Session 5

Some soreness during exercise is normal. Sharp, escalating pain is not.

1. 

   Exercise 1

   Bench / countertop decompression lean

   30-60s holds, as needed

   How to do it

   1. 1Stand facing a sturdy bench, table, or countertop that is around hip height.
   2. 2Place your hands or forearms on the surface, then offload your weight onto the supporting surface. I find that it helps to turn my palms facing forward and not let my shoulders shrug.
   3. 3Let your knees soften slightly and allow your arms to support some of your bodyweight. If you're able to and have a stable surface, you may fully offload your weight onto the surface.
   4. 4Breathe slowly and feel your low back gently unload; hold for the prescribed time, then slowly walk your feet back in and stand up tall.

   Why this exercise

   This is your 'reset button.' It gives your back a break from compression and can calm things down after sitting, standing, or a long walk. It's not magic - just smart load management to partially offload compression for temporary relief.

2. 

   Exercise 2

   Prone tummy lying (relaxed)

   ~3 min

   Breathe, relax. Gentle press-ups (small range, hips down) may also feel good. Discontinue if painful

   How to do it

   1. 1Lie on your stomach on a firm but comfortable surface, such as a mat or bed.
   2. 2Position a small pillow or folded towel under your hips or chest if that makes the position more comfortable. This helps me a lot as I'm sensitive to extension.
   3. 3Let your legs relax and rest your head in a comfortable position, either turned to one side or supported on your hands.
   4. 4If you're able to, gently begin lifting your head and chest to enter slight extension by resting on your elbow or through the use of a pillow.
   5. 5Breathe slowly into your belly and allow your back and hips to relax, staying in this position for the prescribed time as long as symptoms remain tolerable.

   Why this exercise

   For some people (especially when bending forward aggravates symptoms), gentle extension-biased positions can calm things down. This is the lowest-intensity "try it and see" version. The concept is simple: if forward bending elicits pain, then lying on your tummy passively shifts your nucleus pulposus of your discs anteriorly, giving relief to the posterior structures that may have been compressed by the nucleus. Going into extension further exaggerates this and can provide additional relief to some.

   Make it easier

   • Pillow under hips/chest
   • Shorter time

   Make it harder

   • Gradually reduce pillow height
   • Move to elbows (small extension) if tolerated
3. 

   Exercise 3

   Chin tucks (sitting or standing)

   2 × 5 reps, 5s hold

   How to do it

   1. 1Sit or stand tall with your shoulders relaxed and your eyes looking straight ahead.
   2. 2Gently draw your chin straight back as if making a "double chin," keeping your head level (do not tilt up or down).
   3. 3You should feel a mild stretch or activation at the base of your skull and the front of your neck, not pain.
   4. 4Hold briefly for the prescribed time, then relax and repeat for the recommended repetitions.

   Why this exercise

   Modern life is basically a chin-forward endurance sport. We are sitting at desks, staring at screens...then we go home and stare at more screens while slouching on the couch. Chin tucks help retrain neck flexors while stretching the posterior extensors. This helps correct a forward neck posture that most of us are guilty of. Get ready to show your double chin.

   Make it easier

   • Smaller movement (gentle glide back)
   • Shorter holds
   • Do it lying down (often easier to feel correctly)

   Make it harder

   • Longer holds / more reps
   • Add it into posture breaks (set-based habit)
4. 

   Exercise 4

   Shoulder-blade squeezes

   2 × 5 reps, 5s hold

   How to do it

   1. 1Sit or stand tall with your shoulders relaxed. Raise your arms out in front of you.
   2. 2Pull your elbows and arms straight back and imagine trying to touch your elbows together behind your back.
   3. 3If you have access to a gym, or weights, rowing movements or reverse pec-decks are what we're aiming for.
   4. 4Pause briefly at the end position, squeezing and feeling the muscles between your shoulder blades work, then return slowly and repeat for the prescribed repetitions.

   Why this exercise

   When upper back/neck symptoms are part of the picture, restoring scapular control is often a big win. This builds endurance in the "posture muscles" and helps make us aware of what muscles should activate to correct our posture.

5. 

