Aging well includes your ability to move with confidence, maintain independence, and avoid injuries and pain. At the center of your body’s ability to do all these things, quite literally, is your core.

“Your core is so much more than just ‘abs,’” says Kelly Hegarty, CPT, Dynamic Personal Trainer at Life Time in St. Paul, Minn., with more than 20 years of experience. “The core forms the foundation for nearly every movement we make, and encompasses the muscles of the spine, pelvis, hip joints, and abdomen. These muscles work together to stabilize the trunk, maintain posture, and transfer force between the upper and lower body during just about any movement.

“As we age, core strength becomes even more important as weakness in these muscles can lead to poor posture, back pain, difficulty moving, and increased fall risk,” she adds. “A strong core helps keep the body upright, resilient, and functional. Most importantly, a strong, stable core allows you to safely enjoy the activities you love — like gardening, traveling, or playing with grandchildren — while reducing the fear of falls or injuries.”

To help you keep this entire muscle group strong, Hegarty created the following core-training workout that you can add to your exercise rotation.

“Older adults can benefit from two to four sessions per week of focused core training, in addition to general exercise like walking and strength training,” she says. “These sessions can be short and integrated into your regular workouts — just 10 minutes of targeted core work can make a huge difference.”

1. Glute Bridge

“Although this move primarily focuses on the glutes, strengthening these muscles supports pelvic alignment while also engaging your lower back and abdominals to stabilize your trunk,” Hegarty explains.

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet hip width apart on the floor.
• Press through your heels to lift your hips until your shoulders, hips, and knees form a straight line.
• Squeeze your glutes as you lift, then lower slowly.
• Throughout the movement, draw your belly button in and keep your spine in a neutral position (don’t arch to achieve a higher bridge).
• Repeat for 12 to 20 reps.

Note: To progress, hold a dumbbell or kettlebell at the hip with your hands or try a single-leg variation.

2. Bird-Dog

“This exercise is great for cross-body stability — it builds strength in the lower back while engaging your abs and glutes,” says Hegarty. “It also allows you to work on balance and body control in a safe, low-impact position.”

• Start on all fours in a quadruped position with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
• Extend one arm forward as you send the opposite leg back (for example, bring your right arm forward and left leg back). Keep your hips level and core tight as you avoid arching your back.
• Hold briefly, then switch sides (bring your left arm forward as you bring your right leg back) while keeping your spine neutral and moving your pelvis as little as possible.
• Repeat for 8 to 12 reps on each side.

3. Incline Plank

“This exercise helps build deep abdominal strength while also engaging your shoulders, glutes, and back for full-body stability,” says Hegarty. “Plus, it supports spinal alignment and posture.”

• Stand and face a knee-height bench, box, or chair.
• Place your hands on the edge of the surface, about shoulder width apart. Keeping your shoulders directly over your wrists and arms straight, walk your feet back until you form a straight line from your head to your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles.
• Keep your lower back flat, engage your core, and pull your shoulders away from your ears.
• Hold this position for one set of 20 seconds to one minute, making sure not to pike or sink your hips.

Note: As you get stronger, you can slowly lower the inclined surface until you reach the floor to do a traditional plank with proper form.

4. Side Plank

“This move targets the obliques, which stabilize the spine and hips and are often neglected in traditional core work,” Hegarty says. “Strengthening these muscles helps build a solid foundation for daily activities like bending, twisting, and carrying.”

• Lie on one side with your forearm on the floor directly under your shoulder and feet stacked on top of each other.
• Keep your bottom knee down as you lift your hips off the floor so your body forms a straight line.
• Hold for one set of 20 seconds to one minute, keeping your core tight, belly button drawn in, and hips lifted.

Note: To make this more challenging, lift your bottom knee off the ground and hold both legs in a straight line. To make it even more challenging, raise your top foot three inches as you hold your plank.

5. Pallof Press

“The Palloff press is a powerful anti-rotation exercise, meaning it teaches the core to resist twisting and builds functional stability for everyday carrying, pushing, lifting,” Hegarty says.

• Anchor a resistance band (or a D handle if using a cable machine) at shoulder height and stand with your left shoulder pointed toward the anchor point and feet at least shoulder width apart.
• Grasp the band with both hands at chest level and step far enough from the anchor point to create light tension on the band.
• Brace your core and then press the band straight away from your chest until your arms are fully extended. With control, return the band to your chest.
• Repeat for 12 to 20 reps.
• Turn your body so your right side is facing the anchor point and repeat for 12 to 20 reps.

