You can unstick tight shoulders and hips with these five yoga-inspired mobility exercises.
You don’t need long — I recommend one set of eight to 12 reps for a quick five-minute blast, or add extra sets for a lengthier routine — and just one of the best yoga mats for home workouts.
I shared this routine pretty recently, revealing the five exercises that help me wake up in the morning or counteract the effects of writing at my desk all day. It helps to get my shoulders and hips moving, gently rotate and stretch my spine and work into my knees and ankles, which often get tight if I sit for long periods.
As far as beginner-friendly yoga-inspired routines go, this one ticks the box. You can place a cushion or rolled-up towel beneath your knees for extra support, and add a yoga block to support your hands during the deeper hip exercises.
Watch the five-minute mobility routine by Sam:
My idea of the perfect mobility routine leaves me feeling free and supple, combining light stretching with plenty of gentle movement that allows me to drop deeper into my joints and muscles using my bodyweight.
My mind comes first before I even think about sipping my morning coffee; this routine helps energize and soothe. If morning yoga isn’t your bag, try this in the evening before bedtime instead.
Cat-cow
Cat-cow is a gentle spine mobilizer, stretching the front body and mid to upper back. Add some free movement if you want to make this a full-body exercise and roll back into your hips and heels for a deeper stretch.
Try to avoid dipping too much into your lower back as you draw your stomach toward the floor, as this may contribute to low back pain.
Downward dog
Next up, move into your downward dog and pedal through your heels. Downdog allows you to stretch the arms, shoulders, upper back and posterior chain, including the lower back and hamstrings.
Gently lifting and lowering one heel at a time wakes the ankles and allows you to move into the lower-body joints. Press through your hands and lift your hips high as you draw your heels down.
Loaded beast
Loaded beast tests upper-body strength while working into your hips, knees, ankles and activating your quads, core muscles and hamstrings. All in all, your entire body can benefit from this move. If you prefer, place your knees on the mat for an extra rest.
Focus on driving your butt toward your heels as far as you can. Over time, you should be able to travel further and further into the pose as your mobility improves. I like to hold dumbbells to alleviate pressure on my wrists.
Lunge twists (world’s greatest stretch)
You can perform this exercise with your back knee resting or lifted, depending on how much of a challenge you want. Focus on opening your chest as you raise your arm overhead, twisting deeply into your spine.
From here, drop the elbow toward your front ankle and draw your chest down without hunching. You should find a strong stretch along your groin.
Pigeon with back stretch
If pigeon is off the table, try this 90-90 stretch instead to take some pressure off your knees. However, with the correct alignment, you should be able to sit in pigeon pose without knee pain.
Focus on squaring your hips to the front of the mat and lifting tall through your spine. Lower your chest toward the mat, keeping your back straight and hinging at the hips. Repeat several times before folding into pigeon and holding the pose for several rounds of breath.
More from Tom's Guide
- Forget push-ups — I'm a personal trainer and here's 3 ways to build upper-body strength and mobility using downward dog
- I’m a personal trainer — forget regular squats, and try Spanish squats to reduce knee pain instead
- Forget regular squats — try prisoner squats to build lower body strength instead
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