   Exercise 5

   Arm-only bird-dog (upper-back focus)

   1 × 5/side, 5s hold

   How to do it

   1. 1Begin on your hands and knees with hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
   2. 2Lightly brace your core and keep your spine in a comfortable, neutral position.
   3. 3Slowly reach one arm straight forward and extend it as far as you can forward (parallel with the floor).
   4. 4Hold briefly for the prescribed time, then return the hand to the floor and repeat on the other side for the recommended repetitions.

   Why this exercise

   Sometimes you want the "stability training" benefits without involving the legs or loading the lower back much. This keeps the spine quiet while training shoulder control and trunk stiffness.

   Make it easier

   • Shorter reach
   • Slide the hand on the floor (less load)
   • Shorter holds

   Make it harder

   • Longer holds
   • Slower tempo
   • Reach forward hard and trace circles in the air for the duration of your hold
6. 

   Exercise 6

   Standing hamstring stretch

   1 × 20-30s/side

   Neutral spine, foot on a low step. NO seated hamstring; skip if you have leg or nerve symptoms

   How to do it

   1. 1Stand facing a low step or sturdy support and place one heel on it with the knee straight or slightly soft.
   2. 2Keep your chest up and a gentle arch in your low back, then hinge forward slightly from your hips.
   3. 3Lean until you feel a comfortable stretch along the back of your thigh, avoiding bouncing or forcing the position.
   4. 4Hold for the prescribed time while breathing, then return to standing and repeat on the other leg.

   Why this exercise

   Think of the standing variant as a mobility-friendly version of the seated stretch. Same goal, but easier to get into and easier to keep a neutral spine, and you can do it quickly on almost any raised surface.

   Make it easier

   • Lower the height of the support
   • Softer knee (slight knee bend)
   • Shorter holds

   Make it harder

   • Slightly higher support
   • Longer holds
   • Add a gentle hip hinge (not rounding) to target the hamstrings, not your discs
7. 

   Exercise 7

   Figure-4/piriformis stretch

   1 × 20-30s/side

   Performed supine to keep the spine neutral

   How to do it

   1. 1Sit on a chair or lie on your back with both knees bent.
   2. 2Cross one ankle over the opposite knee so your leg forms a "figure-4" shape.
   3. 3Gently lean your trunk forward (if sitting) or draw the uncrossed leg toward your chest (if lying down) until you feel a stretch in the buttock and outer hip of the crossed leg.
   4. 4Hold for the prescribed time without bouncing, then relax and repeat on the other side.

   Why this exercise

   This is a personal favourite of mine, and I swear by performing this daily. This is a common stretch recommended to those with sciatica as the piriformis muscle sits right near the sciatic nerve (and for some poor people, the nerve runs right through the piriformis muscle). Stretching this muscle may help with nerve compression. This stretch reduces tension in the piriformis, hip extensors, and external rotators.

   Make it easier

   • Do it lying down on your back (often easier to control)
   • Don't lean your torso into the stretch very much
   • Shorter holds

   Make it harder

   • Slightly deeper stretch over time (lean deeper with torso)
   • Longer holds
8. 

   Exercise 8

   Gentle mid-range cat-cow

   1 × 6-8 reps

   Stay mid-range. Don't flex far into cat

   How to do it

   1. 1Start on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
   2. 2Gently round your back up toward the ceiling (like an angry cat), staying in a comfortable mid-range rather than pushing into strong end-range. Only extend until you feel mild stiffening and then do not pass that range.
   3. 3Then slowly let your back sag slightly toward the floor (cow position), again staying in a mild, comfortable range.
   4. 4Move smoothly between these two positions for the prescribed number of repetitions, keeping your breathing relaxed and easy.
   5. 5Slow and controlled. Do not extend and arch aggressively and do not continue through painful motion.

   Why this exercise

   Motion can be medicine. Mid-range cat-cow helps reduce stiffness and reintroduce comfortable movement without cranking into end-range, which is where a lot of people get into trouble. This gentle exercise is intended to decrease stiffness and liberate motion - not to test how far you can round your back in each direction. In fact, that's the opposite of what we want to do. This exercise should be performed carefully and not immediately after waking up. Performing this exercise to the 'end range' in either flexion or extension can elicit pain for those suffering from back pain.

9. 