6. Dead Bug

“This exercise strengthens the transversus abdominis and engages and builds endurance in your deep spinal stabilizer muscles,” says Hegarty. “It’s great for motor control and overall coordination.”

• Lie on your back and extend your arms and legs into the air: Your arms will be straight over your chest; your knees will be bent at about 90 degrees.
• Keep your head on the floor with your neck in a neutral position.
• Engage your core, drawing your ribs down and pressing your lower back into the floor. Extend one leg to straighten it while dropping the opposite-side arm overhead. Reverse and repeat on the opposite side.
• Actively flex your feet throughout the movement. Do not lower your heels all the way to the floor. Extend and lower your legs only as far as possible without arching your lower back.
• Alternate sides, drawing your knee in only to hip level, not all the way to your chest.
• Repeat for 8 to 12 reps on each side.

Note: To make this more challenging, start with your knees a few inches farther from your chest. To make it less challenging, bring your knees closer to your chest and/or reduce the range of motion of your arms and legs.

If you’re experiencing pelvic-floor issues, try the following routine designed by chiropractor Mamak Shakib, DC, who focuses on stabilizing the pelvis when treating patients with pelvic-floor dysfunction.

These moves progressively build stability in different parts of your body. Shakib notes that performing each move with optimal form and maintaining awareness of the pelvic floor is more important than the number of repetitions or the duration of each exercise.

Neutral Spine

Focus throughout the movement on proper mechanics and execution.*

Toe Tap

Focus throughout the movement on proper mechanics and execution.*

Side Roll-Up

Focus throughout the movement on proper mechanics and execution.*

Seated Hip Mobility

Focus throughout the movement on proper mechanics and execution.*

Rocking Bear

Focus throughout the movement on proper mechanics and execution.*

Spider

Focus throughout the movement on proper mechanics and execution.*

*Performing each move with optimal form and maintaining awareness of the pelvic floor is more important than the number of repetitions or the duration of each exercise.

Navigate directly to the Workout Overview

There’s no shortage of incredible and life-changing reasons to strength train. Studies suggest muscular strength provides measurable protection against heart disease, cancer, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Resistance training can stave off age-related muscle loss, balance hormones, enhance mobility, and boost cognitive function. The process of building strength can transform us physically, mentally, and emotionally.

But sometimes a person just wants a good booty pump. That is to say, there are days when I simply crave that temporary increase in muscle size — caused by increased blood flow and swelling — brought on by an intense workout.

What’s so great about a muscle pump? Purely from an aesthetic point of view, I like the look of having muscles that “pop.” And whether it’s my biceps or my delts, my quads or my glutes, the feeling of having slightly bigger muscles — even just for a couple of hours — is a confidence boost. I find that I walk a little taller and with more pep in my step.

Beyond this immediate gratification, the pump can also be a sign that I’ve worked out with enough volume and intensity to stimulate muscle growth.

You don’t have to chase a pump to get stronger, though. The pump can be an incidental aspect of your lifting life, a bonus benefit that arises from time to time.

But if you like the look and feel of a pump, don’t be afraid to get after it as part of a progressive, full-body lifting program. In the long run, these muscular adaptations can pay dividends in your health and quality of life.

Workout Overview

A 10-Minute EMOM: Glute Focus

After a dynamic warm-up, grab a set of heavy dumbbells and set a timer for 10 minutes. Every minute on the minute (EMOM), complete seven reps of either deadlifts or sumo squats.

1. Perform the dumbbell deadlift reps at the start of every even minute (0:00, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00).
2. And do the dumbbell sumo squat reps at the start of each odd minute (1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, 9:00).
3. Rest for the remainder of each minute.

A note on weight selection: Choose weights that are heavy. The exact poundage will vary from person to person; select dumbbells that are heavy enough to make each set of seven reps challenging, without compromising your form. Whether you choose 20s or 50s, aim to maintain an intensity that safely approaches your capacity. This helps achieve a muscle pump while offering an appropriate stimulus to strengthen your muscles.

Dumbbell Deadlifts

Perform 7 reps at the start of every even minute (0:00, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00).
Rest for the remainder of each minute.

Dumbbell Sumo Squats

Perform 7 reps at the start of each odd minute (1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, 9:00.
Rest for the remainder of each minute.

When life gets stressful, we often feel the tension both mentally and physically in our bodies. And while regular exercise is known for its stress-relieving benefits, we tend to focus more on the outcome — the number of reps or time spent doing cardio, for example — than we do on simply observing how our body feels in the moment.
Somatic workouts challenge this idea and have been growing in popularity over the last few years.

