Mobility · 12 min

Hips and Spine

Twelve minutes to free up stiff hips and a tight upper back.

• 12 minutes
• New to it
• Mat

Customise copies this workout to the Bench, where every move and number is yours to change.

You warm your spine with cat-cow, then move your hips through rotation, flexion and extension and your upper back through rotation. Move slowly and stop each stretch at mild tension, never pain. It pairs well with a desk day or after a strength session.

Kit

Mat

Music

The tempo follows each block.

Tempo shape

Z2 Warm · 90 to 115 bpmZ1 Recover · 60 to 90 bpm

Blocks

1. Warm up

   Z2 Warm
   • Cat-Cow45 s
   • March in Place30 s
   • Leg Swing15 s each side
   • Lateral Leg Swing15 s each side

2. Hips and spine

   Z2 Warm
   • World's Greatest Stretch30 s each side
   • Hip 90/90 Switch60 s · Tall chest, switch sides slowly
   • Open Book30 s each side
   • Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch30 s each side
   • Thread the Needle30 s each side
   • Deep Squat Hold45 s · Hold a doorframe if you need it
   • Downward Dog30 s
   • Figure Four Stretch30 s each side

3. Cool down

   Z1 Recover
   • Child's Pose45 s
   • Cobra30 s

General exercise guidance, not medical advice. If you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or a joint problem, are pregnant, or a doctor has limited your activity, check with them first. Stop if anything feels wrong.