We’ve all heard the exercise mantras “Lift with your legs, not your back” and “Keep a flat back.” These cues reinforce a neutral-spine position as opposed to a flexed- or rounded-spine posture. The idea is that the less you move your spine, the more you’ll be able to safely load other muscle groups and reduce your injury risk.

But the evidence supporting this advice isn’t clear-cut. And avoiding round-back movements entirely may do more harm than good if it means you’re not prepared for the demands of real life.

The human body is capable of working outside of a narrow spectrum of “safe” movements. Spinal flexion is unavoidable in daily life, so strengthening the tissues around the spine with intentional round-back training can improve your body’s resilience, especially as you age.

Preparation vs. Avoidance

The gym is a controlled environment where you can regulate weights, reps, and ranges of motion to adhere to strict technique standards. But real life is chaotic, and you’re often picking things up from awkward positions, carrying odd objects, and bending and twisting in unfamiliar ways. The strength you build with traditional exercise is valuable, but technique guidelines do not ­always apply to the variety of positions you assume outside of the gym.

Associating certain movements with pain and injury can also become a self-fulfilling prophecy. For example, if you hurt your back while bending to pick up a laundry basket, you’re likely to avoid that position in the future. Over time, this avoidance can create a weak spot, and the next time you perform the movement, you’ll be even more vulnerable to injury. This further reinforces the belief that this movement should be avoided.

This cycle can produce strong ideas about which movements are good and bad for your body.

Instead of labeling movements this way, you can consider the demands of an exercise relative to your capacity. If the demands exceed your capacity, you’re more likely to get injured. Doing nothing is a safe bet in the short term. Yet this will cause your capacity to decline over time — and reinforce that cycle of fear, avoidance, and injury.

You can improve your physical and psychological capacity for round-back training with a methodical ­approach called graded exposure. This is the process of meeting your body where it’s at — and facing the fear of injury you might associate with certain exercises — by introducing small doses of stress over time. This allows you to gradually build upon your success as your strength and capacity improve.

How to Begin

Good form and proper technique play important roles in lowering ­injury risk during any training program, including an unconventional one. However, evidence suggests that you can safely implement a wide range of techniques if you’ve developed your tolerance gradually and perform exercises within your capacity. The specific techniques and exercises that work for someone else may not be right for you, but exploring some unconventional movements may be just what you need to feel less fragile.

Interested in getting started with round-back training? A body-weight Jefferson curl (see link to movement below) is a gentle way to get some spinal flexion into your routine.

Remember to always introduce new positions gradually. Monitor how you feel over the first couple of weeks doing the Jefferson curl: Is the movement becoming easier and more fluid? Is your breath staying even and controlled? Is there more articulation between the vertebrae?

When you’re ready, add a light weight, continuing to add more every few weeks.

This article originally appeared as “To Round or Not to Round?” in the July/August 2025 issue of Experience Life. Photographer: Kelly Loverud; Styling: Pam Brand; Model: Alec Blenis.

The Jefferson curl is a move that builds back-muscle mobility, strength, and resilience. It’s a great entry point for exploring the advantages of training with a deliberately rounded back (for more on round-back training, see “The Case for Rounding Your Back While Lifting.”)

Anyone who’s picked up a weight has probably been warned to keep their back straight. It’s a long-standing rule for lifting and moving heavy objects in the gym and in daily life: Maintain a flat back with a neutral spine and braced core, and avoid the egregious error of rounding your back while you lift. The goal is to avoid back strain, pain, and injury.

But a growing number of fitness professionals and movement specialists are reconsidering this advice.

The Jefferson curl can aid spinal flexibility and resilience while strengthening the deep-core muscles and hamstrings. It can help improve posture and body mechanics while strengthening the back to withstand the effects of vulnerable positions.

By requiring the attention necessary to articulate through each vertebra of the spine, it can also boost body awareness and proprioception.

The key is to move slowly — both within each rep and over time. Avoid doing too much in each session and progress the movement gradually. Performed mindfully, the Jefferson curl is a great way to ­explore the unconventional exercise technique of round-back training.

Instructions

Perform one or two sets of five to 10 reps.

Loaded Jefferson Curl

Perform one to two sets of five to 10 reps.

Optimizing your workout performance involves more than the exercises you do, the weights you choose, and the intensity you move at: It often starts with an effective warm-up and concludes with a proper cool-down.

