A 5-minute daily mobility routine to keep your joints lubricated

I received a great follow-up question to my recent newsletter regarding “​What does enough fitness look like?​” 🧐

And I thought it might help you too.

Exercise #1: Shoulder rotation

Perform 5 to 10 repetitions.

Performance Points:

• Reach into the biggest circle you can while keeping your chest anchored down
• Raise your arms as high as you can in front of you, palms up.
• When you can’t lift any higher, rotate your palms to the sides, swinging in a wide backward circle.
• Turn around and go back the other way.
• If you feel restricted or have some « pinching » in your shoulder, start with a smaller range of motion and increase it over time.

Exercise #2: Cat/Camel

Perform 10 to 20 repetitions.

Performance Points:

• Stand with knees under hips, hands under shoulders
• Slowly, creating a little tension in your core, round your back up in a big arc.
• Then arch your back down.
• Move back and forth slowly, within the range of motion you like.
• If this bothers your knees, you can try doing it from a standing position, placing your hands on a desk or sturdy surface for support.

Exercise #3: T-stretch and rotations

Perform 10 to 20 repetitions on each side

Performance Points:

• Stand with knees under hips, hands under shoulders
• Grasp your opposite ribcage to assist the movement.
• Bring your front shoulder down to the opposite hip (flexion + rotation at the same time).
• Then reverse the movement and reach the back of the shoulder to the opposite back pocket (extension + rotation at the same time).

Exercise #4: Rockbacks

Perform 20 to 40 repetitions

Performance Points:

• Stand with knees under hips, hands under shoulders
• Eyes on the horizon before you
• Slowly sit your hips back toward your heels
• Then reverse the movement and lean forward, shifting your weight into your hands

Exercise #5: Side Lying Hip Twists

Perform 5 to 10 repetitions on each side

Performance Points:

• Lie on your side with your head supported
• Reach your lower arm forward and grab it with your opposite hand. Brace yourself against yourself to create some tension and stability.
• Lift the top knee toward your chest.
• Open your hip out to the side until you « hit a wall » and can’t go any further.
• Roll your ankle out to the side (you’ll find this opens up your hips).
• Swing your knee back into the biggest circle you can.
• Reverse direction and repeat.

—

And there it is! In these quick 5 moves we cover:

• Extension, flexion and rotation of the shoulder
• Flexion, extension and rotation of the spine
• Flexion, extension and rotation of the hip joint
• Gentle warming of the wrist and ankle

That’s damn good if I do say so myself! 🔥

But we can do even better.

So I took pictures ​two bonus moves​ to help my desk warriors fight and sitting in a chair all day. 😃

One final thought: don’t underestimate the impact of 5 minutes of daily exercise. Too often I see people say something like, « But I was ONLY able to do XYZ. » Not only. You did something. Each action is added.

Hopefully this will give you some ideas and get you moving! 🙌

– Coach Matt

PS Looking for a more personalized mobility and flexibility program written by one of our world-class Nerd Fitness Trainers? ​Book a call this week​ and mention Rebellion for $50 off your first month of training. We have no contracts, no hidden fees and you can cancel at any time. We only want you to stay if it REALLY works for you!