What Is Somatic Movement?

A somatic practice involves dropping into your body and connecting with what you feel on the inside both emotionally and physically.

“Somatic movement is all about feeling,” says April Fort, 500 E-RYT, yoga leader at Life Time in Cypress, Texas. “Instead of focusing on how our bodies are aligned on the outside, we focus on what’s happening inside. It brings mindfulness into every movement and challenges your ability to stay present, which can lead to improved concentration and mental clarity.” (Learn more: “A Somatic Workout to Support Your Well-Being.”)

Incorporating this type of movement into your routine can bring about several benefits for your body and mind, according to Fort.

• Mindfulness allows you to build awareness around the patterns of stress and tension you experience so you can work toward better patterns.
• Dedicated time for somatic movement provides a safe space to explore and release emotional tension in your body.
• Physically slower, more mindful movements can enhance mobility and flexibility by releasing tension and improving joint range of motion.
• Paying attention to every movement can improve your ability to stay in the present moment outside of class.

Yoga Moves for a Somatic Practice

This mindful way of moving guides the teaching philosophy for many of the yoga formats at Life Time. “We teach this mind-body connection in all of our LifePower yoga classes,” says Fort. “It’s the reason we don’t have mirrors in many of our yoga studios, and why our teachers lean more into verbal cues then modeling shapes. All our yoga classes are about exploring the full range of motion and emotion that you experience in life, but the slower pace of our ROOT class especially allows you to tap into the benefits of somatic movement.”

Here, Fort demonstrates four somatic yoga movements to help you build more awareness in your body.

1. Cat-Cow Sequence

“The key for drawing out the somatic benefits of this pose is to really feel how every part of your body moves and keep your breathing slow and controlled,” says Fort.

• Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position, hands below your shoulders and knees under your hips.
• Give yourself a few breaths to feel your connection to the ground.
• Inhale as you drop your belly slowly, putting your weight in your hands, and turn your chin up as you spread your sitz bones (base of your pelvic bone) and lift your tailbone. Pause for a few seconds here.
• Exhale as you slowly round your back and feel your vertebrae spreading apart. Let your shoulder blades spread out like wings. Place less weight in your fingertips as you drag them closer together, so more weight is absorbed by your core and the squeeze of your thighs.
• Repeat this sequence three to four times, focusing your awareness on how your hands move with gravity and resistance, as well as the feel of the flexion and extension of your spine.

2. Bridge Pose Sequence

“Applying a somatic framework to this movement requires intentionally moving slower than your body wants to,” says Fort.

• Start on your back with your knees pointed up the ceiling. Notice the connection to the earth along your spine and under your feet.
• Take a few breaths to feel the expansion of your lungs and the corresponding movement of your back along the mat.
• Flatten your back on the mat as you place your hands along the top of your pelvic bone (iliac crest).
• Inhale and slowly lift just your tail bone off the mat. Let your focus find the activation in your glutes. Feel the tilt of your pelvic bone and intentionally move slower to explore the movement of your spine as it lifts off the floor one vertebra at a time.
• As you move, feel the way your heels and shoulders are grounded to support the lift of your spine. There is almost a magnetized quality to this lift.
• At the top, pause, exhale completely, and watch the way your navel hugs your spine. Notice the pull of your pelvic floor toward the navel. Inhale fully, letting your chest rise toward your chin.
• Exhale and let your hips lower back to the mat just as consciously as you lifted them. At the bottom, relax the glutes and the abdominals fully for a full breath.
• Repeat this sequence three to four times.

3. Seated Sequence

“The somatic part of this sequence is all about focusing on your breath and how it flows through you during each movement,” says Fort.

• Start seated with your legs crossed comfortably. Feel the way the bottom of your sitz bones (pelvic bone) connects to the earth. Rock back and forth a few times to find the natural curvature of your spine.
• Bow your head and place your right palm on top of your left knee and left palm on top of your right knee.
• Inhale and lift your arms into a cactus pose (arms bent at the elbows and outstretched to the sides) and squeeze your shoulder blades as if you have an imaginary tennis ball between them as you arch your back and let your collarbones smile. As your chin lifts, your pelvic bone tilts.
• Then, exhale as you twist to the right. Anchor your left hip down as you guide your left hand to your right knee. Take an extra breath and inhale to lengthen your spine.
• As you exhale, use the leverage of your hand on your knee to twist deeper.
• Inhale as you shift the anchor into your right hip and sweep your right arm up and over your head. Your top shoulder drifts back as you focus the inhale on your right lung and expand the ribs on the right side.
• Exhale and redistribute weight into the base of your pelvic bone and roll it back so that your spine rounds. Create space in the vertebrae all the way up your back, letting your shoulder blades pull apart and your chin move toward your chest. Empty all your breath, scooping your navel under the bottom of your rib cage.
• Inhale and move back into cactus pose, with your back arched and shoulder blades squeezed together. Repeat twist sequence on the opposite side. Pay attention to the movement of your pelvic bone as you shift from shape to shape.
• Repeat this entire sequence three to four times.

