Superman Pull: How to Do It Correctly

Step-by-step form

1. Setting up

   Lie face down on a flat surface with your forehead resting on the floor, arms extended forward at shoulder width, palms facing down. Legs are hip-width apart, straight, and toes touching the floor. The chin is neutral, the neck long, and shoulders are depressed away from the ears — lock in this starting position before any movement begins.

2. The movement

   On the exhale, simultaneously lift your arms, chest, and legs off the floor — during this concentric phase, bend the elbows to roughly 90 degrees and draw the shoulder blades together as if rowing a bar toward your abdomen. Hold the peak contraction for 1 second. Then return everything to the start position in a controlled eccentric phase over approximately 2 seconds — do not drop or let gravity take over the descent.

3. What stays in line

   The neck must remain in line with the spine — cranking the head too high causes cervical hyperextension. The pelvis stays neutral throughout, with the gluteal complex providing muscular stiffness to prevent excessive lumbar compression. Elbows remain close to the torso and must not flare outward; scapular retraction should originate from the mid-back musculature rather than at the glenohumeral joint.

4. Breathing

   Take a 1-second nasal inhale before initiating the lift. Exhale steadily through the mouth during the concentric lifting phase lasting roughly 1–2 seconds. Briefly brace the breath during the 1-second isometric hold at the peak. Inhale again through the nose across the full 2-second eccentric return to starting position.

Common mistakes

1) Excessive neck extension: If your gaze stays toward the floor throughout, this error is absent; if you feel your head moving ahead of your spine, reset the neck to neutral. 2) Dropping the legs before the arms: Both sides must descend simultaneously; if you sense the legs falling first, consciously re-synchronize the descent. 3) Simply raising arms overhead instead of retracting scapulae: If elbows remain pointing forward rather than driving back, scapular retraction isn't occurring — you should feel the elbows moving toward your hips.

Recommended sets and reps

Recommended sets and reps

Beginner: 8 reps × 2 sets; intermediate: 12 reps × 3 sets; advanced: 15 reps × 4 sets (with 1-1-3-0 tempo or resistance band added).

Tempo

Prescribed tempo: 1-1-2-0. Concentric lifting phase 1 second, isometric hold at the top 1 second, controlled eccentric descent 2 seconds, zero pause at the bottom. For power development shorten to 1-0-1-0; to build neuromuscular connection extend the eccentric phase to 3 seconds (1-1-3-0).

How often

2–3 sessions per week is recommended, with a minimum of 48 hours of recovery between sessions. When integrated into a back strengthening program, avoid placing it on the same day as high-lumbar-load exercises such as deadlifts or bent-over rows within the same week.

What it trains

Increases thoracic extensor strength, measurably reducing kyphotic postural deviation caused by prolonged desk work. Scapular retractor activation produces quantifiable performance gains in pulling-based athletic movements. Co-activation of gluteus maximus and erector spinae transfers directly to hip hyperextension power during sprinting and jumping. Improved rotator cuff stabilization reduces susceptibility to shoulder impingement syndrome.

If something hurts

Knee

Knee pain during this exercise typically stems from direct pressure on the patella against the floor. Place a thin exercise mat or folded towel under the knee cap as an immediate modification. If pain persists despite padding — particularly if it is sharp or persistent — stop the exercise and consult a healthcare professional.

Lower back

Lower-back pain during this exercise is most often linked to loss of pelvic neutrality or exceeding lumbar extension capacity. Regress immediately to arms-only lifting with legs on the floor and reduce elevation height. If the pain is sharp or persistent, stop the exercise entirely and consult a healthcare professional.

Shoulder

Pain felt at the glenohumeral joint during the elbow pull-back phase may indicate insufficient rotator cuff stability or scapular dyskinesis. Shorten the pull arc by reducing elbow flexion below 90 degrees and lower the elevation height. If shoulder pain is sharp or persistent, stop the movement and consult a healthcare professional.

When to skip it

Acute lumbar disc herniation or spondylolysis diagnosis; active thoracic or cervical facet joint irritation; full-thickness rotator cuff tear or acute labral damage; acute sacroiliac joint inflammation; active thoracic trauma such as sternal or rib fracture; currently in the recovery phase following spinal surgery.

Where to go next

Moves that train the same thing — and, where this one sits on a ladder, the rungs either side of it.

• Push-Ups→
• Chair Dip→
• Incline Push-up→
• Knee Push-up→
• Pike Push-up→
• Shoulder Tap Plank→