Bent Over Back Extension Scapular Adduction
Bent Over Back Extension Scapular Adduction Exercise Description
The Bent Over Back Extension Scapular Adduction is a bodyweight hinge-position drill that combines a neutral-spine back extension hold with active scapular retraction. You’ll maintain a hip hinge while the erector spinae, gluteus maximus, and hamstrings stabilize the trunk isometrically. The mid-back—primarily the middle trapezius and rhomboids—drives the scapular adduction as you draw the shoulder blades toward the spine and slightly downward. Movement occurs mainly at the hips (to assume the position) and in the upper back and scapulae; avoid excessive lumbar extension. This exercise reinforces precise hinge mechanics, trunk stiffness, and controlled thoracic extension while keeping the neck aligned in a neutral position.
- Muscle Groups: Back, Traps
- Target Muscles: Rhomboid Major, Trapezius - Middle Fibers
- Assisting Muscles: Rhomboid Minor, Trapezius - Lower Fibers
- Stabilizing Muscles: Biceps Femoris - Long Head, Gluteus Maximus, Iliocostalis, Longissimus
- Body Area: Upper Body
- Body Parts: Back, Mid Back, Upper Back
- Body Surface: Back
- Body Symmetry: Bilateral
- Equipment: Bodyweight
- Exercise Patterns: Other
- Exercise Type: Strength
- Functional Grouping: Scapular Retractors
- Joint Involvement: Multi-joint
- Muscle Location: Mid Traps, Upper Back
- Movement Direction: Other
- Muscle Position: Posterior
- Gender: Male
How To Do The Bent Over Back Extension Scapular Adduction Exercise
‘- Stand feet hip-width, knees softly bent. Brace the abdominal wall.
– Hinge at the hips to bring your torso to roughly 45–90 degrees forward. Keep the spine neutral from head to tailbone; eyes toward the floor.
– Let arms hang by your sides with elbows relaxed, palms facing each other; depress the shoulders slightly (away from ears).
– Inhale to set. As you exhale, gently extend through the upper back toward neutral while pulling the shoulder blades together and slightly down (scapular adduction with mild depression).
– Keep ribs stacked over the pelvis; do not arch the lower back. Maintain even pressure through mid-foot and heel.
– Pause briefly at peak retraction; feel tension in the mid-back while the hips and trunk stay fixed.
– Slowly release the scapulae to the start position without rounding the lumbar spine or jutting the chin.
– Avoid: losing the hip hinge, shrugging, hyperextending the low back, or shifting weight to the toes/heels.
Bent Over Back Extension Scapular Adduction Tips
‘- Soften your knees and brace your abdominal wall before you hinge.
– Hinge forward from the hips to 45–90 degrees while keeping a neutral spine from head to tailbone, eyes toward the floor.
– Let your arms hang with relaxed elbows, palms facing each other, and shoulders slightly depressed away from your ears.
– Keep ribs stacked over your pelvis and avoid arching or hyperextending the lower back.
– Maintain even pressure through the mid-foot and heel; do not shift your weight toward the toes or back on the heels.
– As you exhale, extend gently through the upper back toward neutral while pulling the shoulder blades together and slightly down.
– Keep the hips and trunk fixed in the hinge position while the movement comes from the upper back and scapulae.
– Pause briefly at peak scapular retraction and feel the tension in the mid-back.
– Release the shoulder blades back to the start position slowly without rounding the lumbar spine.
– Keep the neck neutral and avoid jutting the chin or shrugging the shoulders.
Bent Over Back Extension Scapular Adduction Beginner Introduction
The Bent Over Back Extension Scapular Adduction is a bodyweight exercise that blends a forward-leaning hinge position with precise shoulder blade movement. It begins from a standing stance with a small bend in the knees, then folds from the hips so the torso angles forward while the spine stays long and natural. In this held position, the back, glutes, and hamstrings support the torso without changing length, creating a strong base for the upper-back action.
The highlight of the drill is the active work between the shoulder blades. Muscles across the mid-back draw the shoulder blades inward and slightly downward while the chest and ribs remain balanced over the pelvis. Motion is concentrated in the upper back and around the shoulder blades, while the lower back stays relatively quiet and the neck follows the line of the spine rather than tipping up or down. This combination of a steady hinge, firm midsection, and controlled upper-back movement helps reinforce clean hip mechanics and better awareness of posture and scapular control.