4. Dirgha Pranayama

“Dirgha pranayama is a somatic breathing technique that involves a series of breaths that allow us to use and feel the entire lung expanding and contracting,” Fort explains.

• Start on your back with your feet pressed together. (Optional: Put a block under each knee to lessen the sensation on the inner thighs.) Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your collarbones.
• Inhale into your belly and feel the swell of it in your bottom hand. Carry the inhale into your rib cage and notice how it expands. Keep inhaling into your collarbones and feel your top hand lift. (This is a longer, deeper breath — try inhaling for a count of four.) Explore the sensation of breathing slowly to every corner of your lungs.
• Exhale for a count of five. Feel your collarbones drift down, your rib cage slowly contract, and your lower hand soften toward the spine with the sink of your belly as you empty your lungs, exhaling completely with a gentle squeeze at the end.
• Repeat this sequence three to four times. See if you can sense the movement of your diaphragm to fill and empty.

The Moves

  Hundreds  •  Leg Circles  •  Single-Leg Stretch  •  Spinal Articulation  •  Shoulder Bridge  •  Side Plank
•   Wall Sit + 3 Variations  •  Hip Extension

Both reformer and mat Pilates can help you improve your strength and mobility, but each has its unique benefits — and limitations. The reformer and other Pilates exercise machines provide support and reduce pressure at your joints, but most people don’t have access to this equipment at home. Mat Pilates is more accessible, but it can be harder to execute exercises with good form when your body is not anchored by an apparatus.

Wall Pilates offers the best of both worlds. It provides support for your body anywhere, anytime, says Agnieszka Karasek, a Life Time Pilates instruc­tor based in Roseville, Calif.

“Every exercise that you can do on a mat, you can do on a wall. And the wall can give you support similar to the reformer, ensuring that you do the exercises correctly,” she says.

The Pilates system trains you to anchor and move from your core, says Karasek. Because of this, she notes, Pilates is especially beneficial for athletes. “For example, if you’re a soccer player, you’re kicking from your core; you’re not just kicking with your legs.”

To enjoy the benefits of Pilates, technique is key. “The better control you have, the better your alignment, the better the results,” she says. “Pilates is about controlling the movements — it’s like slow-motion gymnastics.”

The following 15-minute wall-Pilates workout, designed by Karasek, is gentle enough to do every day, and all you need is a mat and a wall. Perform the exercises in order, because they gradually become more challenging and functional.

The Workout

Hundreds

Inhale for five arm pumps, then exhale for five arm pumps for a cycle of 10 full breaths.

Leg Circles

Perform five to eight circles in a counterclockwise position before switching directions.
Repeat on the opposite side.

Single-Leg Stretch

Alternate sides for a total of six reps on each side.

Spinal Articulation

Repeat four to six times.

Shoulder Bridge

Perform four to six times.

Side Plank

Perform five reps, then switch sides

Wall Sit

Breathe and hold this position for as long as you can with good form.

Wall Sit Variations

To make the Wall Sit more challenging, try one of these variations:

Option 1) Once in the squat position, place your elbows on the wall at shoulder height and bring the backs of your hands toward the wall. Breathe and hold this position for as long as you can with good form.

Option 2) From the squat position and with your elbows on the wall at shoulder height and the backs of your hands toward the wall, hinge at the elbow to draw your palm toward the wall on one side at a time for a total of five reps on each side.

Option 3) Starting in a squat position with triceps pressed against the wall, lift one leg off the floor and straighten it in front of you while you also extend the same-side arm out in front of you. Hold for three breaths, then switch sides.

Hip Extension

Hold for three breaths and perform on the opposite side.

Explore the Somatic Moves

Fitness efforts often revolve around extrinsic data points. We dutifully log sets, reps, and weights. Track miles, meters, and time under tension. Strive for perfect form, optimal alignment, and efficiency of movement. But a growing number of fitness professionals and exercisers are embracing a healing mind–body approach known as somatics, which shifts the focus from the outside in.

