Floor & Foam Roller Protocols

Foam rolling is a primer, not the treatment. It reduces "neural tone" — your nervous system's background grip on a muscle — for about 10-20 minutes. That creates a window where stretching actually works. If you foam roll without stretching after, the effect wears off in about 30 minutes and you're back where you started.

Think of it this way: Foam rolling unlocks the door. Stretching walks through it. If you only unlock the door and walk away, it locks itself again.

Your bodyweight creates the pressure — you don't need to push down or force anything. Place the roller under the body part, then let gravity do the work.

Controlling intensity: Too much pressure? Shift some weight onto your hands or your other leg. Too little? Stack more of your body over the roller. You should always be able to breathe normally. If you're holding your breath, you've got too much weight on the roller.

Speed: SLOW. About 1 inch per second. Not rolling back and forth fast like a rolling pin on dough. Slow rolling lets the tissue actually respond. Fast rolling just irritates the surface and skips over the spots that need attention.

Duration: 90-120 seconds per area. Research shows that beyond 2 minutes per area has no additional structural benefit — you hit diminishing returns fast.

Pain scale: Aim for 5-6 out of 10. "Uncomfortable but I can breathe normally and my face is relaxed." If you're grimacing or holding your breath, roll slightly off the tender spot until the pain drops to that 5-6 range.

STOP on it. Don't roll over it. Park the roller right on that tender point and hold for 20-30 seconds. Breathe slowly — "breathe through it" means slow normal breaths where you could speak a sentence if someone asked you a question. In through the nose for 3 seconds, out through the mouth for 3 seconds.

The tenderness should decrease from a 6-7 to a 3-4 during the hold. If it doesn't decrease at all after 30 seconds, you're pressing too hard — shift some weight off.

What a knot feels like: A marble or dense cord embedded in the muscle — harder than the tissue around it. When you press on it, it hurts in a specific, focal way (not a broad ache). Knots are caused by chronic muscle contraction — your nervous system keeps those fibers locked on and they eventually form adhesions.

How to release a knot: Sustained pressure for 30-60 seconds. The muscle initially guards against the intrusion (first 20-30 seconds — this is your nervous system resisting). Then the density softens as the nervous system decides the pressure isn't a threat and releases its grip. Dense becomes pliable. Pain drops from a 6-7 to a 3-4. That softening is the release.

Tool hierarchy (broadest to most targeted):

1. Foam roller — broadest, least intense. Good for general warm-up pass and finding where knots live.
2. Rumble roller — bumps dig in like fingers, find knots smooth roller glides over.
3. Lacrosse ball — most targeted single-point pressure. For stubborn individual knots the rollers can't fully resolve.
4. Massage gun — fastest neural override. Percussive vibration breaks through guarding reflex that static pressure can't crack. For knots that resist everything else.

You don't need all four tools every session. Start with the roller, find the problem spots, then go deeper with targeted tools only where needed. Most sessions need 1-2 tools.

This replaces what a foam roller does for your legs — but forearms are too small for a roller, so a lacrosse ball (or tennis ball) does the job. The ball is harder than your thumb and your bodyweight adds pressure you can't generate with your fingers, so it reaches deeper than any self-massage with your hands.

1. Place the lacrosse ball on a desk or the floor. Turn your right forearm palm-up and set the fleshy part of the forearm on top of the ball.
2. Start about 2-3 inches below the elbow crease — this is the muscle belly, the squishy zone where the flexors live. Not at the wrist (too bony, no muscle) and not right at the elbow joint (that's tendon, not muscle).
3. Let the weight of your arm press into the ball. Don't push down — just let gravity work. Roll slowly from elbow toward wrist, about 1 inch per second.
4. When you find a tender spot, STOP. Hold the ball right on that point. While holding the pressure, slowly open and close your hand 8-10 times — full extension, full fist. This makes the muscle move under the ball, which is what creates real release (same principle as the calf point-and-flex in Section 3).
5. Lift and reposition — don't slide the ball along your arm. Sliding drags skin and doesn't reach the depth you need. Pick up the arm, move the ball to the next spot, set the arm back down. Work 4-5 spots from elbow to mid-forearm.
6. Repeat palm-down for the extensors. Flip your forearm over so the back of the forearm rests on the ball. Same technique — find tender spots, hold, open/close hand. Knots in the extensors are just as common as flexor knots from desk work.

The forearm flexors (the muscles on the palm side of your forearm) are the primary culprits in desk tightness. This PNF technique triggers autogenic inhibition — your nervous system briefly lowers its guard on the muscle after a contraction, creating a window where you can stretch further than passive stretching alone allows.

1. Extend your right arm straight in front of you, palm facing up.
2. Use your left hand to bend your right wrist back — fingers toward the ceiling — until you feel tension in the forearm belly. That's the squishy zone 2-3 inches below the elbow crease, not at the wrist and not at the elbow joint. If you feel it at the wrist, you've gone too far into the stretch — back off slightly.
3. PUSH your right wrist DOWN against your left hand at 50-60% effort. Hold 6 seconds.
   Here's what 50-60% effort means: imagine pushing a heavy door open. You're pushing firmly, but you can still breathe normally, your face stays relaxed, and you could speak a sentence if someone asked you a question. For comparison, 100% would be shoving a stuck car — red face, holding breath, full strain. You're nowhere near that. A 4-point check: (1) breathing through your nose, (2) jaw unclenched, (3) shoulders down, (4) could hold a conversation. If any of those fail, ease off.
4. RELEASE completely. This is "on to off" — like unclenching a fist. Don't fade out slowly. The muscle goes from contracting to fully slack in one instant. Then wait 1-2 more seconds. That extra pause lets the nervous system fully reset.
5. Breathe through it: In through the nose for 3 seconds, out through the mouth for 3 seconds. You should be able to speak a sentence at any point. If you can't, you're pushing too hard.
6. INCREASE the stretch. Use your left hand to pull the wrist back further. You should reach 5-10 degrees more than before the push. Hold 10 seconds.
7. Repeat for 3 total cycles, then switch hands.

Most people only stretch the flexors (palm side). But the extensors (back of the forearm) are equally locked from maintaining grip tension — typing, mousing, holding your phone. This is the missing half.

