For those of you who are super hero fans, this Home Exercise of the Week will bring a smile to your face.  This is not a super hero move however and the only similarity between the Superman exercise and the man of steel is the position you are in during the contraction of the movement.  However, you can always pretend you are superman or superwoman if that will help you get through the exercise.

The Superman is a great core exercise that will specifically target your spinal erectors as well as your glutes and upper back muscles.

Let’s take a look at how to do the Superman properly.

• lay in a prone position (face down) with arms extended out in front of you
• take a deep breath in and then exhale as you lift your arms and legs off the floor as high as you can (you should be feeling a contraction in your lower and upper back as well as your glutes)
• hold for 10 seconds, breathing normally, then slowly lower back down to the starting position
• repeat a few more times

So there you have the Superman.  If you find that you can’t lift your arms and legs very high off the floor, that’s ok.  In time you will build strength and become more flexible which will allow you to raise higher.  For an added challenge – just in case you really do feel like superman – you can hold for 30 seconds to a minute or even hold on to some light dumbbells!