Stability Ball Back Extension
The Stability Ball Back Extension is a posterior chain exercise that targets the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings using an exercise ball. It improves spinal stability and posture while helping to prevent lower back pain through controlled hip extension.
Since the lower back is prone to fatigue, our AI analyzes your Recovery and HRV data to ensure you only train this sensitive area when your body is ready. By tracking your RPE and rep performance, the app detects when you've mastered the bodyweight movement and will prompt you to add resistance or slow your tempo for continued progress. If you report discomfort, the system remembers this association and instantly recommends safer alternatives like Bird Dogs or floor-based variations.
Form Cues
- Position your hips at the apex of the ball
- Anchor your feet firmly against a wall for stability
- Tuck your chin to keep your neck neutral
- Squeeze your glutes hard at the top of the movement
- Lower your torso under control, resisting gravity
- Don't hyperextend your spine past a neutral line
- Don't swing your torso using momentum
- Don't crane your neck upward as you lift
- Don't let your feet slide or lose contact with the wall
- Don't relax your core at the bottom of the movement
Common Mistakes
- Hyperextending or arching the lower back too far
- Using momentum instead of glute engagement
- Looking up and straining the neck
- Placing the ball too far forward on the chest
- Failing to engage the hamstrings and glutes
Muscles Worked
This movement primarily strengthens the erector spinae muscles running along your spine, which are crucial for upright posture. It also heavily recruits the glutes and hamstrings to assist in hip extension, ensuring your posterior chain works as a cohesive unit. The unstable nature of the ball additionally engages the deep core stabilizers.
Primary
Secondary
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