1. Make a loose fist with your right hand, arm in front of you.
2. Wrap your left hand around the outside of your right fist.
3. Try to OPEN your right fingers against the resistance of your left hand — 60% effort, 6 seconds. Your fingers won't actually open — your left hand holds them closed. You'll feel the extensors on the back of the forearm engage.
4. RELEASE completely. Same "on to off" switch as Step 2.
5. Now actively close your fist tighter and use your left hand to gently press your knuckles down into deeper flexion. Hold 10 seconds. The extensors should stretch further than before the push.
6. Repeat for 3 total cycles, then switch hands.

This is the one nobody does — and it's often the root cause. The pronator teres is a small muscle near the elbow that keeps your palm facing down (pronation) — exactly the position you hold all day on a keyboard. Chronic keyboard use locks it short. When this releases, overall forearm tightness often drops by 40%.

What is the pronator teres? It's the muscle that rotates your forearm — the one that turns your palm from facing up to facing down. It sits on the inside of your forearm, close to the elbow. You can feel it work: hold your arm out, palm up, and try to turn your palm face-down against resistance. That engagement you feel on the inside of your forearm near the elbow crease? That's the pronator teres.

1. Rest your right forearm on the floor or your lap, palm facing UP toward the ceiling.
2. With your LEFT hand, wrap it firmly around the TOP of your right forearm — about 2 inches below the elbow crease. Your left thumb goes on the inside (palm side) of the forearm, your left fingers wrap around the outside (knuckle side). You're gripping the forearm like you'd grip a thick rope — firm but not crushing.
3. How to confirm you've found the right spot: With your grip in place, try to turn your right palm toward the floor. If you feel the muscle under your LEFT thumb bulge slightly when you push, you've got it. If you feel nothing, slide your grip slightly closer to the elbow until you feel that bulge.
4. Slowly turn your right palm toward the ceiling (supination — like holding a bowl of soup). This is the starting position.
5. Try to flip your palm BACK toward the floor (pronation) against the resistance of your gripping left hand — 50% effort, 6 seconds. Same effort level as Step 2 — breathing normally, face relaxed. The arm won't move — you're creating tension in the pronator against your grip.
6. RELEASE completely. Let the arm go slack.
7. Turn the palm further toward the ceiling — it should supinate further than before. Hold 10 seconds.
8. Repeat for 3 total cycles, then switch sides.

This replicates what a massage therapist does with Active Release Technique — sustained compression plus active muscle movement. It breaks up adhesions that static pressure alone can't reach, and it goes deeper than the lacrosse ball because your thumb can target specific spots with precision.

Finding the "muscle belly": The forearm belly is the fattest, fleshiest part of the underside of your forearm. Hold your arm out, palm up. Look at the underside — the side facing up. About 2-3 inches below the elbow crease, you'll see and feel the thickest part of the forearm. It's noticeably squishier than the wrist end (which is more bony/tendon) or the elbow end (which is more joint). Press on different spots — the squishy, compressible area is the belly. The bony/hard areas near the wrist are NOT where you want to work. How to confirm: Press your thumb into it. If it compresses like a dense sponge (not hitting bone), you're in the right place. If it feels hard and bony, move toward the elbow.

1. Extend your right arm, palm facing up.
2. Use your left thumb to press straight DOWN into the muscle belly of the right forearm — start 2 inches below the elbow crease, in the center of the forearm. Press firmly into the tissue.
3. Hold the pressure — don't slide. Sliding drags the skin but doesn't reach the deeper tissue. Plant the thumb and hold it like a pin in a cushion.
4. While maintaining that downward pressure, slowly open and close your right hand 8-10 times — full finger extension, full fist. The muscle moves UNDER your stationary thumb, creating a shearing effect that breaks adhesions between tissue layers.
5. Lift your thumb, move it 1-1.5 inches toward the wrist, press down again, and repeat the hand open/close cycles. Work 4-5 spots from elbow toward mid-forearm. 20-30 seconds per spot.

The massage gun overrides the muscle's guarding reflex faster than static pressure — percussive therapy essentially "vibrates through" the nervous system's protective grip. For forearms, use LOW speed and moderate pressure because the muscles are thin and close to nerves.

1. Attach the flat head (not the ball — flat gives broader contact on thin muscles).
2. Set to LOW speed. This is important — forearm muscles are thin and sit close to nerves. High speed on thin tissue creates too much percussion and can irritate the nerves underneath.
3. Start on the forearm belly, palm side, about 2 inches below the elbow.
4. Glide slowly along the muscle — not bouncing around. When you feel a tender or knotted spot, park on it for 10-15 seconds. The percussion does the work — you don't need to push hard.
5. Work the flexor side (palm up), then flip and work the extensor side (palm down). 3-4 spots per side.

The "tightness" you feel in wrists and forearms often has a nerve component — not just muscle. The median nerve runs from your neck through your arm and into your thumb, index, and middle fingers. Nerve flossing gently slides the nerve back and forth through its tunnel, reducing any adhesion or compression along the path.

1. Stand or sit upright. Extend your right arm straight out to the side, level with your shoulder, elbow locked.
2. Position 1: Bend your wrist DOWN (fingers pointing toward the floor) AND tilt your head to the LEFT (away from the arm). You should feel a wired or electrical sensation tracking from the shoulder through the forearm, possibly into the thumb and index finger.
3. Position 2: Now simultaneously flex your wrist UP (fingers pointing toward the ceiling) AND tilt your head to the RIGHT (toward the arm). The nerve sensation should ease.
4. Alternate slowly between Position 1 and Position 2. Each transition takes about 2-3 seconds. 10 complete reps.

The ulnar nerve runs along the inside of the elbow (the "funny bone" spot) and into the ring and pinky fingers. If your forearm tightness includes the pinky side, or if you get tingling in those fingers, this targets the specific nerve pathway the median floss misses.

1. Extend your right arm straight out to the side, palm facing up.
2. Bend your wrist UP so your fingers point toward the ceiling.
3. Now slowly bend your elbow to bring your fingertips toward your shoulder — like a slow bicep curl with the wrist cocked back.
4. Slowly straighten the elbow back out. That's one rep.
5. Move slowly — each rep takes about 3-4 seconds. 10 reps per side.

After the PNF and active release work, this passive stretch locks in the new range. The wall provides a stable surface so you can hold without effort.

