A low back exercise machine has a pivotally mounted user support frame carrying a user seat and a foot rest assembly, an exercise arm carrying a back pad pivotally mounted relative to the user support frame, and a connecting linkage which translates movement of the exercise arm into rotation of the user support frame about its pivot axis, whereby the user support including the foot rests moves from an upright into a rearwardly reclined orientation as the user pushes the back pad rearward and downward to lean backwards so as to exercise the lower back muscles.