By focusing your warm-up on recruiting and engaging the muscles you’re going to be working, you can improve your ability to perform for and endure the length of the workout. After the session, when muscle fibers are tense and exhausted, an effective cool-down can loosen your body, calm your nervous system, and set you up for success the next time you train.

Targeted stretching is a method of muscle recruitment that can be beneficial in both a warm-up and cool-down routine, particularly around a strength-training regimen. Think of classic adages that may apply to your exercise efforts, like “put your back into it” or “lift with your legs”: Once you identify the specific muscles you’re aiming to engage, targeted stretching beforehand can help you prepare the necessary muscle groups for work.

And because you’re creating muscular contractions, which shorten your muscles while you’re strength training, targeted stretching post-workout can help those same muscles slowly lengthen and relax. This can result in less soreness and improved recovery.

These are some of my go-to targeted stretches to do when warming up and cooling down around a strength workout.

Warm-Up Stretches

1. Scarecrow Rows

This stretch is all about activating the muscles of the rotator cuff and getting them ready to support any upper-body movement. It’s especially useful for pulling exercises, shoulder mobility drills, or overhead work.

• Start in a comfortable seated or standing position with your arms extended out in front of you at shoulder height. Form a fist with your hands.
• Pull both elbows back as far as you can, keeping your chest lifted.
• Keep your elbows in place as you raise your forearms toward the ceiling. Hold for a second, keeping your hands stationary as you squeeze your shoulder blades together and down.
• Relax your back, then rotate your forearms back down, and slowly extend your arms forward again.
• Repeat this sequence three to five times.

2. Hamstring Squats With a Twist

The hamstrings are key to many lower-body exercises, but a lot of people struggle to use them effectively. This stretch recruits the hamstrings, glutes, and low back to get them working as a team. This sequence is great for getting more out of plyometric exercises or improving your range of motion for squats and lunges.

• Start in a standing position, then step one foot forward. Straighten the front leg and lift your toes while keeping your heel firmly on the ground.
• Bending only your back leg, lower into a quarter squat, stopping to hold your position once you feel a good stretch in your front leg’s hamstring.
• Maintaining the squat position, slowly turn the toes of your front foot to the outside, feeling the stretch move into your outer thigh. Hold for a few seconds then turn your toes back to center.
• Rise out of your squat to return to the starting position.
• Repeat three to five times on each side.

3. Split Stance Torso Twists

The obliques, abs, and spinal muscles are critical stabilizers, supporting almost every exercise. This stretch helps ensure your core functions in tangent with the rest of your body to support both the upper body and legs.

• Start in a split-squat position with one foot in front of the other and knees slightly bent. Lift onto the toes of your rear foot while keeping your front foot flat on the ground.
• Bring your hands together with your arms bent at 90 degrees in front of your chest.
• Slowly turn your torso to one side, keeping your hips as stationary as possible; you should feel a twisting sensation in your sides.
• Return to center before twisting to the other side. Continue to keep your hips stationary as you twist and feel the stretch.
• Repeat three to five times on each side before switching your front foot and repeating the sequence.

Cool-Down Stretches

1. Modified Child’s Pose

This stretch targets the entire length of the back and is one of the best ways to bring balance to your neck and shoulders after upper-body-focused training. The modification here is keeping your hips high, which engages the upper body and keeps the pressure off your hips and knees.

• Start in a tabletop position with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
• Walk both hands forward as far as you can, keeping your hips in a stationary position.
• Slowly lower your chest, shoulders, and forehead toward the floor, taking your time as you move through any difficult spots or tightness.
• Once you’ve found the stretch, begin to draw your shoulder blades down your back. It helps to imagine them sliding into your back pockets.
• Hold for five to 10 seconds.
• Come out of the stretch, starting from the lower back. Lift your hips, then round your back as you rise and return to the starting position.
• Repeat up to three times.

2. Windshield Wipers

The lower back is key to effective hip mobility. This version of a windshield wipers stretch creates movement in the spine and pelvis to better recruit the quadratus lumborum (a deep muscle in the lower back) and spinal erectors for improved mobility.

