Upper and lower back
5 Locust Pose variations, from gentlest to strongest
Also called salabhasana, locust exercise, prone back extension.
Back strengthening done lying face down, with the versions differing in how much of you leaves the floor. It is one of the few positions in the library that trains the back extensors directly.
Start here
The list runs from the most supported version to the most demanding. Locust: On Bolster is the one to begin with. Harder is not better: the version you can do without gripping is the one doing the work.
Every version in the library
1 · Stability / Core · 20 to 60 seconds
Locust: On Bolster
The bolster supports your body so you strengthen your back, glutes, and hamstrings with a smaller, easier lift: the gentlest way into this family.
Make it work for you: Reduce lift height. Arms alongside. Gaze down cue
2 · Stability / Core · 20 to 60 seconds
Locust: Block Between Thighs
A block between your thighs activates your inner thigh and deep hip muscles, adding pelvic stability to the posterior chain strengthening of locust.
Make it work for you: Low Locust. Gaze down cue
3 · Stability / Core · 20 to 60 seconds
Locust: Chest Only
Lifting only the chest strengthens your upper back and spine extensors while your legs stay grounded, keeping the effort focused and the lower back load light.
Make it work for you: Reduce lift height. Hands under shoulders for support. Gaze down cue
4 · Stability / Core · 20 to 60 seconds
Locust: Single Leg
Single leg lifts create targeted, asymmetrical back strengthening that helps address side-to-side imbalances in your posterior chain.
Make it work for you: Low Locust. Classic. Gaze down cue
5 · Stability / Core · 20 to 60 seconds
Locust: Classic
Strengthens your entire posterior chain: the muscles along your back, glutes, and hamstrings, without any load on your wrists, building the power that supports your spine.
Make it work for you: Low Locust. Arms alongside. Gaze down cue
When to stop and ask someone
Nothing on this page can tell whether what you are feeling is ordinary mechanical back pain or something that needs looking at, and the published guidance is direct about that distinction. NICE asks clinicians to think about alternative diagnoses when symptoms are new or have changed, and to exclude specific causes such as cancer, infection, trauma or inflammatory disease.
In practice that means stopping and speaking to someone rather than working through it if the pain followed a significant fall or accident, if it comes with fever or unexplained weight loss, if it wakes you at night and does not change when you change position, or if there is weakness in a leg rather than only pain.
One group needs same-day medical attention rather than a phone call: numbness around the groin or back passage, any change in bladder or bowel control, or weakness developing in both legs.
- NICE NG59, low back pain and sciatica in over 16s, recommendation 1.1.1
Think about alternative diagnoses when examining or reviewing people with low back pain, particularly if they develop new or changed symptoms, and exclude specific causes such as cancer, infection, trauma or inflammatory disease.
Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.
Every version above is drawn from the clinically authored Vinys library. This page is general movement information, not medical advice, and it is not a diagnosis. What helps for a specific condition.