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Exercises

Warm up for lower back: 8 minutes before deadlifts and hinges

Published October 24, 2026

Row easy for 3 minutes, do 5 walkouts, 8 supermans, 8 dead bugs per side, 12 band good mornings and 12 band pull-throughs, then 3 to 4 ramp-up sets of your first hinge. About 8 minutes, and your back and hips have moved through the hinge with light load before the heavy sets.

  1. Rowing Machine Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Lats
  2. Walkout Abs, Shoulders, Chest
  3. Superman Lower Back
  4. Band Good Morning Hamstrings, Lower Back
  5. Band Pull-Through Glutes
  6. Dead Bug Abs

Raise: 3 minutes

The rower hinges a little on every stroke, so three easy minutes warm the back, hips and legs together. Keep the pace conversational.

Raise: full-body easy cardio

Rowing Machine

Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Lats

It moves you in and out of a slight hinge on every stroke while it raises your heart rate.

How to do it

  1. Strap your feet in and hold the handle with straight arms.
  2. Push with your legs first, then lean back slightly and bring the handle to your lower ribs.
  3. Reverse the order on the way back: arms forward, body tips forward, knees bend.
  4. Keep the pace conversational, around 20 strokes a minute.

Cues

  • Legs, body, arms; arms, body, legs
  • Easy enough to talk

Common mistakes

  • Racing the first minute: this is a warm-up, so finish feeling fresher than you started.

Swap for: Stationary Bike, Air Bike, Jump Rope

Build a session with Rowing Machine

Raise: easy cardio, no impact

Stationary Bike

Quads, Hamstrings

No-impact option if the rower is busy.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so your knee keeps a small bend when the pedal is lowest.
  2. Pedal at a light resistance for the first two minutes.
  3. Add a little resistance every minute until you are breathing harder but can still speak in sentences.

Cues

  • Light first, then a notch up
  • Sit tall

Common mistakes

  • Grinding a heavy gear from the start: build the resistance gradually.

Swap for: Rowing Machine, Air Bike, Treadmill Walk

Build a session with Stationary Bike

Move the spine and hips: 2 minutes

Walkouts fold you at the hips and lengthen you into a plank; dead bugs teach the lower back to stay still while the arms and legs move. Five walkouts and 8 dead bugs per side are enough.

Mobility: hamstrings, shoulders and trunk in one move

Walkout

Abs, Shoulders, Chest

Folding to the floor and walking out to a plank moves the hips and lower back through their range under control.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall, hinge forward and place your palms on the floor, bending your knees as much as needed.
  2. Walk the hands forward into a push-up position with a straight body.
  3. Hold for a breath, then walk your hands back to your feet and stand up.

Cues

  • Hands walk, feet stay
  • Long body at the far end

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hips sag at the far end: squeeze your glutes and brace.

Swap for: Bear Crawl, Plank to Push-Up, Mountain Climber

Build a session with Walkout

Activation: deep abs with a still lower back

Dead Bug

Abs

It teaches the lower back to stay still while the limbs move, the job it does in a deadlift.

How to do it

  1. Lie face up with arms pointed at the ceiling and knees bent over your hips.
  2. Press your lower back gently into the floor.
  3. Lower the opposite arm and leg toward the floor while you breathe out, then return and switch.

Cues

  • Lower back stays down
  • Breathe out as you reach

Common mistakes

  • The back arching off the floor: shorten the reach until it stays down.

Swap for: Plank, Reverse Crunch, Plate Hollow Hold

Build a session with Dead Bug

Wake the back of the body: 2 minutes

Light extension work and band hinges, far from fatigue. Supermans work the muscles along the spine, band good mornings rehearse the hinge, and pull-throughs finish it with a hip snap. One set each.

Activation: back of the body

Superman

Lower Back

One light set wakes up the muscles along your spine.

How to do it

  1. Lie face down with your arms overhead.
  2. Raise arms, chest and legs a few inches off the floor.
  3. Pause, then lower with control.

Cues

  • Long, not high
  • Look at the floor

Common mistakes

  • Cranking the neck up: keep your gaze down.

Swap for: 45-Degree Back Extension, Back Extension, Dead Bug

Build a session with Superman

Activation: hinge pattern with light load

Band Good Morning

Hamstrings, Lower Back

The hinge with almost no load, so you practice hips back and a flat back.

How to do it

  1. Stand on a band and loop it behind your neck or across your upper back.
  2. Push your hips back with soft knees until your torso tilts forward.
  3. Squeeze your glutes to stand up.

Cues

  • Hips travel back
  • Flat back

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees into a squat: keep the shins nearly vertical.

Swap for: Band Pull-Through, Dumbbell Good Morning, Romanian Deadlift

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Activation: glutes in a hinge

Band Pull-Through

Glutes

The band pulls you into the hinge and your glutes pull you out, a warm-up for the lockout.

How to do it

  1. Anchor a band low behind you and hold it between your legs.
  2. Hinge back so the band pulls your hands through your legs.
  3. Drive your hips forward and squeeze your glutes to stand tall.

Cues

  • Hips do the work
  • Squeeze at the top

Common mistakes

  • Pulling with the arms: they only hold the band.

Swap for: Cable Pull-Through, Band Good Morning, Kettlebell Swing

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Activation: lower back and glutes

45-Degree Back Extension

Glutes, Hamstrings

In a gym, a light set of 10 does the superman's job with more range.

