Sore back? Try this simple stretch

Fitness

Welcome to our Move Of The Week series. Every Monday, we’ll be sharing one of our favourite exercises with you – how to do them, what muscles they work and why they should be a regular part of your workout regime. This week: roll downs.

Do you ever feel like you need to completely unravel every bone and muscle in your body after a long day of sitting at your desk or a killer workout? We move our bodies into so many foreign positions every day, which, as you probably know, can easily catch up with you, leading to back pain and discomfort in other parts of the body too.

Regularly stretching is one of the best ways to prevent and deal with this and the roll down is one of the best full-body stretches, targeting the spinal muscles in particular. You can do it anywhere and it’s the perfect excuse to take a quick, two-minute break from work.

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What are roll downs?

A roll down is a full body, standing movement that involves reaching down to touch your toes with a curved back.

This exercise is great because:

It relieves back tension: the curved position your back is in during a roll down is ideal for engaging and relaxing the muscles in your back.

It strengthens the abdominal muscles: the roll down requires you to brace your stomach, like you do when lifting heavy weights, which engages the abdominal muscles.

It stretches your legs: this movement is also great for stretching the hamstrings, helping you to improve your flexibility.

What muscles are worked in roll downs?

  • Hamstrings
  • Abdominals
  • Lower back
  • Shoulders

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How to do the roll down

  1. Start in a standing position with your feet hip distance apart.
  2. Move your head down slowly, keeping your eye line to the floor, then hunch your back and start to bend your entire body down. Keep a slight bend in your knees and allow your arms to flow down until they touch the floor.
  3. Slowly stand back up, vertebrae by vertebrae, so your head is the last thing that comes up.

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Images: Stylist

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