Plate Superman
Lie face down with your upper body and arms slightly lifted, holding a small, light weight plate. Pass the plate around your body in a wide circle: out in front with straight arms, back along your side past your hip, from one hand to the other behind your back, and forward again. Change direction every so often.
The plate superman builds on the alternating superman. The plate travels all the way round your body, which takes your arms through a big range: stretched out in front beyond your head, back along your sides and behind your back. In each of these positions, the muscles around your shoulder blades keep the shoulder stable.
When you lift your arms straight while lying face down, your lower and middle traps work, together with your rear delts and rotator cuff. Your lower back keeps your upper body slightly lifted.
From the studio: When the alternating superman gets too easy, or you want some variety, add a small plate. You can feel the muscles around your neck and shoulders working together dynamically to keep your shoulders stable, and you are working on shoulder mobility at the same time. That is what I see in the studio.
Starting position
Lie face down with your legs long on the floor and hold a small weight plate in one hand; 0.5 kg is enough. Then lift your upper body and arms slightly off the floor.
Out in front, pass the plate from one hand to the other with your arms straight. That hand then sweeps it back in a wide arc past your hip, the other hand takes it behind your back, and the plate travels forward again on the other side.
After a few rounds, switch direction. Keep your upper body slightly lifted the whole time.
The three cues
- A small, light plate
- Take it the long way round your body
- Switch direction every so often
Common faults
| Fault | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| A plate that is too heavy | Use a very light plate; 0.5 kg is enough. |
| The plate stays close to your body | Take the plate the long way round, with straight arms out in front. |
| Always going the same way | Switch direction every so often. |
Variations
| Variation | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Alternating superman | No plate; your fists take turns touching your spine. Move on once it feels too easy. |
| Plate superman | A very light plate travels round your body in a wide circle, with a change of direction every so often. |
Reps and load
It builds on the alternating superman and adds variety. Calm, wide rounds in both directions, with the plate kept light.
Which muscles do the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| Lower traps M. trapezius pars inferior | Prime mover | Guide the shoulder blade with the arms straight overhead |
| Middle traps M. trapezius pars media | Prime mover | Hold the shoulder blade towards the spine as the arm sweeps back |
| Rear delts M. deltoideus pars posterior | Synergist | Takes the arm back along your side towards the hip |
| Rotator cuff Mm. supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis | Stabiliser | Keeps the head of the upper arm centred in the socket |
| Lower back M. erector spinae | Stabiliser | Keeps the upper body slightly lifted |
| Deep back muscles Mm. multifidi | Stabiliser | Stabilise the spine while the upper body stays lifted |
Your lower and middle traps guide and hold the shoulder blades, with your rear delts and rotator cuff working alongside. Your lower back and deep back muscles keep your upper body lifted.
Explained in full
Andreas shows how the light plate travels round the body in a wide circle, and explains what happens in the neck and shoulders. · 0:41
Seeing it done right is not the same as doing it right
Video, cues and variations take you a long way. What they cannot give you is an outside eye at the moment the movement isn't quite there yet. That is what training with me is for — in the studio or in a workshop.
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Sources
Ekstrom RA, Donatelli RA, Soderberg GL. (2003). Surface electromyographic analysis of exercises for the trapezius and serratus anterior muscles. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 33(5):247–258. DOI: 10.2519/jospt.2003.33.5.247 — Measures ten exercises in 30 healthy people. The prone overhead arm raise produced the highest lower-trapezius activity and was also among the strongest for the middle trapezius. The basis for the lower and middle traps as prime movers in the arms-overhead phase. Static positions, age not given in the abstract; no study exists on the plate superman itself. Transfer to 40- to 60-year-olds training 2 to 4 hours a week: yes for which muscles work; it says nothing about training effects. (Evidence type: EMG)
Cools AM, Dewitte V, Lanszweert F, Notebaert D, Roets A, Soetens B, Cagnie B, Witvrouw EE. (2007). Rehabilitation of scapular muscle balance: which exercises to prescribe? Am J Sports Med 35(10):1744–1751. DOI: 10.1177/0363546507303560 — Measures twelve scapular exercises in 45 healthy people. Prone horizontal abduction with external rotation and prone extension were among the exercises where the lower and middle traps work hard and the upper traps relatively little. The basis for the phases where the plate travels back along the side and behind the back. Transfer: yes for muscle involvement, with no claim about training effects. (Evidence type: EMG)
Reinold MM, Wilk KE, Fleisig GS, Zheng N, Barrentine SW, Chmielewski T, Cody RC, Jameson GG, Andrews JR. (2004). Electromyographic analysis of the rotator cuff and deltoid musculature during common shoulder external rotation exercises. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 34(7):385–394. DOI: 10.2519/jospt.2004.34.7.385 — Fine-wire EMG in 10 healthy people: prone horizontal abduction produced high activity in the rear delts and the upper part of the rotator cuff. The basis for the rear delts and rotator cuff in the table. Isolated movements with more load than a 0.5 kg plate. Transfer: limited, for muscle involvement. (Evidence type: EMG)
Arlotta M, Lovasco G, McLean L. (2011). Selective recruitment of the lower fibers of the trapezius muscle. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 21(3):403–410. DOI: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2010.11.006 — Measures isometric prone exercises in 18 healthy women and men. A position with the upper body and arms slightly lifted (modified prone cobra) targeted the lower trapezius while involving the upper trapezius little. The basis for the starting position with the upper body slightly lifted. A small sample, holds only. Transfer: limited. (Evidence type: EMG)
Kim CR, Park DK, Lee ST, Ryu JS. (2016). Electromyographic changes in trunk muscles during graded lumbar stabilization exercises. PM R 8(10):979–989. DOI: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2016.05.017 — Measures trunk muscle activity in 10 healthy men during graded stabilisation exercises. In the superman, longer exercise duration increased the work of the deep back muscles (multifidus), erector spinae and rectus abdominis. The basis for the deep back muscles in the table. A small sample, men only. Transfer: limited. (Evidence type: EMG)
Comfort P, Pearson SJ, Mather D. (2011). An electromyographical comparison of trunk muscle activity during isometric trunk and dynamic strengthening exercises. J Strength Cond Res 25(1):149–154. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181fb412f — Compares trunk muscle activity across several exercises in 10 young adults (about 22 years old). The erector spinae was clearly active in the superman, similar to the front squat and more than in the other trunk exercises. The basis for the lower back in the table. Transfer: as a direction only, with a very young, small sample. (Evidence type: EMG)
A note on context: EMG studies show which muscles an exercise recruits — that is a good reason to pick it, but it does not replace adjusting things to the person in front of you. See a doctor for persistent or severe pain.