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Floor to bench: when you're ready

The program is four stages on a 45-degree back-extension bench. Floor Foundations is where you start if you do not have a bench yet, and the bench is where the program goes. This page covers what the floor stage is for, the signs the app looks for before it moves you, and what the first bench sessions look like.

Back extensions are not suitable for everyone. If you have a diagnosed disc herniation or spinal stenosis, or you are not sure, ask the clinician who knows your back before you load it.

What the floor stage is for

Floor Foundations is prone holds, bird-dogs and glute bridges. A round is a prone hold, 6 bird-dogs and 8 glute bridges, then 60 seconds of rest. The first session is 3 rounds with 10-second holds, about 10 minutes, on floor space alone.

The prone hold is the number the program tracks. You log your pain the morning after a session, and that log sets the next one: a morning below your baseline adds 5 seconds to the shortest hold, and a morning above it makes the holds about 30 percent shorter. The floor stage gets the habit and the pain log going, and it trains the same extension pattern the bench loads later. It does not replace the bench stages. On the floor the only load is the weight of your own chest and shoulders, and there is no clean way to add a plate. The floor session guide has the moves.

The signs the app looks for

The app treats your floor holds as ready for the bench when all of these are true:

• On each of your last 3 training days you held a prone hold of about 30 seconds in a round, or about 90 seconds in total across the rounds. Partial sessions do not count.
• You logged pain on at least 3 of the last 7 days.
• None of those logs is above your baseline, and none is in your legs.
• Your next-morning check-ins allow a step up.
• You have a bench to train on.

These are the program's rules, not a medical clearance. If you said in the setup questions that you have a bench, the app moves you to Stage 1 by itself when they are met. Without a bench, the app tells you your holds meet the target and the floor sessions keep going. When you get a bench, tap “I have a 45° bench now” on Home.

What the first bench sessions look like

You can tap “I have a 45° bench now” before you reach the target. Stage 1 then starts at an easy volume: 3 holds of 15 seconds at the top, with 60 seconds of rest. It may feel too easy. A dose your back barely notices gives you a clear reading the next morning, and that reading sets the next session.

Stage 1 is isometric holds at the top. After it come partial reps, then full-range reps with body weight, then weighted reps with a plate at your chest. Each stage starts at its own entry dose, so the first session after a move is easy again. A stage moves up on the same kind of rule as the floor: its target on your last 3 training days, pain logged and at or below your baseline, and check-ins that allow a step up. The Stage 1 target is a hold of about a minute, or about 3 minutes of holding in a session. Week one on a 45-degree bench covers the pad, the stop point and tomorrow's log, and the four-stage progression covers the rest.

A 45-degree bench, not a vertical chair

The program and the app are written for a 45-degree bench. They are not written for the vertical 90-degree Roman chair, so there is no conversion to look up. On a 45-degree bench your body sits on a diagonal with your hips on a pad above your feet. On a vertical chair your legs are held level with the floor. The 45 vs 90 degree guide shows how to tell them apart in a listing, and the buying guide and gym guide cover where to find a 45. If a vertical chair is the only one you can reach, the floor sessions keep going.

When to stop

Stop a move if it brings on sharp pain or pain that spreads. If the pain is in your legs, stop the extension work, prone holds included, and do not add load. Go to emergency care now for new numbness, tingling or change in feeling in the saddle area (groin, inner thighs, genitals or anus), new changes in sexual function, new bladder or bowel changes, new pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in both legs, leg or foot weakness that is getting worse, or back pain after a recent serious accident. See a clinician today for other new weakness or numbness in one leg or foot, fever or chills alongside the back pain, new pain after a recent smaller fall or knock, unexplained weight loss or a history of cancer, pain that is rapidly getting worse, or pain that is constant at rest and worse at night, not tied to movement. Use urgent care if you cannot get an appointment today. The full list is on the red flags page. If none of those signs are present but your back has flared, use the flare-up plan, with no bench work until your logs settle.

Low Back Pain Coach runs the floor stage, the move to the bench and the next-morning rule, and the program past the floor needs a 45-degree bench. What the app does.

Common questions

When should I move from floor exercises to a back extension bench?

As soon as you have a 45-degree bench you can use. The app's floor target is a prone hold of about 30 seconds in a round (or about 90 seconds of holding in total) on each of your last 3 training days, with pain logged on at least 3 of the last 7 days, none above your baseline or in your legs, and next-morning check-ins that allow a step up. Until you have a bench, the floor sessions keep going.

Can I start on the bench before my floor holds reach 30 seconds?

In the app, yes. Tapping “I have a 45° bench now” starts Stage 1 at an easy volume, even before the target. The 30-second target is the program's rule, not a medical clearance. If you are not sure bench work suits your back, ask the clinician who knows it.

Can I use a vertical 90-degree Roman chair instead of a 45-degree bench?

No. The program is not written for the vertical chair, so none of its numbers carry over. Floor sessions keep going until you have a 45-degree bench.

The app