“Somatics describes dropping into the body and connecting with what you feel on the inside, emotionally and physically,” explains Emily Johnson, a holistic nurse, yoga teacher, and somatic coach.

Derived from the ancient Greek word for “body,” somatic means “of or relating to the body.” The term “somatics” is attributed to Thomas Hanna, PhD, a professor, philosopher, and author of the 1970 book Bodies in Revolt: A Primer in Somatic Thinking. Today, somatics represents a broad field that encourages practitioners to home in on their internal sensations, perceptions, and experiences.

A somatic framework has been applied to mental health services like therapy, particularly in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); bodywork like massage and acupressure; cultural healing and anti-racism modalities; and numerous physical-movement practices.

In 2023, “somatic workout” emerged as a top Google trend, and it has become a mainstay search term, with results promising a variety of health and fitness benefits from better sleep to weight loss.

But the goal of a somatic practice, experts argue, is embodiment — a healing state of being grounded, settled, and tuned in to the body.

“Somatic practices help individuals become more attuned to their body’s sensations, alignment, and movements,” explains Tory Schaefer, Life Time’s senior director of class education and yoga. “By emphasizing mindful attention, somatics can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and reducing stress. This can lead to lower levels of anxiety and an overall sense of calm.”

Somatics, adds Johnson, is “a way to relax, connect, heal, and find peace in yourself. It helps you get connected to your true inner compass so that you can have confidence in what you are experiencing, who you are, and what you want or need to do.”

She discovered the practice following a traumatic abdominal injury that, even after her physical injuries healed, caused her tremendous chronic pain and stress. “I was able to heal when I understood that my chronic pain was rooted in a fear of reinjury and a dysregulated nervous system,” she says. “Through somatics, I went from a state of being fearful, stressed, always in my head, and never in the moment, to now being in a state of peace.”

The quest for this peaceful state is a major driver behind the popularity of somatics and embodiment practices, says Jessie Syfko, ND, RYT, CSCS, FMS, Life Time’s vice president of group training and studio and creator of MB360, a mind–body group-training format.

“Our world is suffering with an abundance of mental health issues,” says Syfko. “The conversation [around mental health] is becoming more normalized, and we are getting better at understanding how much our body stores our unresolved emotional experiences. That has opened the opportunity for all the ways [we] can resolve tension [and] stress and improve our mental state. People are hungry for a better understanding of how to feel better.”

(Listen as Syfko explains more about this connection, the benefits it provides, how we can grow it, and the integral relationship it has to our fitness efforts at, “The Mind-Body Connection: Tapping in to Mindfulness Through Movement.”)

In Search of Sensation

Somatic movement is often described as synonymous with gentle movement practices, such as some forms of yoga and tai chi. But if intention and attention are lacking, those gentle movement practices are not somatic. And while somatic exercises are designed to be performed gently, the heightened focus that comes with noticing the body’s inner workings can sometimes feel uncomfortable.

So, what does a somatic exercise look like?

Most are slow and controlled, though they can take many forms.

Some practices, for example, may involve little to no physical movement. A seated or prone body scan to get in tune with sensations is a basic somatic practice, even if it’s not technically a physical exercise, says Johnson.

And, while not inherently somatic, yoga and tai chi are commonly cited as examples of movement disciplines with somatic potential because of their emphasis on awareness, breathwork, alignment, and controlled movement. Not all yoga teachers adhere to those internal practices, but Shaefer notes that “when a teacher can cue in a way that takes the student on an internal journey of self-discovery, it’s magical. It’s typically the little simple cues that blow my mind.”

Strength-training modalities are less recognized in the field of somatics but also provide an opportunity for somatic intention and exploration. “[Bodybuilders] have been doing somatic work since the invention of the gym,” says Mark Schneider, CSCS, a trauma-informed strength coach. Bodybuilding has somatic potential thanks to a strong emphasis on isolation and activation using the mind–muscle connection. (Curious about what trauma-informed movement is? Learn more at “How Movement Therapy Can Heal Traumatic Stress.”)

This wide range of practices illustrates that anything can be somatic if it brings your attention to your body. “You don’t have somatics without mindful awareness of physical sensation,” says Syfko.

To that end, some experiences, like balance work, isometrics, and learning something new, have somatic work built in, because they require you to dial in and pay attention. But, beyond the extreme of being forced to pay attention because of the possibility of falling over, for instance, intent will drive awareness.

