Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Lower Back Curl: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The lower back curl is a bodyweight exercise that targets the muscles of the lower back (spine) and also engages the glutes and hamstrings. It involves lying face down and curling the upper body off the ground by contracting the lower back muscles.

Primary muscles
Not recorded
Secondary muscles
Glutes , Hamstrings
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Beginner · Compound
Demonstration of the lower back curl
Front view: muscles worked by the lower back curl. Secondary: glutes and hamstrings.
Back view: muscles worked by the lower back curl. Secondary: glutes and hamstrings.
Primary Secondary

How to do the lower back curl

  1. Step 1: Lie flat on your stomach with your legs extended and your arms by your sides.
  2. Step 2: Engage your glutes and hamstrings, and slowly lift your upper body off the ground, curling your back upwards.
  3. Step 3: Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
  4. Step 4: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the lower back curl by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.