How to do it

  1. Set the pad just below your hip crease and hook your heels.
  2. Lower your torso by bending at the hips.
  3. Rise until your body is in a straight line, not past it.

Cues

  • Stop at straight
  • Arms crossed

Common mistakes

  • Arching hard at the top: finish level with your legs.

Swap for: Back Extension, Superman, Weighted Back Extension

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Activation: glutes with light load

Dumbbell Glute Bridge

Glutes

Glutes that are awake share the load in the hinge.

How to do it

  1. Lie face up with feet flat and a dumbbell on your hips.
  2. Drive your heels down and raise your hips until knees, hips and shoulders line up.
  3. Lower slowly.

Cues

  • Heels push
  • Ribs down at the top

Common mistakes

  • Arching the lower back at the top: finish with your glutes, not your spine.

Swap for: Single-Leg Glute Bridge, Band Hip Thrust, Kettlebell Glute Bridge

Build a session with Dumbbell Glute Bridge

Ramp the hinge

Climb to your working weight with 3 to 4 light sets of your first hinge, such as the deadlift or Romanian deadlift, cutting reps as the weight rises: for example about 40 percent for 5, then heavier sets for 3, 2 and 1.

Main lift: hinge with ramp-up sets

Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

The ramp starts with the empty bar for 10 and climbs in three steps.

How to do it

  1. Stand holding the bar at your thighs, knees soft.
  2. Push your hips back and slide the bar down your legs until you feel the hamstrings stretch.
  3. Bring your hips through to stand.

Cues

  • Hips back
  • Bar on your legs

Common mistakes

  • Rounding to reach lower: stop where your back stays flat.

Swap for: Dumbbell Good Morning, Band Pull-Through, Good Morning

Build a session with Romanian Deadlift

Main lift: deadlift with ramp-up sets

Barbell Deadlift

Glutes, Lower Back

Heavy pulls from the floor get four ramp sets with fewer reps each time.

How to do it

  1. Stand with the bar over your mid-foot and grip it just outside your legs.
  2. Pull the slack out of the bar, brace, and push the floor away.
  3. Stand tall, then lower the bar along your legs.

Cues

  • Bar stays close
  • Push the floor

Common mistakes

  • Yanking the bar off the floor: take the slack out first.

Swap for: Romanian Deadlift, Trap Bar Deadlift, Band Deadlift

Build a session with Barbell Deadlift

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Heavy deadlift day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets11 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentRowing Machine, Resistance Bands, Barbells

You pull heavy from the floor.

Raise, move, wake the back, then four ramp sets. The warm-up blocks stay at 4 reps in reserve.

Deadlift
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Rowing MachineSeconds. 3 minutes straight, no rest. 3 × 60 4 0 s
Walkout 1 × 5 4 0 s
Superman 1 × 8 4 15 s
Band Pull-Through 1 × 12 4 15 s
Barbell Deadlift4 warm-up sets first 3 × 3–5 2 3 min
Romanian Deadlift 2 × 8–10 2 2 min
How to run it
Do the blocks, then deadlifts and RDLs.
How to progress
Progress the deadlift by reps in reserve on the top set.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

RDL or hinge-focused leg day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentExercise Bike, Resistance Bands, Hyperextension, Barbells

Your first lift is the Romanian deadlift.

Band good mornings rehearse the exact hip-back motion, and back extensions take the place of supermans.

RDL day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Stationary BikeSeconds. 3 minutes straight, no rest. 3 × 60 4 0 s
Dead BugPer side. 1 × 8 4 15 s
Band Good Morning 1 × 12 4 15 s
45-Degree Back Extension 1 × 10 4 30 s
Romanian Deadlift3 warm-up sets first 3 × 6–10 2 2 min
How to run it
Do the blocks, then RDLs.
How to progress
Add weight when the last set ends above 2 reps in reserve.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Stiff back in the morning

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets26 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentRowing Machine, Dumbbells, Resistance Bands, Barbells

You train early and your back feels tight.

More moving and less loading: walkouts, dead bugs and bridges come before any hinge, and the ramp starts light.

Morning hinge
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Rowing MachineSeconds. 4 minutes straight, no rest. 4 × 60 4 0 s
Walkout 2 × 5 4 0 s
Dead BugPer side. 2 × 8 4 0 s
Dumbbell Glute Bridge 1 × 12 4 15 s
Band Good Morning 1 × 12 4 15 s
Romanian Deadlift3 warm-up sets first 3 × 8–10 3 2 min
How to run it
Do two rounds of the mobility blocks before the ramp.
How to progress
As the back loosens over the weeks, drop to one round.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

How do I warm up my back?

Row easy for a few minutes, do walkouts and dead bugs, one light set each of supermans and band hinges, then lighter sets of your first lift.

What are good lower back warm-up exercises?

Walkouts, dead bugs, supermans, band good mornings and band pull-throughs, one easy set each.

What are the big 3 exercises for the lower back?

The phrase usually means a curl-up, a side plank and a bird dog. For a lifting warm-up, dead bugs, supermans and band good mornings cover the same idea: a still trunk and a light hinge.

How many warm-up sets before deadlifts?

Three to four, climbing from the empty bar or a light weight, with fewer reps each time.

Should I stretch my lower back before deadlifts?

Move it instead with walkouts and band hinges. Keep long holds for after the session.

How long should the warm-up take?

About 8 minutes, plus the ramp sets.