It’s easy to spend a lot of time sitting down when you work a desk job, but being sedentary all day can lead to a stiff back, sore shoulders, and increase your risk for cardiovascular disease.
So what’s the answer? Well, along with being more active, Natasha Tavares, a certified personal trainer at Muscle Booster, recommends strength training and flexibility work.
“Movements like glute bridges, hip thrusts, and Romanian deadlifts target the muscles responsible for supporting your spine and pelvis, while stretches like the cat-cow promote spinal mobility and alignment,” Tavares explains.
“Together, these exercises support better posture, improve core stability, and help reduce the risk of discomfort or injury associated with a sedentary lifestyle.”
Tavares has shared a six-move workout that could help counteract the effects of your 9-5.
How to do the six-move strength workout
This workout combines bodyweight and weighted exercises, so you’ll need a kettlebell or a set of dumbbells.
If you’re yet to add these to your at-home set-up, you might want to head to the gym instead.
Moves include:
- Deadbugs
- Romanian deadlifts
- Goblet squats
- Hip thrusts
- Glute bridges
- Cat-cow
“These exercises are designed to strengthen the posterior chain; your glutes, hamstrings, and back, while also improving mobility and stretching the muscles that tend to tighten from prolonged sitting, such as the hip flexors, chest, and pelvis,” Tavares says.
“Strengthening these areas helps counteract poor posture and muscle imbalances that develop when you sit for long periods.”
1. Dead bugs
This is a core stability exercise, which can be scaled up or down to suit your level.
How to do it:
Reps: 8-10 Sets: 3
- Lie on the floor with your legs in the air and knees bent at 90°, shins parallel to the floor. Engage your core by pressing your lower back into the floor.
- Lower your right leg and left arm, until they're just above the floor, then return to the start position.
- Switch sides and repeat.
To make it harder, hold weights in your hands.
You can also make it easier with these deadbug modifications.
2. Half Romanian deadlifts
“This is an excellent exercise for strengthening the posterior chain, with a focus on a slow and controlled hip hinge,” Tavares says.
Doing a half RDL, as opposed to a full one, can help you focus on engaging the right muscles (glutes and hamstrings) while also avoiding excess pressure on the lower back.
How to do it:
Reps: 8-10
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing your body. Keep your knees slightly bent, with your heels grounded and your shins vertical to the ground.
- Hinge at the hips by pushing your hips backwards, and keep the weights close to your legs as you lower the weights to just above your knees.
- Keep your back flat and core engaged, with your shoulder blades slightly pulled together and your head in line with your spine.
- Drive your hips forward to return to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top.
3. Goblet squat
Tavares says this squat variation improves leg strength, balance, and coordination.
“The primary muscles worked include the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings,” Tavares explains.
You can do it without a weight or add a kettlebell or dumbbell.
How to do it:
Reps: 8-10
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell or dumbbell at your chest.
- Keeping the weight close to your chest and your toes pointing forward, bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Drive through your heels to come back up, squeezing your glutes.
4. Glute bridges
This exercise primarily targets your glutes, which can be weakened by excessive sitting, but it also recruits core muscles and hamstrings, too.
How to do it:
Reps: 8-10
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
- Push through your heels to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
- Squeeze your glutes at the top, then lower your hips back down with control.
- Repeat.
5. Hip thrust
“This exercise targets the glutes by thrusting the hips upward against the resistance of a barbell [or dumbbell], which activates the muscles,” Tavares says.
How to do it:
Reps: 8-10
- Sit with your upper back on the floor or resting against a bench. Your feet should be flat on the ground, hip-width apart, and knees bent at 90°.
- Roll a barbell or dumbbells over your hips.
- Tuck your chin and look forward to keep a neutral spine.
- Push through your heels to lift your hips, driving the barbell or dumbbells up until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
- Squeeze your glutes at the top, making sure not to overarch your lower back.
- Lower your hips back down with control, keeping your body or the dumbbells stable.
6. Cat cow
“This is a gentle yoga position that involves alternating between arching the back and rounding the spine,” Tavares says.
How to do it:
Reps: 8-10
- Kneel on your hands and knees, with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
- Inhale deeply as you arch your back, drop your belly toward the floor, and lift your head and chest to look upward for cow pose.
- Exhale fully as you round your spine, tuck your pelvis, draw your belly in, and gently lower your head to look toward your belly button for cat pose.
- Repeat.
