Exercises
How to do each drill.
Search by name or body area. Every drill has why, numbered steps, what to feel for, and an easier version.
Need tissue work first? Open self-massage— ball and roller, then come back to the drill.
Breath & ribcage
90/90 Hip Lift Breathing
Quiet the breath so the low back can stop bracing.
2 sets of 6 breaths, 4-second exhale
Breath & ribcage
Crocodile Breathing
Feel the breath in the belly and low ribs so it stops living in the neck.
8 slow breaths
Breath & ribcage
Low Cobra Rib Extension
Open the front of the ribcage without crunching the low back.
6 slow breaths
Neck & jaw
Cervical CARs
Give the neck a slow, full circle — not just forward.
3 circles each direction
Neck & jaw
Suboccipital Nod
Lengthen the base of the skull so the head can sit over the ribcage again.
8 nods, 5-second holds
Thoracic spine
Open Book Rotation
Turn from the ribcage so the low back can stop twisting.
6 per side
Shoulder blade
Wall Slide with Reach
Teach the shoulder blades to slide up without the low back flaring.
2 sets of 8
Shoulder blade
Prone T-W-Y
Wake the mid-back muscles that hold the shoulder blades on the ribcage.
6 of each letter
Thoracic spine
Quadruped Thoracic Rotation
Turn the mid-back on hands and knees without using the low back as a hinge.
6 per side
Low back
Dead Bug
Keep the middle still while the arms and legs move — that is real core work.
2 sets of 6 per side
Pelvis
Pelvic Clock
Give the pelvis more than one tilt, so the low back is not stuck in one shape.
6 cycles
Hip
90/90 Hip Switches
Own turning both hips in and out so the low back can stop making up for them.
8 switches
Hip
Couch Stretch
Lengthen the front of the hip that tips the pelvis forward.
45–60 seconds per side
Hip
Glute Bridge March
Get the glutes to lift the hips so the hamstrings and low back stop covering.
6 marches per side
Hip
Hip Airplane
Train the standing hip to turn under a steady pelvis — the missing piece in most “tight hip” stories.
5 per side
Hip
Short Copenhagen
Load the inner thigh so the knee is less likely to cave in.
20–30 second holds
Knee
Terminal Knee Extension
Own the last bit of knee straightening that most sore knees have quietly given away.
2 sets of 12
Knee
Split Squat Iso
Build time in a split stance without the front knee caving in or the torso dumping.
25–40 seconds per side
Ankle & foot
Knee-to-Wall Dorsiflexion
Restore ankle bend so the knee and hip stop paying the bill.
12 slow reps per side
Ankle & foot
Short Foot
Wake the small muscles in the foot so the arch can share load instead of collapsing.
8 holds of 8 seconds
Full chain
Dowel Hip Hinge
Put the fold in the hips so the low back can stop being the hinge.
2 sets of 8
Full chain
Goblet Squat to Box
Own a squat that stays tall and keeps the knees tracking.
3 sets of 6
Full chain
Farmer Carry
Stay stacked while you walk with even load — honest core work.
3 walks of 30–40 metres
Full chain
Half-Kneeling Chop
Turn through a steady pelvis so the low back is not the rotator.
8 per side
Thoracic spine
Side Lying Windmill
Open the front of the ribcage and the top shoulder without dumping into the low back.
5 slow arcs per side
Thoracic spine
Thread the Needle
Reach under the body so the shoulder blade can glide instead of hitching.
6 per side
Low back
Bird Dog
Reach opposite arm and leg without the low back sagging or bracing.
6 per side
Hip
Side Lying Hip Abduction
Wake the side of the hip so the pelvis stops dropping on the standing leg.
2 × 8 per side
Hip
Quadruped Rock Back
Find hip fold with a quiet spine — a squat pattern on the floor.
8 slow rocks
Full chain
Suitcase Carry
Stay tall against a weight in one hand, so the collapsing side has nowhere to hide.
3 walks of 30 metres each side
Ankle & foot
Slow Heel Raise
Load the calf through a full range so the ankle can share work with the knee.
2 × 10
Knee
Step-Down
Train the knee and hip to share a slow lower without the knee caving in.
6 per side
Low back
Side Bridge
Build side-body endurance without grinding the low back.
6 × 8–10s / side, rest between
Neck & jaw
Four-Way Neck Isometrics
Give the neck honest, light resistance after the nod has taught it to be a neck again — not a breathing muscle.
5s × 3 in each direction
Knee
Seated Tibial Rotation
Restore the small spin the lower leg is supposed to have so the kneecap can track instead of grind.
10 each way / side
Knee
Wall Sit Iso
Load the front of the thigh and the tendon under the kneecap with a still hold — without beating up a noisy knee.
3 × 30–45s
Ankle & foot
Tibialis Raise
Strengthen the front of the shin so the foot can land and the knee can travel without dumping in.
2 × 12
Shoulder blade
Slow Shoulder Circles
Find the circle the shoulder actually owns, without the neck finishing the high part.
5 slow circles each way / side
Shoulder blade
Wall Push-Plus
Wake the muscle that holds the blade on the ribcage so the cuff is not working from a moving platform.
2 × 8 slow pushes
Shoulder blade
Side Lying Shoulder External Rotation
Strengthen the back of the shoulder with the elbow by the ribs — the position that actually protects a reach.
2 × 8 / side
Shoulder blade
Hand Up the Back
Restore an honest reach behind the back without yanking the shoulder forward.
6 slow slides / side
Shoulder blade
Prone Blade Set
Teach the blades to sit on the ribs before we ask them to travel.
8 holds of 5 seconds
Full chain
Split-Stance Dowel Hip Hinge
Ask the hips to own the fold when the ground is uneven — so the low back stops finishing every bend.
2 × 6 / side
Thoracic spine
Seated Rib Look-Over
Give the turn back to the ribs so the neck can stay a passenger — especially after a carry or a long sit.
6 / side
Ankle & foot
Ankle Rocking
Restore ankle bend the foot can own so the knee and hip stop buying range they do not have.
8 / side