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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