I can’t say it enough: motion is lotion. If your muscles and joints feel sticky, you could benefit from a deep stretch or adding some extra movement to your day; this super-effective full-body exercise ticks the boxes for stretching and mobility. Tick, tick.
Before you dive in, I wouldn’t be doing my due diligence if I didn’t mention this lower back exercise might not be for everyone. While it can help ease some symptoms of sciatica and improve spine mobility, it isn’t a cure-all and shouldn’t replace the need for a proper medical assessment, diagnosis and physical therapy plan, should you need one. So, exercise with caution and avoid moving through pain.
For those ready to get to it, I recommend a plush exercise mat from our best yoga mats guide to support your hips and shoulders. Here’s one of my favorite stretches, the benefits and how to do it.
What are prone spinal twists?
The prone twist can be performed as a held stretch for at least 15 to 30 seconds per side or as a mobility exercise, in which case, move side to side for several reps and sets. I recommend three sets of 8-12 reps per side.
It’s not considered “beginner-friendly,” but depends on your exercise experience and current level of mobility and flexibility. Just because you haven’t tried it before, that doesn’t mean you won’t be perfectly fine performing it. I always say the same thing to anyone trying any exercise for the first time: listen to your body.
If you have pain, limited mobility, or extremely seized-up muscles surrounding your spine, assess the situation and stop when necessary. You can also adjust your range of motion and reduce how far you move from side to side.
How to do prone spinal twists
- Start on your stomach and extend your arms out to the sides, palms facing down. You can also cactus the arms so that they sit at 90 degrees
- Rest your forehead on the mat
- Bend your right knee, lift the leg and sweep the right leg over to your left side
- Keep both shoulders and palms pressed down and avoid twisting your body to one side
- If you can, rest your right foot on the ground to the outside of your left leg. If you can’t, hover the leg in the air instead
- Pause or stay for the stretch, then return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Move gently using a sweeping motion without lifting your upper body excessively.
If extending both arms or using the cactus position doesn't work for you, follow the video above and place one hand close to your body for support while extending the other. You'll find this delivers more of a shoulder stretch but also provides more support.
What are the benefits of prone spinal twists?
Prone twists stretch your anterior deltoids (the fronts of your shoulders), pectorals, thoracic spine and lower back. They also offer a gentle stretch in the hip flexors of the moving leg, helping to open up the front body.
If you choose to keep it dynamic and move from side to side, the rotational motion can also increase the mobility of the spine and help loosen tightness in the muscles surrounding and supporting your spine and hips.
Avoid forcing your leg over to one side. Although it helps deepen the stretch and opens your back and hips, forcing your body into a shape it can’t handle will increase your chances of developing an injury.
Over time, you may be able to place the traveling foot down while you hold the stretch, but that doesn’t have to happen immediately — and for many people, it may never happen. Be patient, and simply stay aware if one side feels much easier than the other.
Keep your head and neck neutral and supported by the mat while you move. Send your gaze in the opposite direction to your traveling leg, resting your temple against the mat.
The body can move in three patterns known as planes of motion: frontal, transverse and sagittal. In the sagittal plane, you’ll move forward and backward (think about your spine flexing and extending to allow you to fold forward and stand up straight); the frontal plane allows sideways motion (confusing, right?) and the transverse plane allows rotational movement, like twisting.
Twisting the spine is beneficial for stretching and strengthening the muscle groups responsible for supporting this time of motion, like the external obliques, a deep belt of core muscle called the transverse abdominis and the erector spinae muscles hugging the spine.
More from Tom's Guide
- Develop lower body flexibility and build ankle strength with this one bodyweight exercise
- Do you find push-ups uncomfortable? I’ve ditched stretches for 'sphinx presses' to build upper-body mobility, strength and stability
- No equipment, no crunches — build a stronger core with this 5-move workout
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