Stiff back? Use these five exercises from a movement expert to boost mobility and flexibility
Mobility workouts don’t have to take hours. If you’re experiencing a stiff or tense back, adding this Pilates teacher’s routine into your week could be a game changer.
Vanessa Michielon, Pilates, yoga and dance expert and founder of the Transformative Movement Method, created this easy routine that takes just 10 minutes, and helps to boost mobility and flexibility in five easy steps.
I love that I can use it as a warm-up or cool-down to my workouts or even as a standalone practice on rest days to support recovery. If you have been neglecting mobility exercises and feeling the consequences, give this workout a try and thank us later.
How to do this five-exercise mobility workout
1. Cat-cow
Reps: 5-10
“This stretch promotes spinal flexibility by moving the spine through its entire range of flexion and extension, relieving tension in the lower back, thoracic spine and neck,” says Michielon.
How to do it:
- Start in tabletop position on your hands and knees, with your wrists directly under your shoulders and knees directly under your hips.
- Inhale and move into cow pose by lifting your head and tailbone and lowering your belly.
- Exhale and move into cat pose by tucking your chin toward your chest, lowering your tailbone and rounding your spine, while pushing your palms into the floor.
- Alternate between these two positions, coordinating with your breath.
2. Rolling cat-cow
Reps: 5-10
“This is an evolution of the first exercise, this move introduces a spinal wave, which helps build intersegmental mobility between the vertebrae and encourages better coordination,” says Michielon.
How to do it:
- Begin in child’s pose, sitting back on your heels with your knees wide, your arms extended forward and forehead on the mat.
- Inhale as you roll forward, coming onto your hands and knees in a tabletop position, focusing on lifting each vertebra one at a time, starting from your tailbone.
- Exhale, slowly arch your back and return to child’s pose, again moving vertebra by vertebra.
- Repeat this rolling sequence smoothly.
3. Seated cat-cow
Reps: 5-10
“Performing cat-cow from a seated position is beneficial both for lower back and hamstring flexibility,” says Michielon. “It encourages movement in the pelvis and lumbar spine and can be more accessible for people with sensitive wrists or knees.”
How to do it:
- Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you and fold forward to take hold of your toes or ankles. You can also use a yoga strap around the bottom of your feet.
- Inhale as you arch your back, lifting your chest and chin, to feel a stretch in your chest and lower back.
- Exhale as you round your spine and tuck your chin toward your chest, moving your pelvis backward.
- Alternate between these two positions, coordinating with your breath.
4. Soft cobra
Reps: 5-10
“This movement creates a gentle, dynamic stretch through the spine and the abdomen by introducing a gentle back-bend,” says Michielon. “The oscillation adds lateral movements in the spine and encourages tension release in the whole body.”
How to do it:
- Lie on your stomach with your forearms on the ground in a wide sphinx pose, with your elbows wider than your shoulders and legs extended behind you. If you feel sensitivity in your back, widen your legs slightly.
- Inhale as you extend your arms and lift your chest into a soft cobra (if this feels too strong you can stay in sphinx with your forearms on the floor).
- From this position, slowly shift your weight from side to side, creating small waves of movement along your torso.
5. Forward fold to squat
Reps: 5-10
“Forward folds are a great way to gently stretch the entire back and encourage decompression of the spine as gravity pulls the weight of the head down,” says Michielon. “Adding the squat position further builds mobility in the hips and knees, and flexibility in the hamstrings.”
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly.
- Fold forwards from your hips and reach your arms towards the floor, allowing your head to drop.
- Inhale as you bend your knees and push your hips back to lower into a squat position, keeping your heels on the floor.
- Exhale as you straighten your legs and lift your hips to return to the forward fold.
- Move between these positions, letting your breath guide your movement.
About our expertAbout our expertVanessa Michielon
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Vanessa Michielon, PhD, is a yoga and dance lecturer at degree and master’s level, and the founder of the Transformative Movement Method, which uses yoga, Pilates and dance to improve physical health and achieve a balanced state of mind.
She is trained in pre/postnatal coaching, L3 Pilates, pre/postnatal Pilates, pre/postnatal yoga, advanced yoga psychology and yoga therapy for anxiety, and holds an MA in dance performance.
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