Exercise Library
Superman W
The superman W is a prone bodyweight exercise where you lift your chest off the floor while pulling your bent arms into a W shape. It trains the spinal erectors alongside the lower traps, rhomboids, and rear delts, making it both a back extension and a scapular retraction drill. Desk bound lifters use it to counter rounded shoulder posture and to warm up the upper back before pulling sessions.
Primary muscle
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Equipment
Bodyweight
Category
Others
How to Do the Superman W
- Lie face down on a mat with legs extended and arms overhead.
- Bend your elbows and pull them down toward your ribs so your arms form a W, palms facing the floor or forward.
- Exhale and lift your chest, arms, and head off the floor in one motion.
- As you rise, squeeze your shoulder blades down and together, driving the elbows toward your back pockets.
- Keep your neck neutral by looking at the floor just ahead of you.
- Hold the top position for one to two seconds, feeling the mid back and rear delts contract.
- Inhale and lower back to the floor under control, then repeat.
Common Mistakes
- Craning the neck upward: looking forward or up hyperextends the cervical spine; keep the gaze down and the neck long.
- Shrugging toward the ears: letting the upper traps take over defeats the lower trap focus; think of pulling the shoulder blades down as well as back.
- Lifting with momentum: jerking the chest up and flopping down removes the isometric squeeze where the benefit lives; move slowly and pause at the top.
- Only lifting the chest: leaving the arms passive turns it into a plain superman; actively drive the elbows back to earn the W.
Track This Exercise in the App
Log your superman w sets in 1RM.fit and watch your estimated 1RM update automatically as you get stronger.