A Pilates expert says these three exercises can improve spine health and posture

Mobilise and strengthen your spine with these three bodyweight exercises

A woman performing the side stretch
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Back pain is so common these days, thanks to long working days sat down at a desk, that if you aren’t suffering from it yourself, you likely know someone that is. But, did you Pilates is one of the best forms of exercise for keeping our spine strong and healthy?

“It’s one of the few forms of exercise that deliberately moves the spine in all directions – flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation – helping to decompress the vertebrae, increase flexibility, and prevent stiffness,” says Abby McLachlan, Pilates Instructor & Founder of East of Eden.

A healthy, strong spine can protect our lower back, boost our posture, not to mention it’s crucial if we want to continue being able to move freely and perform daily tasks without discomfort. Below, Abby shares three simple bodyweight exercises to strengthen and mobilise the spine, that your body will thank you for. No equipment required – just a mat and your bodyweight.

1. Bridge

A woman performing glute bridge at a Pilates class

(Image credit: Getty Images)

To perform:

  • Lie with your back and shoulders flat on the floor, your arms by your side, pelvis neutral, knees bent and heels on the mat
  • Inhale to prepare, then move your pelvis into imprint, continuing the movement up, peeling the spine one vertebrae at a time off the mat until you are in a shoulder bridge with a neutral spine, and a straight line like a ski slope from knees to hips to shoulders
  • Inhale at the top, then articulate slowly down on the exhale, placing one vertebrae at a time down, through your imprint and landing back into neutral spine
  • Inhale to prepare and go again

Repeat 5-10 times

2. Cat/cow

a woman performing cat cow exercise

(Image credit: Getty Images)

To perform:

  • Take a quadruped position on your mat and inhale deeply to prepare
  • Flex your spine so you create a c shape, looking towards your belly button at the bottom of the exhale, like an angry cat
  • Inhale to slowly reverse the movement, 1 vertebrae at a time coming into extension, looking at the top corner of the wall at the top of the breath

Repeat 5-10 times

3. Mermaid

A woman performing the mermaid stretch

(Image credit: Getty Images)

To perform:

  • Sit on your mat with your legs bent to the right side of your body, so that both knees are at a 90-degree angle
  • Place your left hand on the floor to the side of you, and take your right arm straight up by your right ear on the inhale
  • Exhale to flex the spine over to the left while pushing the floor away with your left hand (ensure you keep your spine in a vertical plane as if you were trapped between 2 panes of glass)
  • Inhale to come back, raising the left arm by your left ear, then counter stretch the spine over to the right
  • Repeat twice, then bend your legs round to the left side of your body and repeat on this side

Repeat 5-10 times

Bryony Firth-Bernard
Staff Writer, Active

Bryony’s T3’s official ‘gym-bunny’ and Active Staff Writer, covering all things fitness. She is a certified personal trainer and also a part-time fitness instructor. In her spare time, you will find her in her natural habitat - the gym - where her style of training is a hybrid of bodybuilding and powerlifting. Bryony loves writing about accessible workouts, nutrition and testing innovative fitness products that help you reach your fitness goals and take your training to the next level.

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