Many of the articles I write deal with weakness, pain, or injuries, but something else vexes tens of millions of people daily that doesn’t get as much attention: stiffness. Stiffness can limit activity and functional independence as well as take the fun out of doing things. Worse, it can set us up for injuries. Many of us have persistent aches and pains in certain areas, which often correspond to related stiffness.
Thankfully, a consistent regimen of stretching exercises can help us limber up and move toward better comfort and independence.
There are many different approaches to stretching and many, many different stretches per se, but with this routine, I introduce you to exercises you can do using a long stick or bar. It can be a broomstick, a long dowel stick, a mop, or any other stick approximately four to six feet long.
These are routine exercises I use in the clinic, but you may wish to confer with your medical provider to ensure that they are right for you.
5 High-Mobility Exercises Using a Stick
Ideal for home, the office, or anywhere you can find a stick, these pole-wielding exercises will increase your body’s suppleness and reduce stiffness-induced pain.1. Standing Circle (Spine)
Performed correctly, the standing circle is a great spinal mobility exercise. By encouraging you to rotate far into left and right rotations with an upright posture, this exercise provides mobility from your neck to your lumbar vertebrae.Practice Tip: Be sure to keep your trunk upright as you rotate around instead of laterally flexing your trunk. I find that this exercise gets easier to perform as you move through the sets and your spine warms up.
Step 1: Stand and use both hands to hold on to a stick long enough to reach the ground, touching the ground with the stick at the 12 o’clock position in front of you.
Step 2: Draw a half circle from the 12 o’clock position toward the 6 o’clock position (behind you) in one smooth arc, following the movement with your upper body and head while keeping your hands on the stick as your trunk rotates. Take 3 to 4 seconds to complete the rotation and hold for 3 seconds at the end of your movement.
Step 3: Reverse the movement back to the 12 o’clock position and repeat on the left side, from the 12 o’clock position through 9 o’clock and toward the 6 o’clock position. As before, keep both hands on the stick and follow the movement with your head while you rotate your trunk.
Step 4: Drawing a semicircle to one side counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions per side.
Modifications: Only move as far as you comfortably can at first. As you warm up, you should be able to do more.
Why I Like It: This exercise stretches the whole spinal cord.
2. Around the World (Shoulders)
The Around the World exercise is challenging for shoulders, but great for overall range of motion and an excellent chest stretch.Practice Tip: As you move your arms behind you, your hand position will naturally change on the bar. By the time your arms are far behind you, you’ll be holding on to the bar with your thumb and index finger.
Step 1: Hold the stick horizontally in front of you, touching your hips, with your arms as far apart as possible and your palms facing down.
Step 2: Bring both arms over your head while holding the bar, and then continue moving them back behind you as far as they will comfortably go. Full range of motion may extend from the bar touching the front hips to touching the back—wherever you land is perfectly acceptable.
Step 3: Once you move the stick back as far as you can, hold the position for approximately 3 seconds and then return your arms to the original starting position.
Step 4: Moving your arms over and back and returning to the original starting position counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
Increase the Challenge: Increase the time you hold the stretch to approximately 5 seconds to maximize its effects, although it may be less comfortable.
Why I Like It: This exercise is easy to scale from mild to wild and can accommodate a wide range of individual flexibility.
3. Bar Slide (Lower Back, Flexion)
This is one of my favorite simple exercises, and I use it almost every day with patients in the clinic. The Bar Slide works on spinal flexion and provides a good stretch for the upper middle back.Step 1: Sit in a chair with a bar across your legs at the hip level.
Step 2: Slowly slide the bar down your thighs, over your knees, and down to your ankles before returning to the starting position. Keep your back as straight as you can in either position.
Step 3: Sliding the bar down to your ankles and back up counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
Increase the Challenge: You can increase the stretch on your hamstrings with this exercise by placing your feet further forward or starting in a standing position. Just be sure to pay attention to what your body is telling you and avoid pushing into pain.
Why I Like It: Eminently controllable, this exercise carries a great benefit for spinal mobility and can be performed in a sitting position.
4. Behind the Back Bar Stretch (Chest, Upper Thoracic Spine)
I perform this exercise several times a day for myself. I can do it almost anywhere, and so can you.Step 1: Hold the bar behind your back with both palms facing away, with your hands hip-width apart.
Step 2: Push down and back behind you at approximately a 45-degree angle, keeping your shoulders down. At the same time, or once the arms are back, push your chest out and up. The movement will not be large overall, but you will feel definite tension and a stretch in your chest and upper back.
Step 3: Hold this position for 3 seconds before relaxing back into the original position. Moving into the stretch and then relaxing back out counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions.
Increase the Challenge: Push deeper into the stretch to maximize your outcomes. It can be a little uncomfortable at first, but most bodies soon relax into the stretch.
Why I Like It: This exercise provides an excellent, repeatable stretch for your chest, shoulders, and upper thoracic spine. You can perform it almost anywhere, and I personally feel taller every time I finish.
5. Lateral Flexion (Lateral Spine, Trunk Musculature)
Many of us do some variation of a lateral stretch throughout the day. The beauty of this particular exercise is that it carefully focuses on your lateral spine and trunk musculature.Step 1: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and place the stick horizontally behind your head, resting on your shoulders. If you can’t do this, hold the bar high in front of your collarbones. Just be sure to keep it horizontal.
Step 2: Hold your hips and move your shoulders to the right to introduce a good stretch to the left middle of your trunk.
Step 3: Hold for 3 seconds before returning to the starting position and repeating the movement on the other side. Moving into a stretch and returning to the starting position counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions.
Increase the Challenge: You can lean your hips in the same direction as your shoulders while pushing in the other direction with your middle trunk to intensify the stretch, but be wary not to push too far or provoke overt pain.
Why I Like It: By placing your arms high, this exercise intensifies the effectiveness of what is a daily informal stretch for many of us.
This exercise routine is highly beneficial when you stick with it. I recommend performing the exercises at least three times per week for maximum benefit.
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