Workout
Mobility Routine for Stiff Days
Six minutes and one round through, which is short enough that it actually gets done. Cat-cow and thoracic rotation for the spine, a hip flexor stretch for what sitting takes away, and a downward dog to finish on.
- Time
- 6 min
- Level
- Easy
- Rounds
- 1
- Approx. burn
- 90 kcal
The moves in this workout
The app sequences them for you. Each one has a demo and a form guide.
- Mobility and flexibility
Cat-Cow
Erector spinae, Rectus abdominis, Multifidus
Equipment: A mat or towel
- Mobility and flexibility
Child Pose Breathing
Diaphragm, External and internal intercostals, Serratus posterior inferior
Equipment: A mat or towel
- Mobility and flexibility
Downward Dog
Hamstrings, Posterior deltoids, Serratus anterior
Equipment: A mat or towel
- Mobility and flexibility
Hip Flexor Stretch
Iliopsoas, Rectus femoris
Equipment: None
- Mobility and flexibility
Thoracic Rotation
Thoracic erector spinae, Thoracic multifidus, Rhomboids
Equipment: A mat or towel
Who it suits
A rest day that is not nothing, or a warm-up before the strength sessions.
How to run it
One round, six minutes, and no reason to hurry — this is the one session where finishing early means you did it wrong. Breathe out as you move into each position and let the range come from that rather than from pushing against yourself.
Easier and harder
There is no harder version and it does not want one. If you need more from it, do it more often: six minutes daily does more for a stiff back than one long session a week. Put it before a strength session and it doubles as the warm-up.
The mistake this session invites
Bouncing into the stretches to reach further. Range you bounce into is range you do not control, and it is gone again by tomorrow. Hold the position, keep breathing, and let it change on its own.
