Stiff upper or mid-back? Try this:
Seated Cat/Cow Stretch
Seated cat/cow is a spinal mobility exercise that alternates flexion and extension. In the rounding phase (cat), the back muscles lengthen. In the arching phase (cow), the front body, including the chest and abdominals, lengthen. Use it to reduce the feeling of mid-back stiffness and to remind your spine to move after sitting.
Key Body Areas:
Lower Back
Upper Back
Abdominals
Shoulders
Chest
How to Do Seated Cat/Cow Stretch:
- Scoot forward to the edge of your chair with feet flat and hip-width apart.
- Place hands behind your head if comfortable, or hands on knees as a simpler option.
- Cat (round): exhale, tuck pelvis slightly and round the spine, chin gently toward chest.
- Cow (arch): inhale, tip pelvis slightly forward and lift the chest, keeping the neck long.
- Flow slowly for 30 seconds.
Modifications for Seated Cat/Cow Stretch:
- decreaseMake the movement smaller and focus on the mid-back rather than the neck or low back.
- increasePause 1-2 seconds at each end range if it stays comfortable.
- alternativeIf hands-behind-head irritates the neck, keep hands on knees and let the arms assist the movement gently.
Type: passive StretchDifficulty: beginnerPosition: seatedMuscles Stretched:Erector Spinae • Latissimus Dorsi • Rectus Abdominis • Rhomboids • Trapezius • Pectoralis Major • Anterior Deltoids
