Mobility exercise

Cat-cow stretch

An all-fours movement that alternates rounding and arching your spine. It is one of the gentlest ways to get a stiff back moving, which is why Remedy often uses it at the start of a session.

Also called: cat-camel, cat cow pose

Type: Mobility
Equipment: No equipment
Area: Lower back
Level: Gentle
Starting dose in Remedy: 2 sets of 10 slow reps

How to do it

Start on your hands and knees, hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
Breathe in as you let your belly drop and lift your chest and tailbone, arching your back (cow).
Breathe out as you push the floor away and round your back toward the ceiling, tucking your chin and tailbone (cat).
Move slowly between the two positions, staying in a range that feels comfortable.

Form cues

Inhale and arch; exhale and round.
Let your head follow your spine.

Common mistakes

Rushing. Two or three seconds each way is about right.
Forcing the end range. It should feel like movement, not a stretch you have to push into.
Bending only at the neck. Try to move from the tailbone up.

Easier and harder versions

To make it easier: If kneeling is uncomfortable, put a folded towel under your knees, or do a seated version: hands on your thighs, round and arch from a chair.

Why it helps a sore back

It moves every segment of the spine through flexion and extension without load, so it works as a warm-up and as a way to loosen up first thing in the morning.

How Remedy uses it

In the app it is called Cat-Cow Stretch. Remedy is more likely to pick it if you say your back is bothered by mornings or after rest or sitting too long. A typical starting dose is 2 sets of 10 slow reps, and the program adjusts reps as the weeks go on. Every exercise in the app has a demonstration video.

General fitness information, not medical advice. Stop any exercise that causes sharp pain, or pain, numbness, or tingling spreading down a leg.