• Start by lying down on your back with your knees bent and the soles of your feet on the floor.
• Turn both legs to one side, bringing your knees toward the floor. Keep your upper body and head flat on the ground and outstretch both arms to your sides.
• Imagine your top knee touching the heel or toes of the opposite foot. Settle in as you begin to feel the stretch traveling through the lower back, outer hip, and outer thigh.
• Hold for five to 10 seconds.
• Come out of the stretch by moving from the lower back to return to the starting position. Think about the hips connecting to the ground and the knees following their lead.
• Repeat on the opposite side.
• Repeat up to three times on each side.

3. Seated Side Bends

The obliques help create stability for both your upper and lower body. This stretch helps them bend and extend at the same time, teaching the two sides of your obliques to work as a team. Side bends are effective after core-focused workouts but really shine on training days that involve heavy loads in seated, standing, or squatting positions.

• Start in a comfortable seated position with your legs crisscrossed.
• Place one hand on the floor beside you slightly behind your hip. Raise your other arm high in the air.
• Reach your lifted arm toward the opposite side, moving slowly and feeling the opening in your side body. Imagine one side lengthening as the other side crunches.
• Hold for five to 10 seconds.
• Come back to center, imagining your hips being pinned down as your upper body stacks back into alignment.
• Switch arms and repeat on the opposite side.
• Repeat up to three times on each side.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a pro athlete, a fitness enthusiast, or someone who is simply looking to stay active: Taking the time to recover is just as important as the time you put into your workouts. And one often-overlooked way of cooling down your body is stretching.

“I’ve never heard anyone say, ‘I stretch too much,’” says Danny King, Master Trainer and director of performance and recovery for Life Time. “Stretching your muscles regularly is important, especially if you find yourself saying, ‘I don’t move as well as I used to,’ or you experience aches, pains, soreness, or stiffness.”

The stretches demonstrated here are all to do after a workout, when your body is warm and ready to cool down, according to King. They can improve flexibility and mobility, while giving your body the chance to unwind.

1. Glute Stretch With Reach

“Our glutes work hard daily when we walk, run, or have a tough lower-body strength-training session,” says King. “Stretching these muscles can restore their movement and increase range of motion. The reach adds an extra stretch in your shoulders, lats, and upper back.”

• Start in a pigeon pose with your right knee toward your right wrist and left leg extended behind you.
• Place a gliding disk or towel underneath your left hand and slowly slide it out in a diagonal past your right knee. Reach as far as you can and hold for a few seconds. Try to keep your hips aligned so you feel a stretch in your right outer glute.
• Slowly draw your arm back in; complete five reps.
• Repeat the sequence on the opposite side with your left knee in front.

2. Bretzel 2.0

“The Bretzel 2.0 is a mobility stretch that helps improve hip flexibility, glute movement, and spine rotation,” says King. “It’s great for targeting tight hips, back, and shoulders — along with all the with benefits of a spinal twist.”

• Starting in a tabletop position, bring your right hip down to the floor with your knee bent, keeping the top of your leg in a straight line.
• Your left leg will be bent in a 90-degree angle behind you.
• Bring your hands out wide on the mat in front of you with palms flat.
• Reach your left arm out to the side before turning your palm and bringing your left fingers under your right palm.
• While keeping both arms straight, lean down into your left shoulder, trying to bring your left arm toward the floor, rotating your chest and shoulder open to increase the stretch in your upper back and chest.
• Keep your bottom leg straight while keeping the top leg bent and pulled towards your glutes.
• Hold for 20 to 30 seconds before repeating on the opposite side.

3. Toes Elevated Forward Fold

“This is a great way to get a deeper stretch in the hamstrings, calves, and lower back,” says King.

• Stand with your feet hip width apart, then elevate your toes using a yoga block or performance wedge.
• Tuck your chin toward your chest and slowly roll down into a forward fold position, hinging from your hips and reaching toward your toes. Keep your chin tucked so you’re trying to look at your belly button and keep your legs straight.
• Hold for 10 to 15 seconds before slowly rolling back up to standing.
• Repeat five times.

4. Feet Elevated Press-Up

“Elevating your feet in this exercise helps to deepen the stretch in your hip flexors and abdominals,” says King.

