Dancer's Stretch

Also called seated spinal twist, dancer's stretch and seated twist.

Works

Lower back, plus side glutes and glutes

Equipment

Bodyweight

Level

Beginner

Type

Isolation

How to do it

Setup. Sit up on the floor.

1. Cross your right leg over your left, keeping the knee bent. Your left leg is straight and down on the floor.
2. Place your left arm on your right leg and your right hand on the floor.
3. Rotate your upper body to the right, and hold for 10-20 seconds. Switch sides.

Cues

• Sit tall, cross one leg over.
• Opposite elbow outside the knee.
• Rotate and look over the shoulder.
• Lengthen up on each breath.

Common mistakes

• Slumping.
• Forcing the twist.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a cranky lower back. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

Swap for