Sahrmann Core Progression
This classic motor-control ladder trains the lower abs to keep a neutral, stable spine as leg leverage increases stage by stage. You only advance a level once you can move the legs without the low back peeling off the floor. It is a precise, self-scaling way to build genuine anti-extension strength rather than just doing harder crunches.
- Equipment
- Body Weight
- Body part
- Abs
- Type
- Functional, Strength
- Browse by muscle
- Lower Rectus Abdominals
- Browse by movement
- Core Brace
- Target
- Lower Rectus Abdominals
- Secondary
- Upper Rectus Abdominals, Abdominal External Oblique
- Tertiary
- Rectus Femoris
How to do it
- 1
Lie on your back, hips and knees bent to ninety degrees, and press the low back flat into the floor.
- 2
Level one: hold one knee in place with the hands and slide the other heel out and back, keeping the back flat.
- 3
Progress to lowering one leg without hand support, then to lowering both legs alternately.
- 4
Advance to extending one leg fully to the floor and back, then both legs, only if the spine stays pinned.
- 5
Exhale as the leg loads away from the body and keep every rep slow.
- 6
Stop the set the instant the low back begins to arch off the floor.
Tips
- The flat low back is the pass-fail test; never trade spine position for a bigger range.
- Keep a hand under the low back early on to feel whether it stays pressed down.
- Own each level for clean reps before earning the next one.
Variations
Common mistakes
- Jumping straight to the hardest level the first session skips the hand-under-the-back feedback that is how you actually know the earlier levels are clean.
- The ribs flare upward as the leg extends, which can look like a flat back from the front while the low back has already lifted underneath.
- On the levels where the leg should hover, the heel drags along the floor instead of staying an inch or two above it, letting friction with the ground quietly assist the lowering.
- Both legs get tested together before either one is clean on its own, so a fault in one leg's control hides behind the stronger leg's help.
- The pace speeds up on the easier early levels, and that same rushed tempo carries over once the harder, straight-leg levels start, right when slowness matters most.
Frequently asked
- How many reps of the Sahrmann core progression should you do when you are new to the exercise?
- Work through 2 sets of 6 to 8 slow reps at whichever level you can keep the low back flat for every single rep, even if that means staying on level one for several sessions. Only advance a level once a full set at the current one is completely clean, since the whole point of this progression is earning the next stage rather than rushing to it.
- How do you make the Sahrmann core progression easier or harder?
- Make it easier by keeping a hand under your low back for feedback and staying at an earlier level, such as sliding the heel with hand support on the other knee. Make it harder by moving to the next level, such as lowering a fully straight leg or working both legs alternately without any hand support.
- What is the Sahrmann core progression good for, and who should pick a different drill?
- It builds genuine anti-extension core strength by only letting you advance once you can move the legs without the low back arching, which is a precise, self-scaling alternative to doing harder crunches. It is not the right pick if you want a drill with more moving parts or a cardio component, since this is a slow, deliberate motor-control exercise rather than a strength or conditioning one.
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