BACK
1) Baby Bear:
This is release work – your goal is to use the least amount of effort possible.
- Start lying on your back.
- Hug your knees and relax your back, hips chest and neck. No really, let everything relax, this may take a minute to figure out.
- Start to roll side to side, eventually rolling all the way onto your right side then onto your left side. If you notice tension anywhere in your body stop, and start again making smaller movements.
- Back, neck, hip and shoulder release.
2) Roll Up:
- Start on your back with knees bent.
- Reach towards your knees and as easily as possible start to roll your head and shoulders off the mat.
- Slowly roll back down with control.
- You may make it all the way up to seated. If this strains your neck, come back down and do a smaller version with one hand behind your head.
- Core strength, spine mobility.
3) Plank/ Twist:
- From hands and knees, step back into a plank.
- Make a straight line through your ear, shoulder, hip and knee (drop to your knees if you need to).
- Slowly lower one hip towards the floor, come back to center, lower the other hip, back to center.
- One minute.
- Core strength, shoulder and back strength, spine mobility.
4) Chair/ Twist:
- Stand with feet parallel, hip distance apart (or big toes touching).
- Sit low into your Chair pose (parallel squat).
- Twist to the right, bringing your left elbow towards your right knee. Switch sides.
- Our fitness model, Sara, is super strong and is showing the advanced version. If you feel any pain while doing this move, don’t sit as deep into your squat, or do a smaller twist.
- One minute.
- Strengthens back, legs, arms, shoulders.
5) Burpies:
Believe it or not, one of my ladies requested Burpies this month! You basically cycle through a squat, to a plank or push up, back to a squat (or jump), moving as fast as you can comfortably and without pain.
- Stand at the front of your mat.
- Squat down (keeping hips lower than your shoulders – do not round your back) and step or jump back to a plank.
- One push up.
- Step or jump back to the front of your mat (again keep hips low).
- Stand up (or jump up).
- Repeat for one minute.
- Cardio interval. Leg, back, hip, shoulder, chest and arm strength.
Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood), Oregon based Personal Trainer and Licensed Massage Therapist. She suggests you shoot for one minute a day of these moves, to compliment your cardio, strength, and flexibility work. The above photos are meant to jog your memory about the work you and Anne have done together. Please see your medical professional before beginning a new exercise program.