Low Lunge With Twist

The low lunge with a twist combines two mobility demands that usually need separate exercises. Dropping into a lunge with the back knee on the floor takes the rear hip into extension and stretches the hip flexors, while rotating the torso toward the front leg opens the thoracic spine. Both are areas that hours of sitting quietly shorten, and doing them together in one shape is what makes this such an efficient warm-up before squatting, running or any overhead work. The rotation should come from the mid-back rather than the lower back: reach the arm up and turn the ribs, keeping the pelvis square to the front. If you feel the twist in your lumbar spine, you have rotated from the wrong place. Hold each side for several breaths rather than pulsing into the position.