WELCOME BACK

Protect against back pain while stretching out your hips and glutes with this mobility routine from pliability

- Cody Mooney

Mobility and recovery app pliability has launched a new 'Back Pain' pathway. Consisting of five routines, it targets the hips, glutes, IT band, upper and lower back, spine and shoulders.

The routines combine passive holds with corrective movements to help bring mobility, flexibility and stability to the back and areas around it. "Our goal when curating this pathway," says Cody Mooney, pliability's director of performance, "was to reduce tightness and aggravation in the back region, by strengthening and releasing surrounding muscles and areas that negatively affect the back."

MEET THE EXPERT

Cody Mooney is a two-times CrossFit Games athlete and director of performance for pliability.

1. CAT COW

Time: 90 secs

• Begin on all fours, with your hands directly beneath your shoulders, and your knees directly beneath your hips.

• Lift your head and chest while extending/ dropping your lower back to the floor.

• Attempt to curl your chest and pelvis together while taking a deep breath, pulling your lower back up to the ceiling.

• Hold this position for one deep breath.

• Continue this motion for the remainder of the time.

KEY BENEFITS

“This is an excellent pose for warming up the back and helping improve blood circulation between the vertebrae of your spine,” says Mooney, “with the long-term benefits of relieving back pain and stress. Cat cow goes through the motions of flexion and extension through the body’s thoracic area, allowing for deep breathing and relaxation of the whole body.”