1. Face a wall. Place the back of your right hand flat against the wall, fingers pointing down. Your palm faces away from the wall.
2. Step close enough that the heel of your hand is fully contacting the wall.
3. Slowly lean your body forward, keeping the hand in place. This extends the wrist and stretches the forearm flexors.
4. Hold for 60 seconds. Breathe normally. The stretch should feel moderate — 5-6 out of 10.

This is the passive counterpart to the Finger Extensor PNF. It stretches the muscles on the back of the forearm that control finger and wrist extension.

1. Press your palms together in front of your chest, fingers pointing up — like a prayer position.
2. Keeping your palms pressed together, slowly lower your hands toward your waist. Your wrists will flex and you'll feel the stretch shift to the backs of your forearms.
3. Lower until you feel a moderate stretch on the top/back of both forearms. Hold for 60 seconds.

This passive stretch targets the same pronator teres you worked in Step 4, but in a gravity-assisted position that you can hold without effort.

1. Sit at a table or desk. Place your right forearm on the surface, palm facing up.
2. Scoot forward so your hand hangs off the edge of the table from the wrist down.
3. Let gravity pull your hand into supination (palm rotates further toward the ceiling). Don't force it — let the weight of the hand create a gentle, sustained stretch on the pronator.
4. Hold for 45 seconds per side. Breathe normally.

The gastroc is the big calf muscle — the one you can see bulge when you stand on your toes. Keeping your leg straight targets this outer layer.

1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Place the foam roller under the middle of one calf.
2. Cross your opposite ankle ON TOP of the leg on the roller. This stacks your bodyweight and creates real pressure — without it, there isn't enough force to reach the deep tissue.
3. Lift your hips slightly off the floor using your hands behind you. Now your calf is pressing into the roller with the weight of both legs.
4. Roll slowly — 1 inch per second — from just below the back of the knee to just above the Achilles tendon. That's the entire length of the muscle.
5. When you hit a tender spot, STOP. Hold on that spot. While holding, point and flex your foot slowly 8-10 times. Pointing your toes and pulling them back makes the muscle slide under the roller instead of just being compressed — this is what makes it work deeper than just lying there.
6. After the point/flex cycles, hold still on the tender spot for another 10-15 seconds, then move on.

The soleus is the hidden layer — it sits underneath the gastroc, and most people never reach it. Bending your knee takes the gastroc off tension (because it crosses the knee joint), so the roller can access what's underneath.

1. Same starting position — roller under the calf, opposite ankle crossed on top for pressure.
2. BEND the knee of the leg being rolled. Not a lot — just enough that the knee is no longer locked straight. About 20-30 degrees of bend.
3. Roll the same area as before — below knee to above Achilles — slowly. The tender spots will be in different locations than the straight-leg pass because you're now reaching a different muscle.
4. When you find a tender spot, stop and hold. Point and flex the foot 8-10 times under the pressure.

The foam roller is broad — it covers a wide area but can miss specific knots. The lacrosse ball is smaller and harder, delivering single-point pressure that reaches the exact spot a roller spreads too wide to hit. Use this after foam rolling to target specific knots the roller found but couldn't fully release.

1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight. Place a lacrosse ball under one calf at a knot you found during foam rolling.
2. Cross your other leg ON TOP for pressure — same stacking technique as foam rolling. Your bodyweight through the ball creates focused, deep pressure on a single point.
3. Hold on the knot for 30-60 seconds. A knot feels like a marble or dense cord — harder than the tissue around it. The muscle will initially guard (first 20-30 seconds of resisting the pressure), then the density softens as your nervous system releases its grip.
4. While holding the ball on the knot, point and flex your foot 8-10 times. The muscle sliding under the ball's pressure breaks up the adhesion from both compression AND movement — double attack.
5. Lift your calf, reposition the ball to the next knot, and repeat. 3-5 spots per leg.

The rumble roller's bumps dig in like a massage therapist's fingers — they find knots that a smooth roller glides over. Same technique as the smooth foam roller, but the bumps do the knot-finding for you.

1. Same setup as foam rolling — rumble roller under one calf, opposite ankle crossed on top for pressure.
2. Roll SLOWLY — even slower than the smooth roller because the bumps need time to sink into each knot. About half an inch per second.
3. When a bump lands on a spot that makes you wince, park on it for 30 seconds. The bump does what a massage therapist's thumb would do — sustained, focused pressure that works through the guarding reflex.
4. Point and flex the foot while parked on tender spots — same principle as the smooth roller, but the bump creates a more intense version.

Percussive therapy overrides the muscle's guarding reflex faster than static pressure. For stubborn calf knots that don't release with rolling or ball work, the massage gun can break through in 15-30 seconds where static pressure might take 60+.

1. Attach the round ball head (broader contact for the meaty calf muscle).
2. Set to medium speed. The calves are thick muscles — they can handle more percussion than thinner muscles like the forearms.
3. Hold on each knot for 15-30 seconds. Don't slide the gun around — park it on the knot and let the percussion work. The rapid vibration overrides the muscle's protective guarding reflex, allowing the tissue to release faster than manual pressure.
4. Work both the gastroc (straight leg) and soleus (slightly bent knee) areas. 4-5 spots per leg.

PNF stands for "proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation" — it's a push-then-stretch technique. You push against resistance, then immediately stretch further than you could before. The push tricks your nervous system into briefly lowering its guard on the muscle.

1. Sit on the floor, one leg extended straight in front of you. Loop a towel or strap around the ball of your foot. Hold both ends.
2. STRETCH: Pull your toes toward your shin using the towel until you feel a moderate stretch in the back of the calf. Not painful — about a 5-6 out of 10. Hold this position.
3. PUSH: Now push your toes DOWN against the towel at 50-60% effort for 6 seconds. Your foot won't actually move — the towel holds it. You're creating tension in the calf against the resistance.
   50-60% effort means: you can breathe normally, your face stays relaxed, you're pushing like you'd push a heavy door open — firm but not straining. If you're holding your breath, you're pushing too hard.
4. RELEASE completely. Stop pushing. Let the calf go limp — like unclenching a fist. The muscle goes from ON to OFF in one instant, not a slow fade. Wait 2 seconds.
5. PULL FURTHER. Use the towel to pull your toes closer to your shin. The stretch should go deeper than it did before the push. Hold this new position for 10 seconds.
6. Repeat for 3 total cycles. Then do the same thing with your knee slightly bent — this shifts the stretch from the gastroc to the soleus.