“Because the body has so much capacity for sensation, you won’t feel it unless you’re looking for it,” says Schneider. “Feel your feet. Feel your breath. Feel into whatever feels safe in the moment.”

Healing Through Embodiment

To understand how somatics works, it’s important to understand that our bodies hold our life experiences. This is especially true of traumatic experiences, including those that are physical, psychological, vicarious, acute, chronic, personal, collective, and intergenerational.

Even people who cannot pinpoint a traumatic event or experience often live with unconscious, protective patterns formed by their past experiences. These patterns might manifest as anxiety, depression, hypervigilance, panic attacks, addiction, violence, or other mental health challenges; they can also present as chronic pain, limited mobility, sleep and digestion issues, or other physical symptoms too.

Notably, the conscious mind is not always able to access what needs to be processed, which is where healing through the body comes in. “We need to understand our body’s process of connection and settling,” writes therapist and somatic educator Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW, SEP, in his book My Grandmother’s Hands.

“We need to slow ourselves down and learn to lean into uncertainty, rather than away from it. We need to ground ourselves, touch the pain or discomfort inside our trauma, and explore it — gently. This requires building a tolerance for bodily and emotional discomfort, and learning to stay present with — rather than trying to flee — that discomfort. …With practice, over time, this enables us to be more curious, more mindful, and less reflexive. Only then can growth and change occur.”

Menakem teaches that much of human behavior involves a part of the body he calls the “soul nerve.” More commonly known as the vagus nerve, it is “the unifying organ of the entire nervous system,” he writes.

“When your body feels relaxed, open, settled, and in sync with other bodies, that’s your soul nerve functioning. When it feels energized, vibrant, and full of life, that’s also your soul nerve. When it feels tight, constricted, and self-protective, that’s your soul nerve, too.”

In his book and courses, Menakem offers “soul-nerve training,” a series of simple somatic practices that includes humming, rocking, belly breathing, and chanting as ways to connect to the body and begin to explore the limits of your comfort zone.

The Benefits of Somatics

The potential benefits of seeking embodiment through somatic work are manifold, Schaefer says. Improved body awareness can lead to better posture and movement. Mindful movements activate the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and reduced stress.

“Somatic exercises can focus on identifying and releasing chronic tension patterns in the body,” he explains, noting that this can help alleviate pain, improve mobility, and enhance overall physical comfort. “And many somatic practices incorporate breath awareness and control, leading to improved respiratory function and a greater sense of vitality.”

Additionally, by cultivating a mindful relationship with their bodies, somatics can “encourage individuals to stay present and enhance overall mindfulness in daily life,” he says.

Somatic coaches often emphasize that a consistent somatic practice can lead to a release of pain — physical or emotional, or both. But, experts urge, it’s important not to get distracted by chasing that release. “The intention is tuning in to the body, in the moment,” says Schneider. “Let the benefits unfold from there.

“Everyone can benefit [from a somatic practice]. It supports us in becoming less reactive, and when we are less reactive, we are more likely to let go of fears and/or frustrations that lead to unhealthy living in every way.”

That said, not everyone will benefit from practicing on their own. It is possible for some people to experience too much release without a trained instructor, and people experiencing acute levels of trauma would also want to seek professional advice as to how to engage in somatics, says Syfko.

“Somatics gets tricky for people who don’t understand what they’re feeling,” says Schneider. “Not being able to understand what you’re feeling is scary. Some people can easily rationalize it away, some can easily compartmentalize, and some people default to ruminating over it. Professional guidance can help them determine what that sensation means to them. Especially if you’re using somatics for mental health, it’s something that should at some point be guided by someone who can respect that aspect of it.”

Whether you’re practicing solo or with a guide, a sense of safety is a critical aspect of somatics.

“Getting into the body and feeling safe there — that is the work,” says Johnson, who advises titrating — or continuously monitoring and adjusting the balance — between areas of anxiety or tension and areas of safety or comfort to avoid overwhelm or the possibility of being retraumatized by whatever your body is holding onto.

“It can take time, so it’s important to do this work with compassion,” she says. “Remember, our patterns are there to protect us. They served a purpose at some point. But they are not personality traits. You can change by healing these conditioned patterns.”

Dropping In

The magic of somatics isn’t in any particular movement, movement pattern, or movement at all. It’s in building awareness and practicing the art of noticing what’s happening within our bodies.

