Child's Pose

Child's pose is a kneeling flexibility position that lengthens the lower back and hips while you simply breathe. You sit back toward your heels with the knees apart, fold forward with a flat back and reach the arms out until the stretch is felt but never forced. Because nothing is loaded and nothing is pulled, it is one of the few stretches you can hold long enough for the tissue to actually give — around 20 to 30 seconds of slow breathing is where most people feel the lower back release. It belongs at the end of a session, between heavy sets, or on a rest day when the back feels compressed. Keep the knees at hip width rather than together: the wider position leaves room for the ribs and lets you fold further without rounding hard through the spine.