Move gently and stop if you feel sharp pain, dizziness, numbness, or symptoms that feel unsafe. This routine is general fitness guidance, not medical care.
Exercises
1. Hand Plank
2 sets · 20s hold · 25s rest
Hold a straight line from shoulders to heels. Drop to your knees the moment the lower back starts to sag.
Steps
Start on all fours with your hands flat on the floor directly under your shoulders.
Step both feet back one at a time until your legs are straight and your body is in a long line.
Press the floor away to spread your shoulder blades and keep a slight rounding through the upper back.
Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs to stop your hips from sagging or piking up.
Hold the position with steady breathing, eyes looking down between your hands to keep a neutral neck.
Lower your knees back to the floor with control after the target time and rest before the next set.
Cues
Press the floor away.
Hips stay level.
Breathe steadily.
Common mistakes
Letting the hips sag toward the floor, which loads the lower back instead of the abs.
Piking the hips up high, which turns the plank into a partial downward dog and removes the core challenge.
Letting the head drop or crane forward, which strains the neck and breaks the body's straight line.
Locking the elbows and sinking into the shoulders instead of pressing the floor away.
2. Bodyweight Russian Twist
2 sets · 10 reps · 25s rest · both sides
Rotate with control and let the ribs lead, not the arms. Keep the range small if the lower back complains.
Steps
Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground in front of you.
Lean back until your torso is at about a 45-degree angle and brace your core hard.
Lift your feet a few inches off the floor and balance on your sit bones with shins parallel to the ground.
Clasp your hands together in front of your chest and rotate your torso to one side under control.
Tap your hands lightly to the floor beside your hip, feeling the oblique on that side contract.
Rotate smoothly to the other side and tap, alternating for the prescribed reps without dropping the feet.
Cues
Turn from the ribs.
Chest stays tall.
Slow both ways.
Common mistakes
Just swinging the arms side to side without rotating the torso — loads the shoulders, not the core.
Rounding the back instead of staying tall through the spine, which strains the lower back.
Letting the feet drop to the floor every rep, which breaks the constant core tension.
Rushing the tempo instead of pausing on each side — turns a controlled twist into momentum-only work.
3. Supermans
2 sets · 10 reps · 20s rest
Lift the chest and legs only a little. Height is not the point; a long neck and steady breathing are.
Steps
Lie face-down on a mat with your arms extended overhead and your legs straight behind you.
Brace your core and squeeze your glutes to set tension before lifting anything off the floor.
Lift your arms, chest, and legs off the floor at the same time, leading with the upper back.
Hold the top position for a full 1 to 2 seconds, squeezing the lower back and glutes tight.
Lower everything back to the floor slowly over 2 to 3 seconds, keeping the neck in line with the spine.
Repeat for 10 to 15 reps, prioritizing a smooth lift and squeeze over how high you go.
Cues
Small lift.
Neck stays long.
Lower slowly.
Common mistakes
Cranking the head up to the ceiling, which strains the neck instead of working the back.
Using momentum to bounce the chest and legs up instead of lifting with control.
Holding the breath through the rep, which spikes blood pressure unnecessarily.
Trying to lift extremely high, which compresses the lower back instead of strengthening it.