Are you a desk jockey?
Sitting at your desk all day can be a drag, especially if you have a window view. Watching the birds frolic and the runners pass is enough to drive anyone into a guilt-ridden straight-jacket of frustration.
If that’s not bad enough, there is a massive amount of evidence that sitting at the desk all day is literally killing you. An example. And another. Ahhh nother. You get the point.
But if you’re a desk jockey, never mind death or frustration. Lets start with the basics: your sore back.
If you’re a guy, especially a tall one with bad posture, I don’t have to tell you that your lower back is sore. Maybe you’re dehydrated too. That only makes it worse. In fact, all shapes and sizes of men and women face lower back issues. That’s my guess, anyway. I’m not a doctor, but I do now what fixes an ailing lower back.
I just discovered this lower back stretch. It took forever to find a good stretch to get at those muscles. And damn, it’s good.
Give the Scorpion stretch a try
Give it a try when you’re at home on the computer and no one is looking. You may look a bit weird in the middle of you office. But I’ll give you massive props if you do it. If so, take a picture. We’ll post it here as an honor to you.
Here’s the stretch. It’s called the Scorpion stretch.
This stretch is for the lower back, hip flexors and gluteus muscles.
- Lie on your stomach, with your arms outstretched and your feet flexed so that only your toes are touching the ground.
- Kick your right foot toward your left arm, then kick your left foot toward your right arm.
- Since this is an advanced stretch, begin slowly, and repeat up to 12 times.
- Don’t rush it. If you’re like me, you need to do this A LOT to loosen up.
The Scorpion lower back stretch in action
Thanks to CrushFit for the ad-free video from Vimeo. Now, this woman is good and can put her foot on the floor. I don’t go that far. I just let my leg hang over and leave it there and let it STRETTTTCHHHHH.
Man, it feels good. Here are a few other images to give you the idea.
Hope it helps your can find some happiness with this lower back stretch. Simple sometimes is all you need. It may not save your life, but it’s a good place to start.
If you have any great stretches that have helped you (especially on difficult parts to stretch), let me know in the comments. Oh, and when you’ve mastered this stretch, here is your next assignment. You’ll have it in no time. Good luck.
Illustration: Real Simple
Man Image: NY Times
Woman Image: Texarkana Gazette