Experts offer the following practices as entry points into somatic work. Think of them as invitations rather than as a strict set of instructions, and try not to stress about doing a practice “correctly.”

Think of them as invitations rather than as a strict set of instructions, and try not to stress about doing a practice “correctly.”

Rather, move slowly and focus on noticing the sensations within you. If any of these suggestions trigger extreme panic, fear, or pain in your body, stop right away. Before trying again, seek out a knowledgeable, trauma-informed guide with somatic training for support.

“Dropping into the body is different every time,” says Johnson. “And everybody’s journey into the body is so different. We heal slowly. It won’t all come up at once. It won’t all be healed at once. But what we’re feeling in the moment can show us the way.”

4/1 Segmented Breathing

“This simple breathing technique supports nervous-system regulation and builds more resilience and better coping mechanisms over time,” says Johnson. Practice it in the morning to prepare for your day, in the moment as stress and triggers come up, or at the end of the day.

“It’s OK if you can’t do this right away in the moment when feelings come up. Tell your body you will take care of it later to calm yourself down, and build trust by actually coming back and dropping into your body later on.”

Body Scan

Johnson recommends body scans as a somatic exercise to help build awareness and practice self-regulation. “As you begin to notice sensations in your body, find neutral spots that feel good and safe. Know that you can always shift your attention back to these spots. Then, when you feel ready, you can begin to explore areas of tension and anxiety in the body, or go to a place of feeling you are being called to put your attention on. You’re not trying to tolerate suffering; don’t overwhelm yourself. It’s an exploration and a return to safety, always.”

Slow Rocking

In My Grandmother’s Hands, Menakem offers slow rocking — a soothing behavior that many small children intuitively do and that parents do with their babies — as a simple somatic exercise that can help the body settle and ground. “[My grandmother] frequently comforted herself by rocking, both forward and backward and from side to side,” he writes. “When I would watch her rock, it never looked nervous or neurotic. Instead, it felt like a sacred ritual, imbued with meaning and purpose.”

Arm Swings

“I love cues that speak to feeling into the space we occupy to help release attachment and tension,” says Syfko. One of her favorite ways to take up more space is through arm swings, which can be performed while sitting or standing.

Tabletop

Grand movements aren’t a requirement for somatic work. In fact, says Schaefer, subtle changes in alignment, pressure, and resistance can press you “to look at your practice in a whole new light.”

Take, for example, the following cues to try the next time it’s convenient. “It’s no longer about doing poses but the deep, profound connection that’s inside and then around us every day.”

Foot Clock

Schneider recommends the following single-leg exercise, which combines the extreme somatic sensations of balance and isometrics. “It requires hyperfocus to not fall over,” he says.

Biceps Curl

A central tenet of bodybuilding, explains Schneider, is the mind–muscle connection, which involves concentrating on muscles contracting and stretching through different parts of a movement. “This bodybuilding principle emphasizes internal focus and what you’re feeling inside the body” as a tool to boost muscle activation.

When you’re strength training, nothing beats a progressive, periodized pro­gram that aligns with your goals and fitness level. But sometimes — say, when you’re traveling, when life throws you a scheduling curveball, or when you simply want to mix things up with a new challenge — it can be helpful to go off-plan rather than skip exercising altogether. That’s where ladder workouts truly shine.

Not to be confused with agility ladder workouts, the “ladder” here refers to an ascending or descending rep scheme to rack up volume in a short period of time without requiring much, or any, weight. It’s an efficient, effective way to train conditioning and strength endurance.

To get started, give one of these ladder schemes and sample workouts a try.

2) Descending Ladder

This is a rep scheme that decreases in consistent intervals. As with the ascending ladder, the reps can decrease by any number, and this scheme can be used for single exercises and multi-move circuits. For many people, doing fewer reps with each round makes it psychologically more approachable.

2a) Single-exercise, single-weight descending ladder

• Prepare to perform pull-ups, using assistance (with resistance bands or your feet) as needed to make the following rep count accessible. (For tips and photos on variations for this move, see “4 Steps to Your First Pull-Up.”)
• Perform 10 pull-ups.
• Release the bar and reset, then perform eight pull-ups.
• Release the bar and reset, then perform six pull-ups.
• Continue decreasing the reps by two in each set until you’ve completed a set of two.
• Pace yourself and rest as needed between rounds.

2b) Single-exercise, multiweight descending ladder

• Set up three kettlebells — heavy, medium, and light — for deadlifts. (See “How to Do the Romanian Deadlift” for instructions of this move.)
• Perform 15 reps with the light bell, then 10 reps with the medium bell and five reps with the heavy bell.
• Pace yourself, and rest as needed between rounds.
• Repeat the circuit up to three times, if desired.

