Economy Exercises: Get the Most Bang for Your Buck with One Movement!

As a chiropractor, one of the most common things I'm asked is, “what is the best exercise I can do for my back or for my posture?”

My answer is quite simple.

Something you can do easily, every day, even just at home.

Consistency over time makes positive change. Something simple every day makes an enormous difference, particularly if you're a busy person and you are mentally fried, so you don't have much brain space.

So I've come up with what I call economy exercises. There are 4 videos in this series, and they are designed to try and give you a good overall movement pattern, and switch on that beautiful relationship between the brain and the postural muscles.

Exercise #1 | Superman Lat Pulldown. (Watch the video here)

Position: Lying on the ground.

It's a combination movement to open up and switch on the erector muscles of the body to help the body stand up straight.

First, the ‘Superman’ component of the exercise involves squeezing your bum, squeezing your back muscles and lifting your legs slightly off the floor while you also lift your chest off the floor.

Secondly, add the Lat Pulldown movement where you’ll keep your arms at 90 degrees and you're going to pull your arms back (squeeze your shoulder blades together) and you're going to pull your elbows back and down.

Lift up and squeeze, back and down, up to the starting point and relax.

Rinse and repeat.

You might be surprised how just 10 of those will get your heart rate up.

Exercise #2 | Pelvic Tilt with Hip Bridge. (Watch the video here)

Position: On your back

Keep your knees about shoulder distance apart, hands on the hips and the first thing I want you to do is rock your pelvis backwards and try and flatten your back against the floor.

Drive your pelvis right up to the ceiling with your bum muscles and hold that position there.

The challenge is to hold and squeeze for the count of about five before you slowly, slowly lower it down.

Rinse and repeat.

Exercise #3 | Open-the-Gate Side Squat (Watch the video here).

Position: Standing straight

Stand with your elbows together, and knees together. Keep your knees relaxed and soft (not locked), and your back nice and straight.

From the front, your elbows and knees are together, step to the side, open the gate, pull the shoulder blades back and then close the gate. Open the gate, step to the side, close the gate.

Rinse and repeat.

Exercise #4 | Thread-the-Needle (Watch the video here)

Position: On your hands and knees.

Keep your knees, hip, and shoulder distance apart, with your hands directly under the shoulders.

Look ahead, and raise up your left arm. Try to get the tip of your fingers pointing towards the ceiling while you are stabilizing through here. That's a stretch, and a hold, and a couple of breaths.

Then bring your left arm beneath your torso, threading it through to the opposite side. Try and put your shoulder right on the floor and you can even rest your head and have a couple of breaths through here. Bring it back to the start position.

Now switch to the other side. Keep your right hand up high, try and rotate as much as you can, fingers pointing towards the ceiling, couple of breaths, come down around. Bring your right arm beneath your torso, threading it through to the opposite side. Now we want to lay the back of that arm and that shoulder right on the floor. Couple of breaths again, and then come back to the start position.

This is a really nice relaxing one and you will feel all your body working in the top half of your torso.