09/17/2026
A HUGE thank you to one of our members, Troy, for donating this Reverse Hyper to CrossFit Somonauk! 🙌💚
This was an incredibly generous gift, and it is a piece of equipment I have wanted to add to the gym for a long time.
For anyone wondering what exactly a Reverse Hyper does, it is a strength-training machine used to work the glutes, hamstrings, hips, spinal erectors, and the rest of the posterior chain through hip extension.
It gives us another really useful way to strengthen the muscles that support the hips and lower back, and it can be a great accessory alongside movements like squats and deadlifts.
It is also going to be especially useful for our personal training clients because it gives us another way to build strength and train the posterior chain without always needing to load up a barbell.
There are also a few different ways people use the Reverse Hyper.
The version you will usually see us teach is a more controlled variation, with the movement primarily coming from the hips and the torso staying relatively stable.
Louie Simmons, who invented the Reverse Hyper and helped make it famous through Westside Barbell, also taught a more traditional style that allows more movement through the pelvis and spine. In that version, you will even see the head move up and down as the athlete moves through more flexion and extension.
Neither version has to be treated as the only “right” way to use the machine. They are simply different approaches depending on the athlete, the goal, and how the movement is being coached.
I’ll drop a video in the comments of Louie himself explaining his original approach for anyone who wants to learn a little more about it.
Troy, seriously, thank you again. This was an incredibly generous donation, and I can promise you this thing is going to get plenty of use around here! 💪💚
