If you’re stiff, tight or sore, follow these simple tips from a personal trainer and author who has made it his mission to get us to loosen up
Are you sitting like a prawn? If you’re a social media user, you’ll likely recognise Adam Richardson from his gentle exhortations to get people moving and mobile.
In comparison with the tide of health and fitness influencers that flood our screens, the affable 31-year-old personal trainer and Sunday Times best-selling author takes a more relaxed approach to health and wellbeing.
Rather than dogmatic takes and severe lifestyle shake-ups, Richardson is on a mission to make fitness feel more achievable, increase your mobility and help you feel less stiff through easy, bite-size movements that can be done wherever you are. And if you’re one of the many people who spends their day hunched over a desk, his advice is well worth following.
In addition to back, neck and hip pain, extended periods of inactivity can have a major effect on overall health. Studies have linked a sedentary life with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, various cancers and depression, meaning even small changes to your lifestyle can have a big impact.
Nodding along to Richardson’s compact videos is one thing, but remembering to actually apply his advice can be a challenge. “I recommend setting alerts on your phone to remind you to get up, move around and stretch,” he tells me. This is particularly pertinent for people who spend much of their day inactive, such as desk-workers. “It could be every 30 minutes or every hour, but just hearing a beep can remind you that it’s time to move.”
Below, he shares eight easy stretches to incorporate into your daily life to decrease pain and improve your standard of life.
“There are loads of opportunities to get a little bit of movement into your daily life,” he says. “And I’m trying to plant this seed.”
Neck circles
“This involves simply moving your neck in some gentle circles, going both ways. Many of us spend so much time hunched forward that our neck gets neglected. The simplest way to shake a bit of stiffness from your neck is by moving it in all the directions it’s intended to – and often.
“It’s OK if it creaks and cracks – crunchy and grindy noises are normal, as long as it doesn’t hurt. If it does hurt, just don’t go as far – but still move, even if it’s small circles. Ideally, do around three to five sets per round. As to how often? The more, the merrier.
“This should help any tightness in your neck and shoulders. When we get tense, a lot of us raise our shoulders to our ears and we spend a lot of time hunched over like a prawn. Relieving the tension from the neck can also help if you struggle with tension headaches.
“I also really like encouraging people to actively pay attention to their breath when they’re doing this because none of us take enough deep breaths.”
Figure-four stretch and twist
“To begin, shuffle back until your bum is at the back of your chair and sit up straight. Place one ankle across the opposite thigh. If it’s too intense, you can move your raised leg further away from your body – and if you want to make it harder, you can move closer.
“Not many of us rotate our hips – they tend to just go backwards and forwards – and it can contribute to tightness in this area.
Adam Richardson shares eight easy stretches to incorporate into your daily life
“I like spicing up this stretch by adding a bit of a twist because most of us don’t get enough rotation in our spine. To do this, simply turn your torso to one side while your foot is still raised on your thigh, take a couple of deep breaths, and swap to the other side.
“I also like encouraging people to have a bit of a wiggle when they’re in these moves – there’s not a right or wrong way to do this – as long as you’re using your body, that’s a positive thing.”
Seated windmill
“Remain seated for this next stretch. Spread your legs and, with one hand, reach one hand down as close to the floor as you can. Rotate your body and, with your other hand, twist it up towards the ceiling. Take some nice big deep breaths and twist a little bit further. A good marker is between three to five stretches on each side – but do as many as you like.
“You should feel a nice stretch in your groin just from spreading your legs. And as you reach down, you’ll get a nice stretch all down the side of your back, especially in the deep lower back muscles, which is where a lot of people feel tension.
“If one side of your lower back feels particularly tight, this is a great way to stretch that out. There’s a muscle here called the quadratus lumborum. It sounds like a budget Harry Potter spell – but this stretch is a really good way of getting in there.”
Hip flexor
“For this, you can use a chair, some stairs or even a park bench – just don’t try this with a chair on wheels. Place one foot on the raised platform in front of you and keep the other on the ground.
“Keeping your torso nice and upright, and your extended leg straight, come up onto your tiptoes and rock your hips forward towards your bent knee. Then, gently fall forward.
“This should give you a nice stretch in your hip flexor and in the back of your leg, two areas that spend too long being still. They’re also places where many of us get tightness, especially if you spend a lot of time sitting down.
“Try and do three to five stretches on each leg, with a deep breath each time; you can hold them for longer, if you want. This works wonders for shaking a bit of stiffness in the back of the legs and the front of the hips.”
Elevated ‘world’s greatest stretch’
“This move is known as ‘the world’s greatest stretch’, but we’re doing it with an elevated foot which is much easier than the original as that is quite a challenging move.
“Remain in the same position as the previous pose, with one foot flat on the floor and one foot on a raised platform in front of you. Bring your hand down to the floor and rotate your torso, reaching your other arm up towards the ceiling. Follow your fingertips with your eyes.
“For a deeper stretch, reach your elbow down to the ground, instead of your hand. Once you’ve done one leg, switch to the other. This is one of my favourites for tackling lots of bits. It improves mobility, relieves lower back pain and strengthens the glutes and core.”
Countertop shoulder stretch
“The ability to reach over your head is an underrated ability, even if it just means reaching for something out of a cupboard. This is a good way to stretch your lats – all of the muscles down the side of your back – and it should help with any tightness in your back or hips. You might also feel a little pop or crack in your upper to middle part of your back, or a gentle crunch. That’s OK.
“Stand upright in front of a countertop or the back of a sturdy chair. Drop your chest forward and bring your extended arms up to rest on the countertop or back of your chair. The aim of the game here is getting your hands above your head, which should be facing the floor and bearing down. You should feel a nice stretch all down the side of your back. Hold it for about 10 seconds – or as long as feels possible.
“If it feels uncomfortable, play around with hand position – go wider, if you need to.”
These exercises will prevent stiffness and aches and pains and stop us hunching over like a prawn90/90
“I’m a bit of an advocate of getting down on the floor more, particularly on an evening when you’re watching TV. Start off sitting on the floor with your hands by your side. Bend your knees and keep your feet on the floor in front of you. Keep your knees together and simply start swishing your legs from the left to the right like windscreen wipers.
“The more upright you are, the harder this will be, so lean back on your sofa for a bit of support if you want to make it easier. This is going to work your internal and external rotation, which are two essential functions of your hip which rarely get used – and it can really help loosen up the tension in your lower back.”
Thoracic stretch
“Get down on the floor. How you sit isn’t really important – you can cross your legs or extend them straight out in front of you. Put your hands behind your head and just lean back against your sofa or a soft chair. Thrust your hips and chest forward, and take some big, deep breaths. Just try and get comfortable and open up your chest. You should feel your upper back getting a nice, juicy stretch.
“And play around – you can lift your hands, tilt your body from side to side; I always encourage people just to wiggle when they’re in this position. We’re looking at undoing all of that desk-sitting – all of that leaning and rolling forward like a prawn.
“If that’s too challenging for you, you can simply stand up, put your arms behind you and puff out your chest. Regularly doing this can loosen stiff muscles in the neck, back and shoulders.”
How to Build a Body That Lasts by Adam Richardson is published by Century, £16.99