

Common Mistakes

• Hyperextending at the top: driving past a neutral spine pinches the lumbar facet joints; stop when your trunk lines up with your legs.
• Using momentum: throwing the torso back fast loads the spine abruptly; the erectors respond best to slow, controlled reps.
• Loading too heavy too soon: the lower back fatigues and rounds quickly under excess weight; earn heavier stacks with weeks of consistent moderate work.
• Misaligning the pivot: if the machine's axis does not match your hip joint, the pad drags and the range feels wrong; take time with the seat adjustments.