This exercise fixes a problem that calf stretching can't reach. Inside your ankle joint, the talus bone needs to glide backward when you bend your ankle. If it can't glide, bone blocks bone, and no amount of calf stretching will help — like trying to open a door with a rock jammed under it.

1. Loop a heavy resistance band around a low anchor point behind you (table leg, couch leg, squat rack).
2. Step one foot into the band so it sits right in the front crease of your ankle — where the foot meets the shin. Not on your foot, not on your shin. Right in the fold.
3. Step forward so the band pulls taut, pulling the ankle joint backward. You should feel a comfortable pulling sensation at the front of the ankle.
4. Rock into a lunge position — drive your knee forward over your toes while keeping your heel on the floor. Rock forward and back slowly, feeling the front of the ankle open up with each rock.
5. After 30 seconds of rocking, hold the deepest lunge position for 30-60 seconds.

This is both the exercise AND the test — it improves your ankle range while giving you a way to measure progress.

1. Face a wall. Place one foot about 3-4 inches away from the wall, toes pointing straight ahead.
2. Drive your knee forward toward the wall, aiming over your pinky toe (slightly outward). Try to touch the wall with your knee without letting your heel lift off the floor.
3. If you can touch easily, move your foot back half an inch and try again. Find the distance where you can barely touch.
4. Do 10 reps at that distance. Each rep: drive the knee to the wall, hold for 1 second, return. 3 sets per side.

After the PNF work opens the neural window, this passive hold locks in the new range. It targets both the gastroc and soleus depending on knee position — same towel, two positions.

1. Sit on the floor with your right leg extended straight in front of you. Loop a towel or strap around the ball of your foot.
2. Pull your toes toward your shin until you feel a moderate stretch — 5-6 out of 10. Not yanking, not painful.
3. Hold for 60-90 seconds with the leg straight. This targets the gastroc. Breathe normally. Let gravity and the towel do the work — don't actively pull harder, just maintain the position.
4. Now bend your knee slightly (20-30 degrees) and repeat the pull for another 60-90 seconds. This takes the gastroc off tension and directs the stretch into the deeper soleus — the primary ankle range limiter.

1. Lie face down on the floor. Place the foam roller under the middle of your right thigh, perpendicular to your leg (roller runs side to side). Your left leg can be out to the side with the knee bent, foot flat on the floor — this gives you control over how much weight goes through the roller.
2. Prop yourself up on your forearms (like a low plank position). Your forearms are flat on the floor, elbows under your shoulders. Your body weight presses the front of your right thigh into the roller.
3. Roll slowly from just above the kneecap to the crease where your thigh meets your hip. 1 inch per second. Use your forearms and left leg to control your movement forward and backward.
4. When you find a tender spot, STOP. Now here's the key move: while holding the roller on that spot, bend your right knee — bring your heel toward your glute, then straighten again. Do this 8-10 times. Your thigh stays on the roller the whole time.

The TFL (tensor fasciae latae) is a small, dense muscle at the front-outside of your hip — about the size of a deck of cards. It connects into the IT band, which runs down the outside of your thigh to below the knee.

1. Lie on your right side. Prop yourself up on your right forearm, elbow under your shoulder. Place the roller under the outside of your right hip, at the bony point of the front-outside — you can feel this bump if you press your hand on the outside of your hip and move slightly forward. Your left foot can be flat on the floor in front of you for balance and pressure control.
2. Roll slowly down the outside of your right thigh from that hip point toward the knee. Your forearm and left foot control the speed and pressure.
3. The TFL itself lives in the first 3-4 inches below that bony hip point. This is where you'll find the densest, most tender tissue. When you find it, STOP and hold 20-30 seconds.

This is the deepest hip flexor stretch you can do, and the time threshold matters here. Short holds (under 2 minutes) create only a temporary neural change — the muscle relaxes but doesn't actually get longer. At 4 minutes, the muscle begins to add contractile units to become structurally longer. This is called "sarcomerogenesis" — but all you need to know is: longer holds = permanent gains.

1. Kneel on the floor near a wall or couch, facing AWAY from it. Place your right knee on the floor (use a folded towel or pillow under the knee for cushioning) and the top of your right foot against the wall behind you (toes pointing up the wall, sole of foot facing the ceiling).
2. Step your left foot forward into a lunge position. Your left shin should be roughly vertical, left knee directly above left ankle.
3. TUCK YOUR GLUTE. This is the critical cue. Squeeze the glute of the back leg and tilt your pelvis under — like you're trying to scoop your tailbone forward. Without the tuck, the stretch bypasses the hip flexor and loads your lower back instead.
4. Hold for 2-4 minutes per side. Breathe slowly. Every 30-60 seconds, re-check the tuck — it's easy to lose.

1. Get into a kneeling lunge position — right knee on the floor (use a towel for cushioning), left foot forward with the left knee bent at about 90 degrees, left shin vertical.
2. Tuck your right glute (same critical cue as the couch stretch — squeeze the right glute cheek and scoop the tailbone under). You should feel a stretch at the front of the right hip.
3. PUSH: Try to drive your right knee forward — as if you're trying to slide it forward along the floor toward your front foot. The floor provides all the resistance. Push at 50-60% effort for 6 seconds. The knee won't actually move, but you'll feel the right hip flexor (front of the right hip) engage firmly.
   Remember: 50-60% effort = you can breathe, face is relaxed, pushing a heavy door, not moving a car.
4. RELEASE completely. Let the hip go slack. Wait 2 seconds.
5. SINK DEEPER into the lunge. The stretch should deepen. Re-tuck the glute. Hold 10 seconds.
6. Repeat for 3 total cycles, then switch sides.

The rectus femoris is the one quad muscle that crosses both the hip AND the knee — it's the only quad that acts as a hip flexor. This means you need to address it differently from the other quads.

1. Lie face down (prone) on the floor. Forehead resting on your left forearm.
2. Bend your right knee and reach back with your right hand to grab your right foot or ankle. Pull your heel gently toward your right glute. Keep both hip bones pressed against the floor.
3. If this is easy and you want more: actively press your right hip bone into the floor. This adds hip extension on top of the knee bend, creating a stretch across both joints the rectus femoris crosses. You should feel the stretch intensify along the front of the right thigh.
4. Hold 60-90 seconds per side. Breathe normally.

