Spine Flexion Stretches

Progressions

1. 01

   Cat Stretch (Child Pose)

   • Begin in a child’s pose position with your knees together or slightly apart and your hips sitting back toward your heels.

   • Extend your arms out in front of you on the floor, reaching as far forward as possible.

   • Round your upper back and shoulders, actively spreading your shoulder blades apart to deepen the thoracic flexion.

   • Press your chest gently toward the floor while keeping your hips anchored back on your heels.

   • Let your head hang relaxed between your arms — avoid lifting or straining the neck.

   • Breathe deeply into your upper back, feeling the ribcage expand with each inhale.

   • Use each exhale to sink deeper into the stretch, allowing the spine to round further.

   • Hold the position for the prescribed duration, maintaining active engagement through the upper back.

2. 02

   Seated Spine Flexion

   

   Box / Bench / Step / Chair / etc.

   • Sit on a bench or chair with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart, and knees slightly bent.

   • Begin by tucking your chin toward your chest, then slowly roll your spine forward vertebra by vertebra.

   • Allow your torso to fold over your thighs, rounding through the entire spine rather than hinging at the hips.

   • Let your arms hang loosely toward the floor, reaching toward your feet or the ground.

   • Focus on creating a smooth, even curve from the base of your skull to your lower back.

   • Breathe deeply and use each exhale to deepen the forward fold and increase the spinal curve.

   • Keep your weight centered on your sit bones — avoid shifting forward onto your feet.

   • Hold the end position for the prescribed duration, then slowly roll back up, restacking each vertebra.

3. 03

   Standing Loaded Partial Spine Flexion

   • Stand with your feet together and arms hanging relaxed by your sides.

   • Begin by tucking your chin to your chest, then slowly round only through the upper and mid back.

   • Stop the curl at roughly the level of your lower ribcage — do not continue into the lumbar spine.

   • Keep your hips stacked directly over your ankles and your lower body completely stable.

   • Let your arms dangle as you curl forward, feeling the stretch through the thoracic spine.

   • Focus on separating each vertebra as you round, creating space between the segments.

   • Hold briefly at the bottom of the partial curl, then slowly reverse the movement, restacking from the lower thoracic up to the neck.

   • Breathe steadily throughout — exhale as you curl down, inhale as you return to standing.

4. 04

   Standing Loaded Spine Flexion

   

   Dumbbells or Kettlebells

   • Stand with your feet together and hold a light weight in your hands.

   • Begin rounding your spine from your head, allowing each vertebra to move in sequence.

   • Focus on curling through the entire spine without engaging your hips or hinging.

   • Lower the weight slowly as your spine rounds, moving fully through the spinal range of motion.

   • Once you’ve curled as far as possible, reverse the movement by slowly stacking each vertebra back up, returning to a standing position.

5. 05

   Seated Loaded Spine Flexion

   

   Dumbbells or Kettlebells

   • Sit on a bench or chair with your feet flat on the floor, holding a dumbbell or kettlebell at chest height or behind your head.

   • Begin in a tall seated position, then slowly round your spine forward, curling vertebra by vertebra from the top down.

   • Let the weight pull you deeper into the spinal flexion as you fold forward over your thighs.

   • Focus on creating a smooth, segmental curve through the entire spine — avoid hinging only at the hips.

   • Pause at the bottom of the movement, feeling the weight create gentle traction through the posterior spine.

   • Slowly reverse the movement, restacking each vertebra one at a time to return to the upright position.

   • Keep the weight close to your body throughout to maintain control and avoid excessive loading.

   • Breathe steadily — exhale as you curl forward, inhale as you return to upright.

Common mistakes

• Hinging at the Hips Instead of Rounding the Spine
• Rushing the Movement
• Locking the Knees
• Holding the Breath