The Fit List
The corner of the TechRadar site that swaps processors for press-ups, The Fit List is our regular series of fitness listicles. We explore how to improve your health in handy bite-size pieces of advice. You can read the whole series here.
If you spend hours gaming, whether that’s sitting at a desk or on the sofa, then your lower back is paying the price – even if you don’t feel it yet. As an experienced personal trainer, I often see clients with joint stiffness or pain in the lower back. The good news is, following a simple stretching routine can make all the difference.
The problem isn’t gaming or sitting itself, even on the best gaming chairs (though you should always try and keep good posture) but it’s the fact that we stay in one position for too long without any kind of restorative movement. Our bodies are designed to hinge, squat, bend and rotate and when we don’t get that variety of movement then muscles switch off, others tighten up and things like stiff hips, tight hamstrings, and a lower back that is doing far more work than it should, become the norm.
I’ve put together a simple stretching routine that can be easily done at home in just a few minutes. It’s the same routine I use with my clients who sit for long periods and suffer with lower back discomfort or stiffness. Each move is designed to target the areas that suffer most from desks, sofas, or long gaming sessions – notably the back, hips, hamstrings and glutes.
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You don’t need any equipment, unless you want a mat on the floor for comfort. Simply follow the steps below at a moderate pace and repeat any of the moves as often as you like – two to three times a week is ideal.
Of course, if you have any pre-existing injury or medical condition, please consult a GP or health professional before starting any new form of exercise.
Posture reset (head, neck, shoulders)
- Start with the head – drop your chin to your chest, then tilt the head back as far as you can. Repeat this twice more, then look slowly side to side three times.
- With your head in a neutral position, lift and roll the shoulders back and down three times, then forward three times.
- Open your arms out wide, pushing the chest forwards, then bring the arms forward into a big circle (like you’re hugging a tree). Repeat this twice more.
Cat-cow (back muscles)
- On the floor, position yourself on all fours, hands directly under the shoulders, knees directly under the hips.
- From here, arch the back up as high as you can, dropping the head and looking back to your knees (like a scared cat).
- Reverse it, pushing the pelvis towards the floor and looking up to the ceiling (like a mooing cow).
- Move back and forth between the two poses until you’ve done five of each.
Squat, with optional hold (hips, glutes)
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip width apart, hold your hands in front of your chest.
- Squat down, as if you were trying to sit in a tiny chair, keeping your feet flat on the floor.
- Push the feet hard into the floor and come back up to standing, squeezing your glutes (bum muscles) as you do so. Repeat five to eight times.
- Optional – Sit in the bottom of the squat, as low as you can go with your feet flat on the floor, for three to five seconds each time.
Top tip: If you find your heels want to come up off the floor when squatting, place two books (of the same size) under the heels to raise them slightly.
Hip flexor stretch (hips)
- Kneel on one leg, keeping the toes of that leg curled (see picture).
- Have a 90-degree bend in the front leg, foot flat. Place your hands on your hips.
- From here, push the hips forward, until you feel the stretch in the hip and front of the leg you’re kneeling on.
- Hold this stretch for a slow count of ten, ease back to your starting position, then push forward again and hold once more for a count of ten. Repeat on the other side.
90/90 stretch (hips, glutes)
- Sit on the floor, placing the front leg at a 90-degree angle, so your shin runs parallel to your torso.
- Set the back leg on a 90-degree angle too, with the knee in line with the hip.
- Keeping a tall spine, fold forwards (don’t round the back), and hold the stretch for a slow count of ten.
- Sit up straight, then rotate the torso towards the back leg (pictured), to stretch the hip for a slow count of ten.
- Change sides and repeat the stretches, then repeat once more each side.
Lying figure 4 stretch (glutes)
- Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat.
- Rest one ankle on the other knee, then reach through the ‘4’, holding behind the thigh, and pull the leg in towards you, keeping the foot lifted (pictured).
- To deepen the stretch, pull closer. Hold for a slow count of ten, then switch legs.
- Repeat twice more each side
Top tip: If you find it hard to hold your leg, rest the foot against a wall.
Child’s pose with side bend (hips, back, shoulders)
- From a kneeling position, sit back onto the heels, then slide your hands forward, away from you, dropping the head.
- Hold this for a few seconds, then walk the fingers around to one side, and hold for a count of ten.
- Walk the fingers back to the other side and again, hold for ten.
- Come back to the middle, then repeat each side.
Frog pose (hips, inner thighs)
- Starting on all fours, gently widen your knees away from the body.
- Turn each foot out, rotating so the inner foot and ankle are on the floor (pictured).
- Gently rock back and forth three to four times to deepen the stretch, then hold for a slow count of ten.
- If you want to deepen the stretch, you can come down onto the forearms.
- Repeat two to three times.
Forward hinge (hamstrings, calves, lower back)
- Sit on the floor with your legs together, straight out in front of you.
- Take a deep breath in as you reach your arms up towards the ceiling.
- From here, fold forward at the hips, reaching the fingers towards the toes.
- Hold for a count of ten, then repeat twice more, starting with the deep breath and reach up each time.
Top tip: If you can reach your toes with your hands, you can hold on to them, pulling the heels away from the floor, to deepen the stretch.
Thoracic rotation (upper back, lower back, shoulders)
- Start in a half kneeling position against a wall. Your front leg should be closest to the wall, with that shoulder touching the wall.
- Hold your arms out in front of you, then carefully and slowly rotate the outside hand outwards, around towards the wall (pictured).
- Stretch as far as is comfortable; it doesn’t matter if it can’t reach the wall behind you.
- Come back to the starting position and then repeat twice more on this side before switching sides.
Standing back extension (lower back)
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and place your hands into the lower part of your back.
- Gently lean backwards, letting your hips come forward slightly.
- Hold for a count of ten, breathing deeply, then relax.
- Repeat twice more.
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