1. Sit on the floor with the roller under your right thigh, positioned at mid-hamstring (halfway between your sit bone and the back of your knee). The roller runs perpendicular to your leg (side to side).
2. Place your left foot flat on the floor with the left knee bent — this gives you leverage to control your position and how much weight goes through the roller.
3. Place your hands on the floor behind you, fingers pointing backward. Lift your hips slightly off the floor so your right hamstring presses into the roller. Roll slowly from the sit bone (the bony point you sit on — you'll feel it if you rock side to side) to just above the back of the knee.
4. Cross-friction technique: When you find a tender spot, stop rolling up-and-down. Instead, rotate your leg inward and outward on the roller — turning the thigh side to side under the pressure. This works the muscle fibers from a different angle than straight rolling and reaches tissue that linear rolling misses.

The piriformis is a small, deep muscle in your glute that runs right over the sciatic nerve. When it's tight, it can compress the nerve and send sensations down your leg. This exercise targets it directly.

1. Sit on the roller with it running side to side under both glutes. Place your hands on the floor behind you for support. Cross your right ankle over your left knee (figure-4 position).
2. Lean your weight into the right hip — the side with the crossed leg. Shift your body to the right so you're sitting mostly on the right glute cheek, not centered. Your hands behind you and your left foot on the floor control your balance.
3. Roll slowly around the right glute, exploring the area from the sit bone (the bony point you sit on) outward and upward toward the hip. The densest, most tender spots are usually near the sit bone and in the center of the glute.
4. When you find a tender point, STOP and hold 20-30 seconds. Breathe through it — slow breaths, you can speak a sentence.
5. Switch sides: left ankle over right knee, lean into the left hip.

1. Lie on your back, left leg flat on the floor. Raise your right leg toward the ceiling — keep it as straight as you can. If you can't straighten it fully, a slight bend is fine. Loop a towel or strap around the ball of your right foot and hold both ends with your hands. If you can reach your calf or ankle without a strap, that works too.
2. STRETCH: Pull the right leg gently toward your body using the strap or your hands until you feel a moderate stretch in the back of the right thigh. Hold this position.
3. PUSH: Push your right leg DOWN toward the floor against your hands or the strap at 50-60% effort for 6 seconds. You're pushing the leg away from your body while your hands resist. The leg won't move — your hands hold it in place. You'll feel the right hamstring (back of the thigh) engage firmly.
4. RELEASE completely. Let the leg go limp. Wait 2 seconds.
5. PULL FURTHER. Pull the leg closer to your body. It should come noticeably further than before. Hold 10 seconds.
6. Repeat for 3 total cycles, then switch legs.

This stretch hits TWO things at once — hip external rotation on one side and hip internal rotation on the other. Most stretches only work one direction at a time.

1. Sit on the floor. Arrange your legs so both knees are bent at roughly 90-degree angles, forming a windshield-wiper shape: your front (right) shin is in front of you, roughly parallel to your chest (pointing to your left), with the outside of your right thigh and right knee on the floor. Your back (left) shin is behind you, pointing to your left, with the inside of your left thigh and left knee on the floor. Both knees are bent about 90 degrees. It looks like you sat cross-legged and then swung both legs to one side.
2. Sit up tall. If you can't sit upright, lean your hands on the floor in front of you for support — the stretch still works.
3. Hold 60-90 seconds. Breathe.
4. Switch sides by rotating both legs to the opposite direction — the front leg becomes the back leg and vice versa.

This is activation, not strength. The goal is to wake up your glutes so they fire during movement — not to build muscle. If you feel this mostly in your hamstrings, your glutes aren't doing their job.

1. Lie on your back, feet flat on the floor, knees bent to about 90 degrees.
2. Squeeze your glutes FIRST. Before you lift. Put a hand on one glute to check — is it rock-hard? If it feels soft, squeeze harder. The glute should engage BEFORE you move.
3. Drive your hips up toward the ceiling. At the top, your body should form a straight line from shoulders to knees.
4. Hold the top for 5 seconds. Keep the glutes maximally squeezed the entire time.
5. Lower slowly. Repeat for 10 reps. Rest 30 seconds. 3 sets total.

After the PNF cycles open the neural window, this passive hold locks in the new range. Gravity and the strap do the work — you just hold position and breathe.

1. Lie on your back. Loop a towel, belt, or strap around the ball of your right foot.
2. Raise your right leg toward the ceiling, keeping it as straight as you can. Use the strap to hold it in place — don't actively pull, just maintain.
3. Find the angle where you feel a moderate stretch (5-6 out of 10) in the back of the thigh. Hold for 60-90 seconds.
4. Breathe normally. On each exhale, let the leg relax a fraction deeper — don't yank it further, just let it settle.
5. Switch legs.

PAILs and RAILs add active strengthening to the 90/90 stretch — they don't just stretch the hip, they build strength at the end range so your body keeps the new range instead of losing it overnight. PAILs = pushing INTO the restriction (contracting the stretched muscle). RAILs = pulling AWAY from the restriction (contracting the opposite muscle). Together, they teach your nervous system that the new range is safe.

1. Get into the 90/90 position from Step 4 — both knees bent at 90 degrees, front shin pointing sideways, back shin pointing behind you.
2. PAILs (push INTO the floor): Press both knees and shins DOWN into the floor at 50-60% effort for 6 seconds. You're pushing both the front knee (right) and the back knee (left) straight down into the ground, as if trying to drill them through the floor. Same effort level as the PNF exercises — you can breathe, face is relaxed. Nothing visibly moves, but you'll feel the muscles around both hips engage — the outer hip of the front leg and the inner thigh of the back leg.
3. Release completely. Let everything go slack. Wait 2 seconds.
4. RAILs (lift AWAY from the floor): Try to lift both knees and shins UP off the floor at 50-60% effort for 6 seconds. The front knee tries to lift (you may see it rise slightly); the back knee tries to lift (it probably won't budge). You're contracting the muscles that OPPOSE the ones you just pushed — inner hip of the front leg, outer hip of the back leg. This is what teaches the nervous system that the new range is safe.
5. Release completely. Sink deeper into the stretch. Hold 10 seconds.
6. Repeat for 3 total cycles. Switch sides.

This targets hip internal rotation and adductor (inner thigh) flexibility — two areas the 90/90 doesn't fully reach. It's especially useful for deep squat position and general hip openness.