• Start by lying face down on a mat with the tops of your feet elevated on the rounded side of a BOSU ball. Keep your toes pointed behind you.
• Place your palms flat on the sides of your body and slowly push up into a cobra position so your chest is up and you’re gazing toward the ceiling.
• Pull your shoulder blades down and back toward your glutes.
• Hold for 10 to 15 seconds before lowering back down to the ground.
• Repeat five times.

5. Lateral Lunge With Reach

With this stretch, you’re engaging several muscles throughout the body, helping to improve hip mobility, stretch your obliques, and maintain mobility in your upper spine and shoulders,” King explains.

• Start in a wide stance with your arms extended out to your sides and a mobility stick placed across your shoulders.
• As you bend your right leg to the side into a lateral lunge position, slowly twist your upper body so your chest is facing your right side. Keep your chest lifted and engage your core as you reach.
• Keep your right knee bent in a lunge while your left leg remains straight. Hold for a few seconds.
• Lift slowly back up to standing and repeat on the opposite side.
• Repeat for five reps on each side.

6. Kneeling Hip Flexor With Rotation

“Hip flexors get tight when we spend a lot of time sitting — or from running or cycling,” says King. “This stretch can release some of that tightness while the spinal rotation helps with upper back flexibility. You’re also getting a bonus stretch in your quads here.”

• Start in a kneeling position, then extend your right leg forward so your right knee is bent at about 90 degrees, shin parallel to the ground, and foot flat on the floor. Keep your left knee on the floor.
• With your right arm, reach back to grab the top of your left foot, pulling your foot in toward your glutes. Drive your left hip forward as you open and rotate your left shoulder and continue to pull your left leg in.
• Hold for 20 to 30 seconds before repeating on the opposite side with your left leg in front.

Assisted Stretching for Recovery

While these stretches can be effective for recovering after a workout, understanding the fine details of body motion can take some practice. The difference between an effective and ineffective stretch is often hard to gauge on your own. If you’re looking for more support, a Dynamic Stretch session with a certified stretch specialist can help you understand the details, improve your flexibility, and release tension.

“The better you feel, the more likely you are to move — to take more steps, to join that workout class, and to keep up that exercise routine,” says King. “Dynamic Stretch helps improve your recovery and range of motion, so you have less aches, pains, and soreness and can do more in your workouts and in everyday life.” (Learn more: “What Is Dynamic Stretch?”)

Whether you love hiking, swimming, racquet sports, or Zumba, strength training helps build durable, powerful muscles and stable joints, which translates to better performance, fewer injuries, and improved recovery.

Mobility work, meanwhile, is “going to unlock your body for the work you’re going to be doing, which helps with proper muscle recruitment, range of motion, and all the things that can help lead to injury prevention,” says NASM-certified personal trainer and corrective exercise specialist Carrie Boyle. (Learn more about the importance of mobility at any age by exploring the articles in this collection that will help you improve mobility in your hips, ankles, shoulders, and more.)

Incorporating even a couple of exercises that are specific to your cardio activity of choice can help you level up your performance.

Yet making space in your busy schedule for targeted strength and mobility training is easier said than done. Knowing exactly which exercises to do, and finding the time and energy to do them while also focusing on your favorite sport, can be tough.

To help you over that hump, we’ve done some of the homework for you. Incorporating even a couple of exercises that are specific to your cardio activity of choice — such as the expert-­recommended ones that follow — can help you level up your performance.

Walking and Hiking

The hips are ball-and-socket joints that play a central role in walking. “We want to make sure that we have a full range of motion in the hips and that they’re working properly for us because they anchor several big muscle groups that power us through our walk,” says Boyle, who is also a walking coach.

Single-leg mobility moves like the standing hip circle can improve range of motion in the hips and engage and optimize the surrounding muscles and joints — including those found in the core, spine, and legs.

In addition to mobility, hip strength is important for walking. There are many hip muscles, but the glutes are major ones. The following banded-squat variation targets the gluteus maximus (the meaty muscle in your buttocks that powers forward movement) and the gluteus medius (the side-butt muscle that stabilizes your pelvis and hips, which helps your knees and ankles maintain their proper alignment). It also strengthens the legs to help push you through every step and targets the calves and ankles for an added boost.

Mobility

Standing Single-Leg Hip Circle
Warm up your hips with this move before a walking or hiking workout.

Strength

Mini Band Squat With Calf Raise
Perform this exercise two or three times per week on walking or nonwalking days.

