Monday, April 27, 2009

Exercise of the Week: Knee Drops


If you have a tight lower back (Seriously...who doesn't?!) and you haven't tried this stretch, this might be a treat for you. Similar to the spinal twist, knee drops involve rotating the torso and dropping the knees to the floor, allowing you to stretch the lower back as well as the glutes, shoulders and chest. The weight of your knees helps increase the stretch.

To get the most out of this stretch, try keeping both shoulders pressed into the floor and focus on lengthening through the waist. If you can't bring the knees to down without the opposite shoulder coming off the floor, stay with the spinal twist.

Do it right: Bring the knees up and bend them to 90 degrees, shins parallel to the floor and arms out to the sides. Contract the abs and rotate the torso to lower the legs to the right, bringing them down to the floor. Keep the left shoulder flat on the floor and release any tension in your waist and back. Hold the stretch for about 5 breaths, bring the knees back to center and repeat on the other side.