8 Gentle Back Exercises

All motion involves your back so it's important to keep it strong and flexible. Your back muscles include the deep muscles on the sides of your spine and superficial muscles -- your trapezius, rhomboids, latissimus dorsi, and serratus posterior muscles.

Our new Gentle Back Workout includes eight exercises. We recommend doing two to three sets of these exercises three times a week. Because your back is part of your “core” (which includes the muscles in front of and to the sides of your abdomen in addition to your back muscles), you can pair this workout with our Standing Core Workout.

Elbows In and Out

  • Place your hands gently behind your head

  • Bring both elbows forward in front of your face

  • Open your elbows to starting position.

  • Do 10 reps

Elbows Side to Side

  • Place your hands gently behind your head

  • Keep your head level and bend to the right leading with your right elbow

  • Go back to center

  • Keep your head level and bend to the left leading with your left elbow

  • Go back to center

  • Do 5 sets

Shoulder Rolls

  • Roll both shoulders up and back

  • Do 10 reps

Overhead Reach

  • Reach your hands overhead, palms facing each other

  • Reach higher left and right, feeling space in your ribs and spine

  • Do 10 reps right and left

Shoulder Blade Squeeze

  • Form fists with both hands

  • bend your elbows and bring both arms to chest level, fists meeting each other

  • Pull our elbows back, squeezing your shoulder blades together

  • Hold for 2 secs

  • Release and bring fists together to starting point

  • Do 10 reps

Cat Cow - seated or standing

  • Place hands on thighs

  • Look up, arch your back and inhale 

  • Hold for 2 secs

  • Bring your chin to chest, round your back, pulling your belly button in, exhale

  • Hold for 2 secs

  • Repeat sequence 5 times

Back bend

  • Place both hands on our lower back

  • Lean back to do a gentle back bend

  • Come back to center

  • Do 5 reps

Spinal Twist

  • Twist to the left, placing right hand outside your left leg or hip

  • Hold for 2 secs

  • Go back to center

  • Twist to the right, placing left hand outside your right leg or hip

  • Hold for 2 secs

  • Go back to center

  • Do 5 sets

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30 Minute Intermediate Workout

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