2c) Multimove, single-weight descending ladder

• Set up to perform a circuit of body-weight squats, sit-ups, pushups, and burpees.
• Perform 10 reps of each exercise, in order.
• Then nine reps, then eight reps, and so on, ending with one rep of each move.
• Pace yourself and rest as needed between rounds.

This article originally appeared as “Learn to Love the Ladder” in the July/August 2024 issue of Experience Life.

Knee issues and the mobility limitations that accompany them are so pervasive that it’s easy to believe they’re a foregone conclusion, an expected part of growing older. Injuries to the ligaments of the knee, fractures around the joint, gout, osteoarthritis, and overuse — the result of time under the tensions of an active life — are just a few common causes of knee pain.

But knee issues don’t have to accompany the aging process, says Mark Schneider, a trauma-informed strength coach specializing in injury rehab and pain management. Many injuries can be prevented or ameliorated through targeted strength and mobility work.

“The knee flourishes in stability and rhythm,” Schneider explains.

Stability requires strengthening the muscles that cross the knee joint — particularly those on the front and back of your thighs and calves. Those muscles, he says, are your first line of defense against injury. When they’re weak, the tendons and ligaments in the knee joint can be easily overtaxed.

But when you strengthen them, he notes, “they act like a waterproof shell that takes most of the abuse of the environment so that the jacket underneath can keep you warm.”

Rhythm refers to your knees’ ability to work in tandem with the more complex joints in the kinetic chain. As Schneider describes it, “The knee is the servant of the hip above and the ankle below.” When those joints don’t function well — bending and rotating as they’re designed — the knee is often pulled off-kilter, resulting in pain and injury.

Schneider created the following routine to hone both of these skills. It aims to build muscle around the knees to improve stability while teaching coor­­dination and balance in all the major lower-body joints to bolster rhythm.

The Poses

Easy Pose With Box Breathing  ⋅  Cobra Pose  ⋅  Prayer Twist  ⋅  Seated Twist  ⋅  Supported Seated Forward Fold  ⋅  Wind-Relieving Pose  ⋅  Supine Twist  ⋅  Plow Pose

Digestive distress comes in many forms — with causes as varied as eating a rich meal, public-speaking nerves, or PMS. If you’re feeling unsettled, movement can offer relief. Gentle yoga combined with breathwork may be a particularly powerful remedy.

“There are three main ways that yoga can support digestion and gut health: physically, mentally, and energetically,” explains Life Time studio lead Madden Zappa, CPT, RYT-200, and a certified yoga and breathwork instructor.

Physically, she says, yoga boosts blood flow and circulation to the digestive tract and organs. Plus, many postures help relieve pelvic, hip, and abdominal tightness, which can contribute to (and result from) digestion issues.

Mentally, yoga reduces stress levels and regulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for our ability to rest and digest.

And energetically, yoga sup­ports the chakras, or “wheels of energy that travel from the tailbone to the crown of the head,” Zappa explains. “Over time, these wheelhouses of energy can get stuck or clogged. Yoga can help keep these channels open.

“If you’re experiencing uncomfortable digestion, you’ll want to try and stay away from more vigorous forms of yoga and opt in to a more restorative practice,” such as yin. A belly-supporting flow could include gentle compression, stretching, rotation, and breathwork.

With this restorative mix in mind, Zappa offers the following series. Perform this flow on its own or combine it with a 15-minute walk whenever you need some digestive support.

Sukhasana (Easy Seat) Meditation With Box Breath

Repeat for two to three minutes. (Over time, work up to a five-minute meditation.)

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

Hold for five to seven breaths, then lower your upper body slowly to the floor.

Parivrtta Utkatasana (Prayer Twist)

Hold for five to seven breaths.
Repeat on the opposite side.

Ardha Matsyendrasana (Seated Twist)

Hold for five to seven breaths, then slowly release the twist and return your torso to center.
Repeat on the opposite side.

Supported Paschimottanasana (Supported Seated Forward Fold)

Hold for two to three minutes. (Over time, work up to holding for five minutes.)

Pawanmuktasana (Wind-Relieving Pose)

Hold for five to seven breaths.
Repeat on the opposite side.

Supta Matsyendrasana (Supine Twist)

Hold for two to three minutes.
Repeat on the opposite side.

Halasana (Plow Pose)

Hold for about 20 breaths.