HOW: Begin in the quadruped position. Your hands on the ground underneath your shoulders and your knees on the ground under your hips. Starting with a flat back, create a hump in your back as much as you can by pretending you have a tail and you’re tucking that tail in between your legs. Continue that hump in your mid and upper back while looking down with your neck. From here, reverse it and pretend like you are sticking your tail out as you arch your low, mid, and upper back while you attempt to look up. 

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles in your lower, middle, upper back working/stretching as you push away from the ground creating the hump in your back and arching it. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your elbows straight, don’t bend them as you arch your back. Don’t rock back and forth with your hips.

HOW: While laying on face down place both elbows on the floor at shoulder width. Driving into the floor with both of your forearms lift your chest up, creating an arch in the back. The closer your elbows are together, the higher you will be able to bring your chest up. If you can tolerate even more of a stretch, straighten out your elbows in front of you then push your chest up. To regress this stretch, simply widen your stance on your forearms to minimize how high up you push yourself up.

 

FEEL: As your back arches you may feel a stretch in your lower back, make sure it doesn’t increase any back discomfort. You will additionally feel a stretch in the abdominal muscles in the front of your stomach.

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your hips on the ground as you bring your chest up.

HOW: Lay face down with your arms overhead. Elevate both arms and legs off of the floor into a superman position. Lift one arm up and the opposite leg towards the ceiling and repeat back and forth. Your shoulder blade should drive the arm movement, your glutes should drive the leg movement.

 

FEEL: You will feel the muscles on the back of the arm and the leg that are lifting up towards the ceiling. You will also feel the lower back work with this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid arching the lower back as you elevate the arms and the legs.

HOW: Start by lying on your back with your knees bent. Engage your core by drawing your ribcage down. Slowly bring your shoulders and upper back away from the floor. Your goal is to rotate and lift your left shoulder towards your right knee. Then lower yourself and repeat by lifting your right shoulder towards your left knee.

 

FEEL: You should feel your core and abs working to lift your shoulders off the ground, especially the sides of your core in your obliques.

 

COMPENSATION: Keep the movement slow and controlled. 

HOW: Begin on your back with your arms and legs straight out. Make sure to keep your core engaged by pushing your low back against the floor. The closer to the floor you bring your arms and legs the more challenging this exercise will be.

 

FEEL: You will feel your abdominals working with this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid allowing your back to arch as you perform this hold.

HOW: Move out until the resistance band is of moderate resistance. A Palloff press is properly executed by bringing arms out in front of you by flexing the shoulder and extending the elbows. Slowly move back and forth from reaching your arms out in front of your to bringing your arms towards your body.

 

FEEL: You will keep the core engaged to avoid rotating your body. This exercise will target your core.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid arching the low back or rotating towards the anchor.  

HOW: Begin with your hands and knees on the ground under your hips and your forearms on the ground with your elbows under your shoulders. From this position, kick one leg straight back from your hip until your knee is straight. Bring it back to the starting position and repeat. 

 

FEEL: You should feel you glute muscles working. You should also feel your core working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t twist your back as you kick your leg out. Keep your leg straight out from your hip, not above it.

HOW: Begin on your hands and knees. In this position, you will balance on the opposite arm and leg. The wider you are the easier to balance, the more narrow the more challenging this will be. Keep your back flat and your core engaged. Bring one arm and the opposite leg up until your leg is straight out from your hip and your arm is straight out from your shoulder. Once in this position, pulse your arms and legs up and down at the same time for the time prescribed. Then alternate doing this on the other sides. 

 

FEEL: With the leg kicking out you will feel the muscles on the back of the hip working, with the arm that is punching out you will feel the muscles on top of the shoulder and back of the shoulder blade working. You should feel your core muscles working the entire time.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid rotating the trunk, arching the back as you raise your leg, or shrugging the shoulder as you raise the arm.

HOW: Start by standing with a dumbbell in one hand holding it at your side. Shift your weight to one side as you bring the other knee to your chest. Alternate marching in place while holding the dumbbell at your side. 

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles in your forearms, trap, and hips working.

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your back straight up, don’t bend over. Keep the dumbbell at your side, don’t move it forward or backward. Don’t shrug your shoulder, keep your trap relaxed while holding the dumbbell. 

HOW: Start this exercise on your back in a 90/90 position, with your knees over your hips and your arms in front of your shoulders. Keep the small of your back pushed into the floor by activating your core. While maintaining core activation, perform a chin tuck and lift your head/neck off the ground. While maintaining head/neck position, drop one leg and the opposite arm towards the floor. The closer you drop the arms and legs towards the floor, the more challenging this exercise will be. Return to starting position and repeat on the opposite side.

 

FEEL: You should feel the abdominal muscles engaging while you perform this exercise as well as the front of your neck muscles working.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not let your low back arch or lose head/neck position.

HOW: Get set-up in a half kneeling position with a band anchored above your head to the side of you and the knee that is further away from the band anchor down on the ground. You can place something under your knee for comfort if desired. While holding onto the band with both palms facing down and keeping the rest of your body still, perform a chop motion diagonally downwards away from the anchor only moving your arms. Slowly return to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles on the outside of your shoulders and shoulder blades working. You should also feel your core muscles and the hip muscles on the side that your knee is down working to help stabilize your body and torso.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not lean forward or backward, do not tilt side to side, do not rotate your body.

HOW: Begin by lying on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Take the knee of one leg towards the chest and the elbow of the opposite side arm towards the feet. Using a ball or yoga block, connect the elbow and the knee for a static hold. Driving through the heel of the foot on the floor, push your hips up towards the ceiling. Hold for duration. 

 

FEEL: You should feel your front and side abdominals. You should feel the front of the hip that driving up towards your chest. . You should feel the back of the hip, including the hamstring and gluteal muscles, that is the bridge motion.  

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid letting the shin sag down on the leg side performing the cross connect. Avoid any strain in the neck, option to rest the head. Avoid arching your low back when in the bridge position.

HOW: While laying on face down place both elbows on the floor at shoulder width. Driving into the floor with both of your forearms lift your chest up, creating an arch in the back. The closer your elbows are together, the higher you will be able to bring your chest up. If you can tolerate even more of a stretch, straighten out your elbows in front of you then push your chest up. To regress this stretch, simply widen your stance on your forearms to minimize how high up you push yourself up.

 

FEEL: As your back arches you may feel a stretch in your lower back, make sure it doesn’t increase any back discomfort. You will additionally feel a stretch in the abdominal muscles in the front of your stomach.

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your hips on the ground as you bring your chest up.

HOW: Begin on your hands and knees. Push back into a child’s pose, round your back within your tolerance. Focus on bringing your butt as far back as possible, ideally, your butt will touch your heels. From this position reach your arms over to one side without shifting your body weight to that side.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in the low back and the back of your hips. While stretching towards one side, you will feel the stretch on the opposite side that you are reaching to, from the shoulder down to your hip.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid leaning your weight to the side you are reaching towards.