McKenzie press-up

Type

Mobility

Equipment

No equipment

Area

Lower back

Level

Gentle

Starting dose in Remedy

3 sets of 10

How to do it

1. Lie face down with your hands under your shoulders, like the bottom of a push-up.
2. Relax your hips, buttocks, and legs completely.
3. Press through your hands to lift your chest, letting your low back sag while your hips stay on the floor.
4. Straighten your arms as far as is comfortable and pause.
5. Lower slowly back down.

Form cues

• Hips stay on the floor.
• Press the chest up fully, pause, then lower slowly.

Common mistakes

• Squeezing the glutes, which stops the low back from extending.
• Letting the hips lift off the floor.

Easier and harder versions

• To make it easier: Start by resting on your forearms (lying on elbows) for 30 seconds to a minute before trying full press-ups.

Why it helps a sore back

Some people with low back pain find that repeated backward bending eases their symptoms, especially when sitting and bending are what bother them. It is also one of the exercises where how your body responds matters most, so watch where you feel it.

How Remedy uses it

In the app it is called McKenzie Press-Up. Remedy is more likely to pick it if you say your back is bothered by sitting too long or bending or lifting or standing or walking. A typical starting dose is 3 sets of 10, 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.