The reverse hyper is an exercise invented by Louie Simmons when he was fixing his broken back and is credited with rehabbing many such injuries. It is still somewhat of a rare machine to find in most big box gyms and many people do not understand how to use it or the many benefits. We will discuss both here.
The reverse hyper does not have to be done on the machine specially designed for it; it can be done on a GHR mounted in reverse or even a countertop above hip level (I used to do this during COVID). The machine is the obvious first choice but if you do not have access, just use one of the other methods mentioned above.
The proper setup should have the hips slightly off the ends of the pads (or countertop..) so your hips can extend freely without causing rounding of the lower back. Brace the core by flexing the abs (the pad you are laying on should help keep the spine neutral) and use the glutes and hamstrings to bring the legs from below the horizontal hip line to above. Pause at the top for a count while contracting the glutes hard then release back to the starting position. It is okay to use some momentum to get the weight up but make sure the first pull back up to the contracted position is from the glutes, not the back.
Now that we know how to perform the movement, we can go over some of the benefits.
The main benefit of the reverse hyper is its ability to provide volume for the lower back, hips, and glutes without applying compressive stress to the spine. Think about it, basically any exercise you are doing for that musculature will put stress on the spine (squats, deadlifts, hip thrusts, even back extensions). This is great news for anyone with lower back problems as they can strengthen the hips and lower back (weak hips, glutes, and lower back muscles are normally the reason people have back problems in the first place…) without aggravating the lower back. As you perform the movement, the spine is actually extended since the weight and gravity is pulling against your hands holding you on the bench. As they strengthen this musculature, the back problems will generally go away and the trainee can begin doing movements such as squats and deadlifts.
A secondary benefit to the reverse hyper is its ability to teach hip extension. Most folks, when trying to learn hip extension, perform the standard “Instagram girl trying to show off her ass” pose, i.e., lower back arched just shy of snapping in half. This is obviously incorrect and will lead to injury as soon as any appreciable weight is used.
When performing the reverse hyper, this is mitigated. By laying on the bench stomach down, it pushes the abdominals in forcing the spine to straighten out and preventing the lower back arch (you’d have to push your abs through the pad to arch the lower back). This will reinforce correct movement patterns as the hips break and extend exclusive of the rest of the body and lower back.
Hopefully this article has convinced you to implement the reverse hyper into your training. Your lower back and glutes will thank you.