1. Get on your hands and knees on a soft surface (mat, carpet, or towel under knees). Spread your knees wide apart — as wide as comfortable. Turn your feet OUT so the insides of your feet rest flat on the floor (soles facing the ceiling, big-toe side on the ground). Your shins angle outward, not straight back.
2. Slowly push your hips back toward your heels. Keep your hands on the floor in front of you for support. You'll feel the stretch deep in both inner thighs and in the hip joints themselves. Go as far back as comfortable without forcing.
3. Passive version: Hold the deepest comfortable position for 60-90 seconds. Breathe. On each exhale, let the hips sink slightly deeper.
4. Active version (recommended): From the stretched position, press your knees DOWN into the floor at 50% effort for 6 seconds (this is PAILs for the adductors). Release completely. Sink deeper. Repeat 3 cycles.

This exercise gives each level of your mid-back its own moment to extend — you're not just rolling back and forth, you're systematically opening each vertebra.

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Place the roller perpendicular to your spine (running side to side) at the level of the bottom of your shoulder blades.
2. Cross your arms over your chest — hug yourself, each hand on the opposite shoulder. This pulls your shoulder blades apart and gives the roller direct access to the muscles along the spine. Without crossing arms, the shoulder blades block the roller from reaching the right tissue.
3. Keeping your hips and feet on the floor, extend BACK over the roller — let your upper back drape over it, reaching your head toward the floor behind you. You can uncross your arms and reach them overhead for more range. Your hips stay down — only the upper back moves.
4. Hold 5-10 seconds at this extended position. Breathe. You may feel or hear gentle pops — normal and fine.
5. Curl back up. Scoot your body down about 1 inch so the roller moves up one level on your spine. Extend back again. Hold.
6. Repeat this sequence from the bottom of the shoulder blades to the top — about 5-7 positions total.

The rumble roller's bumps find knots that a smooth roller glides right over. Same position as the T-spine roll, but the bumps dig into the erector muscles alongside the spine like individual fingers.

1. Same setup as the smooth T-spine roll — rumble roller perpendicular to your spine at the bottom of the shoulder blades. Arms crossed over your chest.
2. Roll SLOWLY — the bumps need time to sink into each knot. About half an inch per second. Even slower than the smooth roller.
3. When a bump lands on a tender spot and you feel it "catch" on a knot, park there for 30 seconds. The bump creates focused pressure like a massage therapist's thumb — more targeted than the flat surface of a smooth roller.
4. Continue rolling from bottom of shoulder blades to base of neck. The bumps will find spots the smooth roller missed.

The wall version gives you precise control over pressure — lean more for deeper, step away to lighten. This targets specific knots the roller found but couldn't fully resolve.

1. Stand with your back to a wall, feet about 6-8 inches from the wall. Reach behind you and place a lacrosse ball between your back and the wall, positioned beside the spine — on the erector muscle (the thick rope of muscle running alongside the spine), NOT on the spine itself. The ball sits about 1-2 inches to one side of the bony bumps down the center of your back. Pin the ball in place by leaning against the wall.
2. Lean into the ball until you feel moderate pressure on a knot. Adjust how much you lean to control intensity — step your feet further from the wall for more pressure, closer for less. You should be able to breathe normally.
3. Hold on the knot for 30-60 seconds. While holding, slowly raise and lower your arms — overhead and back to your sides. The arm movement makes the muscles around the shoulder blade move under the ball's pressure, deepening the release.
4. Reposition the ball to the next knot. Common locations: between the spine and the shoulder blade (rhomboids), along the spine at mid-back level (erectors), and at the base of the shoulder blade.

Floor version = more pressure than wall. Your full bodyweight through a single ball point creates intense, deep-tissue-level pressure. Use this for stubborn knots that didn't release against the wall.

1. Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Place a lacrosse ball under the knotted area, beside the spine (1-2 inches to one side) on the erector muscles. Use your feet to control how much weight goes through the ball.
2. Hug yourself — cross your arms over your chest. This pulls the shoulder blades apart and exposes the muscles along the spine to the ball's pressure. Without the arm cross, the shoulder blades shield the muscles you're trying to reach.
3. Hold on the knot for 30-60 seconds. Then roll your body side to side about 1 inch — small, controlled movements that work the ball across the grain of the muscle fibers.
4. Reposition for the next knot.

Two lacrosse balls taped together (or placed in a sock) create a "peanut" shape with a channel down the middle. The channel keeps pressure OFF the vertebrae and ON the erector muscles alongside the spine — it's impossible to accidentally press on bone.

1. Tape two lacrosse balls together or place them side by side in a long sock with a knot between them.
2. Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Place the peanut under your mid-back. The spine sits in the channel between the balls — each ball presses into one erector column. The spine itself touches nothing; the pressure goes entirely on the muscles alongside it.
3. Cross your arms over your chest. Roll slowly up and down — the peanut works both sides of the spine simultaneously.
4. When you find a tender level, park for 30 seconds. The dual-ball pressure on both erector columns at the same level is more balanced than a single ball.

For stubborn knots that resist static pressure, the massage gun provides the fastest neural override. The percussive vibration overrides the muscle's guarding reflex — knots that take 60+ seconds to release with a ball often release in 15-30 seconds with percussion.

1. Use the fork head (two prongs straddling the spine) for the erector columns, or the round ball head for specific knots away from the spine.
2. Set to medium-high speed. The back muscles are thick — they can handle more percussion than smaller muscles.
3. Hold on each knot for 15-30 seconds. Don't slide the gun around rapidly — park it and let the percussion work through the guarding reflex.
4. Work the erectors (beside the spine), the rhomboids (between spine and shoulder blade), and the mid-traps (between the shoulder blades).

This is pure thoracic rotation. The quadruped (hands-and-knees) position locks your lower back in place, so all the rotation comes from the mid-back where you want it.

1. Get on hands and knees. Hands under shoulders, knees under hips.
2. Take your right arm and reach it under your body and through to the left side. Follow your hand with your eyes. Let your right shoulder drop toward the floor.
3. Hold 15-20 seconds when you've reached as far as you can. Breathe. The stretch should be in the mid-back between and below the shoulder blades.
4. Now reverse: pull the right arm back out and reach it UP toward the ceiling. Open your chest, follow your hand with your eyes. Reach as high as you can, rotating your mid-back.
5. Hold the open position for 10-15 seconds. Return to center.
6. 3-4 reps on the right, then switch to the left arm.