Swimming

Rotating your torso in the water is essential for a more streamlined swim stroke. “Imagine swimming with your chest facing the bottom of the pool the entire time; [you would be] like a tank going through the water,” Thomson says.

But if you can twist from side to side, you’ll be able to generate more force and be more streamlined to cut through the water. To rotate efficiently, your thoracic spine must be mobile. Threading the needle can help loosen things up.

An essential area to target in strength training, meanwhile, is the latissimus dorsi, or lats. These are the large, fan-shaped muscles that occupy most of the territory in your back, spanning from your upper arm down to your pelvis and across your ribs. These muscles play a key role in your ability to pull yourself through the water. Thomson recommends single-arm pull-downs to work the lats one side at a time, mimicking the demands of a swimming stroke.

Mobility

Thread the Needle
Warm up your thoracic spine with this movement before jumping into the water.

Strength

Single-Arm Cable Lat Pull-down
Add this exercise to your routine two or three days per week.

Soccer

Soccer and other field sports feature a lot of accelerating, decelerating, and quick changes of direction, says former collegiate soccer player Erica Suter, MS, a youth female athlete speed and strength coach. As the link between the upper body and lower body, the hips play a crucial role in transferring power efficiently for these high-speed movements.

The ankles are key, too, because they help transfer the force from the hips to the feet. Without stable, mobile hip and ankle joints, you will be slower on the field — and more likely to twist a knee or an ankle.

Because field sports involve quick bursts of running and change of direction, targeting the glutes and legs is also essential. It’s important for players to challenge their balance too; this helps build the stability needed to protect muscles and joints from injury during sudden shifts in direction. Suter says unilateral (single-sided) strength exercises check all the boxes.

Mobility

TRX Trainer-Assisted Single-Leg Squat
Add this move to your routine one or two days per week.

Strength

Single-Leg Squat to Bench
Do this exercise one or two times a week on nonsoccer days.

Basketball

“Basketball is one of those sports where the body is constantly going in different directions, changing pace, and going through explosive movements,” says former professional basketball player Lorenzo Orr, who’s now a basketball trainer with Life Time. “Being able to stop on a dime is very important, and you need that joint flexibility and stability to prevent injuries.”

You especially need mobility — a combination of flexibility and stability — in the lower body joints: the ankles, knees, and hips. Using an unstable surface for step-ups is one way to improve range of motion while also challenging stability.

In addition to stability, explosive strength is key for superior performance. Explosiveness helps you jump higher, run faster, shoot farther, and change directions more quickly. For basketball players, building power in your glutes and legs offers the most bang for your buck, as much of the sport’s demands recruit the lower body. Orr favors box jumps for creating lower-body explosiveness.

Mobility

BOSU Balance Trainer Step-Up
Do this exercise
twice a week.

Strength

Box Jumps
Do this exercise two to three times per week, give yourself at least 24 hours of rest between sessions.

This article originally appeared as “Level Up” in the July/August 2024 issue of Experience Life.

Stretching is a common recommendation for managing and relieving stress in the body — whether that tension stems from exercise or other causes. It requires a different mindset than strength or endurance training, yet it’s essential to proper recovery from those endeavors. Settling into the parts of your body that are frequently under heavy tension can help you experience the release of those hard-worked muscles and prevent injury.

Most fitness injuries aren’t sudden events that come out of nowhere. Your body is often trying to tell you what it’s feeling through pain, stiffness, or discomfort. When you ignore those sensations or try to push through them, problems arise.

To help you relieve tense muscles, promote recovery, and ward off injury, try a few of the stretches I’m demonstrating here. You can do them first thing in the morning, after a workout, or any time your body needs a little extra care.

1. Lateral Neck Stretch with Twist

If you spend long stints on the computer, your phone, or driving, this is the stretch for you. It opens the scalene and trap muscles that support your neck and bring gentle rotation to your spine.

• Start in a comfortable seated position. If you’re on the floor, you can cross your legs; if you’re on a chair or bed, let them hang down.
• Place one hand on top of your head and slowly tilt your head toward the same side shoulder until you feel a stretch in the opposite side of your neck. Hold for a few seconds.
• To focus more on the back of the neck, tilt your eyes down to look at the floor. To focus more on the front, tilt your eyes up toward the ceiling.
• Slowly release your head and return to a neutral position. Switch arms and repeat on the opposite side.
• Repeat three to five times on each side.