   Exercise 9

   Seated good morning

   2 × 8

   Erector anchor: hands on thighs, partial lean, FLAT-BACK neutral hinge (do not round)

   How to do it

   1. 1Sit tall on a flat bench or the edge of a firm chair with your feet wide apart and knees bent so that your heels are roughly beneath your knees.
   2. 2Breathe in and brace your core.
   3. 3Hinge forward slowly while maintaining your brace and a neutral spine.
   4. 4Fight to keep a straight back and stop the movement when you feel that your back may begin to round.
   5. 5Drive down through your feet and push your hips forward into the bench to return to the starting position.

   Why this exercise

   A seated position increases stability and lets you build confidence with hinging at the hips before you try it standing. The extra stability means 100% of your attention can go to moving through the hips with a locked, neutral spine.

   Make it easier

   • Micro-hinge: lean only as far as stays comfortable, build over time
   • Rest your hands on your thighs to support your torso
   • Drop down a rung of the lever ladder

   Make it harder

   • Climb the lever ladder (longer lever = harder): (1) hands on thighs
   • Arms crossed on your chest
   • Hands behind your head (do not push your chin down)
   • Hug a weighted object to your chest (a book, water jug, or filled bag)
   • Increase the depth of the hinge (back must not round into flexion)
10. 

    Exercise 10

    Bodyweight hip hinge (hands on thighs)

    2 × 8

    How to do it

    1. 1Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and knees slightly bent.
    2. 2Place your hands lightly on the tops of your thighs and gently brace your core.
    3. 3Push your hips back behind you slowly and slide your hands down your thighs for support. Imagine you are closing a car door with your butt, letting your chest tip forward while keeping your back straight.
    4. 4Stop when you feel a stretch in your hamstrings or if you notice your back beginning to round, then return to standing by driving your hips forward and straightening your legs.

    Why this exercise

    This is a skill drill, not a workout. It teaches you how to bend using hips and legs while keeping your trunk stable - basically the foundation for picking things up without relying on rounding your spine into flexion.

    Make it easier

    • Smaller hinge (hands don't slide far)
    • Practice against a wall (hips tap wall)

    Make it harder

    • Deeper hinge while staying neutral (spine)
    • Remove hand support gradually
    • Hold a light object, once the pattern is automatic
11. 

    Exercise 11

    Dead bug

    2 × 3/side × 3-5s hold

    Lower the opposite arm + leg slowly, keep the low back gently flat

    How to do it

    1. 1Lie on your back with your arms reaching straight up toward the ceiling and your hips and knees bent to 90 degrees, so your shins are parallel to the floor.
    2. 2Gently flatten your low back toward the floor and brace your core, holding that contact the whole time.
    3. 3Slowly lower one arm overhead and the opposite leg toward the floor, going only as far as you can while keeping your low back flat.
    4. 4Return to the start with control and repeat on the other side, breathing steadily and moving slowly throughout.

    Why this exercise

    The dead bug trains your core to lock your spine in place while your arms and legs move, without loading your back. It is the anti-arch counterpart to the bird dog.

    Make it easier

    • Move only the legs, or only the arms
    • Shorten the range (lower the limb part-way)
    • Fewer reps

    Make it harder

    • Standard dead bug (lower one arm and the opposite leg, then return)
    • Same movement with a 3-second pause at full extension before returning
    • More reps once your low back stays flat the whole set
12. 

    Exercise 12

    Glute bridge (double-leg)

    2 × 8

    Add once comfortable / non-irritable

    How to do it

    1. 1Lie on your back with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor, about hip-width apart.
    2. 2Gently brace your core and squeeze your glutes, then push through your heels to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
    3. 3Pause briefly at the top, and then lower your hips back down with control and repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions.
    4. 4If this motion is too easy, then perform with a single leg.

    Why this exercise

    A strong back is best complemented by strong hips and legs. Glute bridges train hip extension, so your lower back can remain stable as your glutes and legs do the heavy lifting.

    Make it easier

    • No pause at the top
    • Bring your feet a bit closer to your bum

    Make it harder

    • Add a 2-3 second pause at the top
    • Single-leg glute bridge
    • Hip thrust
    • Single-leg hip thrust
    • Add resistance by placing a weight on your pelvis