The Dumbbell Back Extension is a intermediate-friendly dumbbell strength exercise that targets the lower back, with the glutes and hamstrings working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesLower Back
Secondary musclesGlutes, Hamstrings
EquipmentDumbbell
LevelIntermediate
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Dumbbell Back Extension
Set the hip pad of a 45-degree bench just below your pelvis and lock your ankles under the roller.
Take a single dumbbell and hold it against your chest with both hands.
Brace your abdominals and set your head, spine and hips in one straight line.
Hinge at the hips and lower your torso until you feel the hamstrings lengthen.
Drive the hips into the pad and extend until your body forms a straight line.
Pause at the top, lower under control, and repeat for the prescribed reps.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Adds progressive resistance to the hinge without putting a bar on the back.
Bridges the gap between bodyweight extensions and loaded barbell hinging.
Trains the erectors to hold a neutral spine while external load is present.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Adding load before bodyweight reps are controlled, which rounds the back under the extra lever arm.
Letting the dumbbell drift away from the chest, which increases spinal load without training anything extra.
Extending past a straight line at the top, which compresses the lumbar spine under load.
Using momentum out of the bottom, which removes tension from the glutes and hamstrings.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Dumbbell Back Extension, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