2. Seated Fish Stretch

This stretch is a great heart opener. It reverses the common pattern of slouching many of us experience during the day and stretches your delts, pecs, and throat.

• Start in a comfortable seated position with your hands planted about six to eight inches behind your body.
• Puff your chest out as much as possible and gently allow your head to tilt backward, as if the crown of your head is going to touch the floor behind you. Hold for a few seconds.
• Keeping your chest puffed out, gently lift your head, and begin to tuck it forward until your chin touches the bottom of your neck or top of your chest. Hold for a few seconds.
• Repeat three to five times.

3. Shoulder Rolls

This is an easy movement that has amazing benefits for stiff shoulders. It uses four distinct holds to encourage mobility through the rotator cuffs, chest, and upper back without applying any excessive tension.

• Start in a comfortable seated positions with your hands and arms resting naturally at your sides or gently on the tops of your thighs; keep your neck upright.
• Raise your shoulders straight up toward your ears and hold for a few seconds.
• Lower your shoulders to bring your shoulder blades together behind you and hold for a few seconds.
• Lower your shoulders farther and intentionally push them lower than they would normally sit. Hold for a few seconds.
• Bring your shoulders to the front and squeeze them like you’re trying to make them touch in front of your body. Hold for a few seconds.
• Repeat three to five times, then reverse the order of the holds, repeating three to five times the other way.

4. Supine Twist

Your low back can always benefit from stretching. This twist creates a gentle but effective stretch to help align your entire spine from the bottom up.

• Start by laying down on your back with your arms at your sides and your legs straight.
• Bring one knee toward your chest without lifting your head. Gently bring it across your body toward the opposite side. You can hold your leg with the opposite hand to intensify the stretch. Hold for a few seconds.
• To bring the neck into alignment, slowly turn your head so you’re looking away from the leg that’s pulled toward the side. Hold for a few more seconds.
• Slowly return your head to neutral and bring the leg back to rest. Switch sides and repeat on the opposite leg.
• Repeat three to five times on each side.

5. Pelvic Tilts

This stretch is all about bringing movement into the lower parts of your core. We store a lot of stress in our lower body. By focusing in on the deep muscles of the pelvis, stomach, and low back, we can relieve tension through your entire body.

• Start by lying on your back with your legs bent, feet flat on the floor, and your hands under your head.
• Arch your low back as much as possible while keeping your hips and shoulders down. Imagine your spine lifting up to press into your stomach. Hold for a few seconds.
• Next, move your low back into a crunch position, still keeping your hips and shoulders down. This time, imagine your stomach completely empty and your belly button pushing through your body to the floor below. Hold for a few seconds.
• Repeat three to five times.

Assisted Stretching for Stress Relief

While these stretches can be effective and beneficial, understanding the fine details of body motion can be tricky. The difference between an effective stretch and an ineffective one is often hard to gauge on your own. A Dynamic Stretch session with a certified stretch specialist can be helpful in understanding the details, improving your flexibility, and releasing tension.

Stress relief isn’t a one and done activity, and a stretch session can help you interact with parts of your body that are harder to reach and harder to feel. Once you start building that communication with your muscles, it can be much easier to understand when they’re stressed, how that stress builds up, and how best to relieve it on your own.

And it’s not just about the body — our physical aches and pains are often symptoms of our mental state. If we can relieve stress in the body, it’s much easier to relax and get effective and restful sleep, which is another critical element of recovery.

Stretching is an essential component of any healthy-living routine, yet it’s often the activity that gets forgotten or deprioritized. For accountability, experts suggest turning to partner stretching (or assisted stretch) as a way to stay consistent with and reap all the advantages of a full-body stretch.

“There are so many benefits of assisted stretch,” says Joe Clark, dynamic personal training leader and stretch specialist at Life Time in Chestnut Hill, Mass. “Stretching with the help of a partner allows for increased range of motion as well as better positioning for your muscles to be lengthened with proper leverage. You also have another set of eyes on the quality and positioning of your body to assess your level of flexibility and continue to work toward improvement.”

We asked Clark to demonstrate three assisted stretches to help enhance your partner-stretching routine.

