Functional Exercises
These exercises are focused on fundamental everyday movements that we should all be able to do. However, sometimes due to our lifestyles, such as long periods sitting at a desk, we lose the ability to perform these basic movements and this in turn can increase the stress and strain on the back when performing simple everyday tasks. Because these exercises are more advanced, don’t do them until you have been at least pain free for two weeks and stop immediately if you get any pain during the exercise.
Turkish Get-Up
The Turkish Get-Up is a great exercise to get the whole body moving. I often do it with a light weight, or without any weight at all, that way the exercise focuses more on mobility rather than strength. You might find that using a very light weight helps at first since it helps maintain the arm perpendicular to the ground.
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Everyday functional exercises for a healthy back
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Total Body Medicine Ball Strength Exercise
This exercise is more demanding because it demands a degree of mobility that often those with a more sedentary lifestyle don’t have. My advice is to try this exercise only when you are comfortable doing a deep body weight squat, (as shown in the previous clip), and start with a much smaller weight whilst you get used to the movement.