Back/Abdomen Stretches

Sit on the floor with your knees bent.  Bend your head down, chin toward chest and reach forward.  Stretching all of the back muscles.

Lay on your back with your tailbone at the edge of the bed or table, bring one leg up to your chest and pull it in tight while letting the other leg hang.  When it's time to change legs, bend the knee of the hanging leg and bring that knee to your chest, then slowly lower the other knee and let that leg hang.

Photo #1 of 2

Lay on the floor, face down.  Bring your elbows under your shoulders, lifting your torso and arching your back.  Stretching the abdominals and psoas muscles.

photo #2 of 2

Bring your hands under your shoulders and extend your arms, lifting your torso and arching your back.  Stretching the abdominals and psoas muscles more aggressively than in photo #1.

Lay on your back and bring your knees toward your chest, grasp your knees and bring them toward your chest using your arm muscles.  Stretching the low back muscles and the posterior aspect of the Quadradus Lumborum.  Gently rocking from side to side gives a nice massage of those muscles.

Sit on a chair and bring your elbow or hand onto your knee.  Raise the opposite arm up over your head and arch your torso in the direction of that arm, reaching, stretching the lateral aspect of the Quadratus Lumborum and Latisimus Dorsi.

Lay on an exercise ball, on your side.  Stagger your feet to help maintain balance.

Bring your top arm over your head to stretch out the side of your body.