Daily Stretch and Squat Routine
Sit-ups and squats followed by arm circles and two easy stretches. Gentle enough to do every morning before anything else gets in the way.
Routines
Move, Then Open Up
Two rounds of the first three moves, then hold each stretch once and breathe slowly. Never bounce in a stretch - stop where you feel tension, not pain.
About this plan
Two sets of twelve half sit-ups, two sets of twelve squats, arm circles for thirty seconds, then a cat-cow and a standing hamstring stretch held for forty-five seconds each. Gentle enough to do first thing, before anything else has a chance to get in the way.
The shape of it is deliberate: a little work, then a lot of range. The sit-ups and squats wake the core and legs up, the arm circles open the shoulders, and the two held stretches take the spine and hamstrings through the positions that a night in bed and a day in a chair both close down.
Cat-cow is the one to slow down on. Move the spine one segment at a time rather than swinging between the two shapes, and let the breath lead — inhale as the back drops, exhale as it rounds. Forty-five seconds is about eight slow breaths, which is roughly where a stiff back starts letting go.
The standing hamstring stretch is safer than reaching for your toes with straight legs, particularly in the morning. Spinal discs are at their most hydrated after a night lying down, which makes deep forward folds less comfortable and, for some people, a bad idea before the day has started. Keep a soft knee and hinge from the hip.
Nothing here will make you stronger on its own, and it is not trying to. This is a plan for moving well rather than moving more, and it works best either as the first thing in the morning or stacked on top of a heavier programme on the days you want range without fatigue.
Progress by holding longer rather than pushing further. Sixty seconds in a position you can breathe in beats twenty in one you cannot.
Train this plan in the app
LoadMuscle carries the routine with a demo for every exercise, and logs your sets as you go, so next session you can see what to beat. Free on iPhone and Android.
Want something built around your own schedule and equipment instead? Try the free workout planner.