1. Lie on your side with your knees bent to 90 degrees, stacked on top of each other. Arms straight out in front of you, palms together.
2. Keep your knees stacked and glued together. This is what locks the lumbar spine — if your knees separate, the rotation shifts to the lower back.
3. Open your top arm toward the ceiling and continue reaching it over to the other side — like opening a book. Follow your hand with your eyes.
4. Let your upper back and chest rotate open. Your goal is to get the top arm all the way to the floor on the other side. Don't force it — go as far as you can while keeping the knees stacked.
5. Hold the open position for 20-30 seconds. Breathe into the stretch. On each exhale, see if you can rotate a little further.
6. Close the "book" — return the arm to the starting position. 3-4 reps, then switch to the other side.

Cat-cow is a slow, rhythmic spinal mobilization. It pumps fluid through the discs between your vertebrae and resets the resting tension of the muscles along your spine. It works better than any static hold for overall spinal recovery.

1. Get on hands and knees. Hands under shoulders, knees under hips.
2. COW (5 seconds): Inhale. Slowly drop your belly toward the floor, lift your head and tailbone toward the ceiling. Your spine makes a U-shape. Take a full 5 seconds to get into this position — don't rush.
3. CAT (5 seconds): Exhale. Round your spine toward the ceiling, tuck your chin to your chest, tuck your tailbone under. Your spine makes an upside-down U. Again, 5 full seconds.
4. Continue alternating. 10 complete cycles. The movement should be smooth and continuous, driven by your breath — inhale into cow, exhale into cat.

After the segmental rolling and rotation work opens each level of the mid-back, this passive hold lets you soak in extension — the opposite of the flexed (rounded) position you sit in all day. Gravity and the roller do all the work.

1. Place the foam roller perpendicular to your spine at about mid-shoulder-blade level — the same position as the segmental extension in Step 1.
2. Lie back over the roller. Let your upper back drape over it, reaching your arms overhead toward the floor behind you. Palms facing up.
3. Let your head relax — it may or may not touch the floor depending on your range. Don't force it.
4. Hold for 60-90 seconds. Breathe slowly. On each exhale, let your upper back settle deeper over the roller. You may feel gentle pops or cracks — normal.

The lats are the large muscles that run from your armpit area down to your hip. When they're tight, they pull the spine into extension (arching) and limit overhead arm movement.

1. Lie on your right side. Place the roller under your right armpit area — the fleshy zone between the armpit and the bottom of your ribs. The roller runs perpendicular to your body (front to back).
2. Extend your right arm overhead along the floor (reaching above your head) to expose more of the lat to the roller. Your left hand rests on the floor in front of your chest for balance. Your left foot can be on the floor in front of you for additional stability.
3. Roll slowly from the armpit area down to just above the hip. 1 inch per second.
4. When you find a tender spot, STOP and hold. While holding, reach the bottom arm overhead and then back to your side — slow, full range. This makes the lat move under the roller for a deeper release. 6-8 arm reaches per tender spot.

The chest (pec) muscles have fibers running in different directions — upper, middle, and lower. Stretching at only one angle misses 2/3 of the muscle. This exercise hits all three.

1. Stand in a doorway, facing forward. Place your right forearm against the right side of the door frame, elbow bent. Step your right foot forward through the doorway so your body rotates slightly past the frame.
2. Angle 1 — LOW (45 degrees): Position your right elbow BELOW shoulder height, forearm angled downward at about 45 degrees. Step through with the right foot until you feel a stretch in the LOWER chest on the right side, near where the pec meets the ribs. Push your forearm INTO the frame at 50-60% effort for 6 seconds. Release completely. Step further through. 3 cycles.
3. Angle 2 — MIDDLE (90 degrees): Elbow at shoulder height, forearm vertical on the frame. Same PNF sequence — push, release, deepen. 3 cycles. This hits the middle fibers.
4. Angle 3 — HIGH (135 degrees): Forearm angled upward, hand higher than your head. Push, release, deepen. 3 cycles. This hits the upper pec fibers (clavicular head).
5. Repeat all three angles on the other side.

This targets the pec minor — a small muscle hidden underneath the larger pec major. The pec minor is the structural driver of shoulder protraction (shoulders rounded forward). Releasing it has more postural impact than stretching the big pec major.

1. Stand facing a wall, about 6 inches away. Place a lacrosse ball (or tennis ball) between your right chest and the wall.
2. Position the ball LOW and OUTWARD — below the collarbone, close to the armpit. To find the right spot: feel your collarbone with your fingers, then drop about 2 inches below it and move toward the armpit. There's a soft pocket of muscle tissue between the front of the shoulder and the collarbone — that's the pec minor. Not in the middle of your chest — that's the pec major and won't reach the minor. Pin the ball there and lean into the wall.
3. Lean into the ball until you feel moderate pressure — that "pressing on a bruise" feeling. Control pressure by how close your feet are to the wall.
4. While holding the pressure, make small arm circles — forward and backward. 8-10 circles in each direction. The arm movement makes the pec minor slide under the ball.

This is the floor version of wall slides. The floor gives you honest feedback — you can't cheat. If your arms or lower back lose contact with the floor, you've hit the edge of your real range.

1. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
2. Place your arms at your sides, palms facing up. Press your lower back gently into the floor (it shouldn't arch off).
3. Slowly slide your arms along the floor from your thighs up toward your head — like making a snow angel. Keep your arms, hands, and lower back in contact with the floor the entire time.
4. Go as far overhead as you can while maintaining contact. When your back starts to arch or your arms lift off the floor, that's your current end range. Stop there.
5. Slowly bring arms back down. 5 seconds up, 5 seconds down. 8-10 reps.

Internal rotation is the most commonly restricted shoulder movement in desk workers — and the hardest to notice until it causes problems. This stretch addresses the rotator cuff muscles (infraspinatus, teres minor) that lock up from chronic forward-shoulder posture.

1. Lie on your right side with your knees slightly bent for stability. Your right arm extends straight out in front of you at shoulder height, then bend the right elbow to 90 degrees so the right forearm points toward the ceiling (like an "L" shape). Your right shoulder is pressed into the floor by your body weight.
2. Use your left hand to gently push your right forearm DOWN toward the floor in front of you (this internally rotates the right shoulder). Stop when you feel a moderate stretch in the back of the right shoulder.
3. PUSH: Press your right forearm back UP against your left hand at 50-60% effort for 6 seconds. Same effort level as the other PNF exercises — breathing normally, face relaxed.
4. RELEASE completely. Let the arm go slack.
5. DEEPEN: Use your left hand to guide the forearm further toward the floor. The rotation should increase. Hold 10 seconds.
6. Repeat for 3 total cycles, then switch to the left side.

