Back Stretch | Illustrated Exercise Guide

Primary muscles: Lower back
Secondary muscles: Middle back, traps
Equipment: No equipment

BACK STRETCH INSTRUCTIONS

1. Start on all fours, positioning your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
2. Drop your head and pull the abs in, rounding your back and neck.
3. Hold for 10 seconds.
4. Raise your head and curve your back down toward the floor.
5. Hold for another 10 seconds and repeat.

PROPER FORM AND BREATHING PATTERN

Keep your spine relaxed, breathe in deeply, drop your head and round your back and neck toward the ceiling. As you exhale, lift your head and start to round your belly toward the floor. Do this movement slowly and don’t bounce between positions.

EXERCISE BENEFITS

The cat-cow stretch is a yoga pose that is regularly included in stress releasing routines. This pose massages and stimulates the abdominal organs, creates emotional balance, reinvigorates the spine and corrects posture. The cat-cow stretch also helps to strengthen your core muscles and can help ease and prevent lower back pain and injuries.

DEMONSTRATION

INTENSITY AND DURATION

Hold the cat pose (round back) for 10 seconds and then switch to cow pose, holding for another 10 seconds. Repeat 3 to 4 times keeping the movement fluid and pain free. By the end of this exercise you should feel completely calm and relaxed.

CALORIES BURNED

To calculate the number of calories burned doing the back stretch, enter your weight and the duration of the exercise:

RELATED STATIC STRETCHES

Try these other static stretches to help your body relax and reduce stress and tension in your muscles:
Lower back stretch
Child’s pose
Ab stretch
Obliques stretch