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The program on one page.
Print this and put it where the bench is. It is the whole four-stage method: what to do at each stage, when to move up, and the one rule that paces everything.
Back-extension program card
The next-day rule: note your usual daily pain (your baseline). Train, then check the next morning. Near baseline: progress is on the table. Worse: repeat a lighter session and add a rest day. This rule outranks everything below.
| Stage | What to do | Move up when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Holds | 3 holds at the straight-line top position, 15s to start. Rest 60s. | ~60s of holding per set, several quiet sessions in a row |
| 2 · Partials | 3 sets of small-range reps, slow tempo. Grow the range gradually. | 5+ reps per set through most of your range, next mornings quiet |
| 3 · Full reps | 3 sets full range, bodyweight only. Stop each set with clean reps left. | ~20 total reps in a session, repeatable across visits |
| 4 · Weighted | Plate held to chest. Add ~5 lb once 3×12–15 feels solid. Never add weight and reps together. | This stage runs for years |
Schedule: 2–3 sessions/week, rest day between. Setup: 45° bench, pad at the hip crease, brace before lowering, straight line at the top, never an arch, slow on the way down. Flare: no bench work; walk gently, log pain daily, restart one step below where you left off once readings sit at baseline. Not medical advice. Red flags (numbness, bladder/bowel changes, leg weakness, fever): clinician first.
lowbackpaincoach.com · the app runs this program from your pain logs, with a 7-day free trial
The full method, with the research behind it, is in the progression guide. When you want the pacing run for you, the app does it.