External rotation is the movement that lets you reach behind your back or throw with control. Like the pec stretch, the shoulder rotators have fibers at different angles, so you work three heights to cover them all.

1. Stand in a doorway. Bend your right elbow to 90 degrees. Place your right forearm flat against the right side of the door frame, palm touching the frame. Your right arm stays at your side of the doorway.
2. Height 1 — elbow at waist level: With forearm against the frame, rotate your body to the LEFT (away from your right arm and the frame) until you feel a stretch at the front of the right shoulder. Push your forearm INTO the frame at 50-60% effort for 6 seconds. Release completely. Rotate further away. 3 cycles.
3. Height 2 — elbow at shoulder level: Raise the elbow to shoulder height. Same PNF sequence — push into frame, release, rotate further. 3 cycles.
4. Height 3 — elbow above shoulder: Raise the elbow above shoulder level. Push, release, deepen. 3 cycles.
5. Repeat all three heights on the other side.

This simple stretch targets the posterior deltoid and the tissues at the back of the shoulder capsule. It's the passive hold that locks in range after the PNF rotator work above.

1. Bring your right arm across your chest at shoulder height.
2. Use your left hand to pull the right arm closer to your body. Keep the right shoulder down — don't let it hike up toward your ear.
3. Hold 30-60 seconds. Breathe normally. You should feel a sustained stretch in the back of the right shoulder and the outer arm.
4. Switch sides.

This targets the deep posterior shoulder capsule — the joint lining itself, not just the muscles. A tight posterior capsule pushes the humeral head (ball of the shoulder joint) forward, which causes the "pinching" sensation many people feel with overhead movements.

1. Lie on your right side with your knees bent for stability. Extend your right arm straight in front of you at shoulder height, palm down.
2. Thread your left arm UNDER your body — reach your left hand through the gap between your torso and the floor, past your right arm and out the other side. As you thread the arm through, your upper body will rotate slightly, pressing the back of your left shoulder into the floor.
3. You should feel a deep stretch in the back of the LEFT shoulder. The weight of your body pressing down on the left shoulder creates the stretch on the posterior capsule — you don't need to push or pull.
4. Hold for 60 seconds. Breathe. The stretch should feel deep but not sharp. Don't force your body weight onto it — just let gravity do the work.
5. Switch sides.

The suboccipitals are four small muscles at the base of your skull that control fine head movements. When they're tight, they compress the nerves exiting the skull and can cause headaches, eye strain, and a feeling of "heavy head." This exercise gates all other neck movements — if the suboccipitals are locked, nothing downstream releases fully.

1. Lie on your back. Place two lacrosse balls (or two tennis balls taped together, or even two tennis balls in a sock) side by side.
2. Position them at the base of your skull — right where the back of your head meets the top of your neck. To find the spot: slide your fingers up the back of your neck until you feel the bony ridge where the skull begins. The balls go just below that ridge, one on each side of the spine. There's a natural groove on each side of the spine at the skull base — the balls nestle into those grooves. The spine itself sits in the gap between the two balls.
3. Let the weight of your head create the pressure. Don't push your head down — just lie there and let gravity do the work. The balls press into the suboccipital muscles on each side.
4. Close your eyes. Breathe slowly. Hold for 2-3 minutes. You may feel the tension gradually melt — the muscles soften under sustained gentle pressure. Some people feel the sensation radiate upward over the skull.

The upper traps are the muscles that run from your shoulders to the base of your skull — the ones that feel like concrete after a long day. They overwork because the thoracic spine is locked and the deep neck muscles are weak. This PNF gives immediate relief while the other sections address root causes.

1. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. This position takes gravity out of the equation so the traps can fully relax.
2. Anchor your right shoulder by reaching your right arm down alongside your body and tucking your right hand under your right hip (palm down, fingers under your butt). This pins the right shoulder down — it can't shrug up, which creates the stretch anchor. Your right shoulder should feel pinned low, like it's being pulled toward your feet.
3. Tilt your head to the LEFT (ear toward left shoulder) until you feel a stretch on the right side of your neck — the upper trap.
4. PUSH: Try to shrug your right shoulder UP toward your ear at 50-60% effort for 6 seconds. The shoulder can't actually move because your hand anchors it. Same effort level as all the other PNF exercises — breathing normally, face relaxed.
5. RELEASE completely. Let the shoulder drop. Wait 2 seconds.
6. TILT FURTHER: Gently tilt the head further to the left. The stretch should deepen. Hold 10 seconds.
7. Repeat for 3 total cycles, then switch sides.

Neck rotation is often asymmetrical — you can turn further to one side than the other. This PNF addresses the muscles that limit rotation (the SCM and scalenes on the opposite side, plus the deep rotators).

1. Lie on your back or sit comfortably. Turn your head to the RIGHT — rotate until you feel a moderate stretch on the left side of the neck.
2. Place your right palm flat against the right side of your face — covering the temple and cheekbone area. Your right elbow can rest on the floor or hover.
3. PUSH: Press your head INTO your right hand at 50% effort for 6 seconds — you're trying to rotate your head further right, but the hand prevents movement. You'll feel the neck rotators engage on the right side (the muscles that turn your head).
4. RELEASE completely. Let the neck go slack. Wait 2 seconds.
5. ROTATE FURTHER. Gently turn the head further right. The rotation should increase. Hold 10 seconds.
6. Repeat for 3 total cycles, then switch directions (turn left, push left).

This is activation, not stretching — it wakes up the deep neck flexors that hold your head in proper alignment. When these muscles are weak (which they are in almost every desk worker), the upper traps and suboccipitals have to overwork to keep the head from falling forward. Strengthening the deep flexors takes the load off the muscles that hurt.

1. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. No pillow under the head.
2. Tuck your chin toward your throat — make a double chin. You're not nodding your head down; you're sliding the back of your skull along the floor, like the back of your head is trying to push up toward the ceiling while your chin drops. Think "make yourself look like you have three chins."
3. Hold the tucked position for 5 seconds. You should feel the front of your throat engage — the deep muscles that run along the front of your spine.
4. Release. Repeat for 10 reps.