“All three of these stretches are based in proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) meaning we’re using a brief isometric muscle contraction to override the stretch reflex,” he explains. “This technique is one of the most effective ways to increase your range of motion and quickly and safely prepare your body for strength or endurance training. It’s one of my favorite stretch techniques to use with clients.”

1. Assisted Hip Flexor Stretch

“This stretch targets the hip flexors and psoas muscles,” says Clark. “It helps reduce low back pain, improve flexibility, and increase range of motion in the hip flexors, which can help with movement patterns, increased balance, and decreased muscle fatigue.”

• Partner 1 (the person stretching) starts by lying down in a supine position. You can use a stretching table or a bed or chaise at home.
• Partner 1 brings their hips to the very edge of the table or sofa and brings one leg up in a hip-flexion position (knee pulled toward chest) with the other leg hanging down off the edge.
• Partner 2 (the person assisting) presses down on the thigh of Partner 1’s hanging leg while also pressing the elevated leg straight back into flexion by leaning their chest or shoulder into Partner 1’s foot.
• Partner 1 lets Partner 2 know when they’re feeling a comfortable stretch (without pain) in the hip flexor and psoas (pelvis area).
• After 10 seconds of a passive stretch, Partner 1 takes a big breath in and contracts their hip flexors to press the thigh that’s on the table up into Partner 2’s hand for five seconds.
• After five seconds, Partner 1 exhales and relaxes.
• Repeat two to three times on each side, each time working toward a greater range of motion.

2. Assisted Chest Stretch

“For this stretch, we’re working on the chest muscles — pectoralis major and minor,” Clark explains. “This movement helps improve your posture, increase shoulder range of motion, and reduce risk of shoulder or chest injury, and can even help with better breathing.”

• Partner 1 (the person stretching) begins in a seated position, sitting tall on a stretching table, bed, or bench.
• Partner 2 (the person assisting) stands or kneels behind Partner 1 with their legs braced against Partner 2’s back.
• Partner 1 puts their hands behind their head while Partner 2 pulls back gently from the inside of Partner 1’s elbows while keeping contact and support on their back.
• Partner 1 lets Partner 2 know when they’re feeling a comfortable stretch (without pain) in their chest.
• After 10 seconds, Partner 1 takes a big breath in and resists Partner 2’s pulling by pushing their elbows into Partner 2’s hands for five seconds.
• Repeat two to three times, each time working toward a greater range of motion.

3. Assisted Hamstring Stretch

“The hamstrings are some of the largest muscles in your lower body, so it’s important to keep them stretched,” says Clark. “This particular move can help improve flexibility, relieve low-back pain, increase your ability to balance, and decrease muscle fatigue.”

• Partner 1 (the person stretching) begins in a supine position on a stretching table, bench, or floor, and raises one leg up straight up toward the ceiling (or as far as their knee extension allows without pain).
• Partner 2 (the person assisting) helps to stretch Partner 1’s raised leg by gently pressing into their calf; partner 2 can use their own leg to help keep partner 1’s other leg long on the table.
• Partner 1 lets Partner 2 know when they’re feeling a comfortable stretch (without pain) in the hamstring of the raised leg.
• After 10 seconds of a passive stretch, Partner 2 prompts partner 1 to take a big breath in and isometrically resist the stretch against Partner 2’s hand for 5 seconds.
• After about 5 seconds, Partner 1 exhales and relaxes.
• Repeat two to three times on each side, each time working toward further range of motion.

If you find you’re a fan of partner stretching and want more, Clark recommends trying a Dynamic Stretch session at Life Time.

“During a Dynamic Stretch session, our stretch specialists use the most advanced techniques to position your body in the most effective stretch possible,” he says. “We can also assess and identify imbalances and flexibility or mobility issues, and most importantly, build an on-going customized stretch program to keep you moving and feeling your best.”

Sitting or squatting on or close to the floor can pay big dividends in hip mobility, spine health, and kinesthetic awareness. Researchers have also connected sitting on the floor (along with the ability to stand back up unassisted) with longer lifespans.

Here are a few suggestions to incorporate more floor sitting into your daily routine:

• Make it a daily practice to sit on the floor while doing other activities, such as watching TV, eating, or reading.
• Use the floor space in your office while on calls or in webinars. Sit tall and avoid arching your back.
• Shift positions and use a cushion or rolled yoga mat as needed.

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