Try These Simple Exercises The Next Time You’re At Your Desk!
Did you know that the average person spends about 4-9 hours per DAY sitting at their desk? The more we sit, the weaker our bodies can get but it doesn’t have to be that way! Here I will share with you ‘The Best Core Exercises You Can Do At Your Desk’.
The first thing is that we won’t just be working ‘abs’. The core is actually all the muscles in your torso, so we’ll be hitting these different muscles of your Transverse Abdominis, Hip flexors and your Lats.
If you do these regularly, you’ll get out of lower back pain and stiffness of your entire body and you’ll have more energy. Your core strength is very important in how effectively you can support your spine. A ‘stiff torso’ (also known as ‘spinal stability’) is vital in being able to generate force against an external resistance.
I like this definition of ‘spinal stiffness’.
So, let’s begin!
You ideally want to be on a chair with no armrests and that is fairly solid. Make sure the seat is supportive and has some padding to it. To do core exercises effectively, you need a stable surface to practice on.
Before we get started, get familiar with what spinal stability feels like. Sit up tall in your chair without having your back against the chair. Ground through your sit bones. From this place, feel your spine lengthen and gently bring your navel into your spine. Make sure your shoulders are relaxed and tuck your chin to keep the back of your neck long. Now close your eyes and remember what this feels like. You want to re-create this feeling in this first exercise:
1. Set Point To Navasana On A Chair – 3-5 x 20- second holds.
The Set Point is an exercise I use in many of my videos because it’s simple and effective. This targets your Transverse Abdominis, which is the wide corset-like muscle that wraps around your torso. Most people have weak TVA’s that don’t fire properly, leading to postural issues and lower back pain. Turn so you are side-ways on the chair and inhale, start to lean back, keeping that spinal stability. If this is tricky, you can use your arm to clasp the back of the chair as an assist but do not overly rely on it. Exhale, extend your legs as straight as you can and breathe. Your TVA will switch off if your back collapses so try to keep your spine stiff. Stay in the Set Point for 20 seconds.
Next, transition into Navasana or Boat Pose. This pose strengthens your back and hip flexors. Inhale, bend your knees and bring them into your chest, keeping your spine as tall as possible. Exhale, bring your knees a little bit away from your chest and keep your shins parallel to the ground. As you get stronger, you can start to straighten your legs. If you start to sag in your spine, bring the knees back into the chest and/or use the back of the chair as an assist. Be here for 20 seconds. Come out and rest for a moment before repeating another 2-4 times.
These core exercises are very challenging so don’t be in a hurry to master them – breathe slowly and mindfully, making spinal stability your priority.
2. L-sit on your chair – 3 x 30 second holds
These are one of my favorite exercises because they are so effective at strengthening the TVA, the hip flexors and your back. Sitting sideways again, inhale, rolling your shoulders away from your ears. Exhale, press yourself up and pull your hips back as much as possible. It is VERY easy to stop breathing so keep breathing long slow and deep. Start off with 10 seconds, working your way up to 30 seconds. Repeat twice more.
3. HF Strengthener on Chair – 1 leg bent and straighten, then both legs – 3 x 15-20 total.
This next exercise is a fun variation of Navasana. Here we are strengthening our hip flexors and our back. Ground through your sit bones and get really tall through your spine. Inhale, lean back, extending both arms straight ahead and bring your knees into the chest. Keep your shins parallel to the ground. Exhale, straighten one leg, then inhale bring back into your chest. Exhale, straighten the other leg. Alternate until you have done 15-20 on each side. As you get stronger and more confident, you can straighten both legs at once.
4. Hands elevated Low Dog Press – 5 x 5 second holds.
These next two exercises are a nice change of pace. Now we will be focusing on our Latissimus Dorsi, or our Lats. These could be considered the ‘TVA’ of our back and are some of our largest muscles. Very often these powerful muscles are dormant and don’t fire at all, leading to shoulder injuries, and postural issues.
This exercise is a simple one to get the Lats firing.
Place your hands on the chair the width of your seat, feet hip distance apart. Inhale, straighten your arms. Exhale, micro bend your elbows out to the side, feeling your side body contract. Hold this for 5 seconds and memorize what this feels like. Repeat this 5 times.
5. Feet Elevated Low Dog Press – 5 x 8 second holds.
This next exercise is a simple Lat strengthener. By elevating our lower body, we gently load the lats. Bring your knees to the chair and place your hands shoulder-distance apart. Spread your fingers as much as possible. Read here about ‘cambering the fingers’ (right before the first exercise). Inhale, press the floor away and straighten your arms. Exhale, micro bend your elbows out to the side, holding for 8 seconds. Repeat 4 more times.
6. Upper thoracic spine stretch with elbows – 1 x 60-second hold.
This exercise is a lovely finisher to this sequence and helps to stretch your upper back and shoulders. Come to your knees and place your elbow tips on the seat. Move yourself a little bit back so your spine can lengthen and drop your head. Try to keep the bottom of your rib cage and hip bones in the same line. This keeps your lower back from arching excessively. Breath long, slow and deep for about a minute.
So there you have it! These core exercises are simple and effective. Practice this regularly and enjoy the benefits!
