5 Morning Stretching Exercises

By
Laura Inverarity, DO
Laura Inverarity, DO
Laura Inverarity, PT, DO, is a current board-certified anesthesiologist and former physical therapist.
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Updated on October 07, 2021
Medically reviewed
Verywell Health articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and healthcare professionals. These medical reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more.
 by
Laura Campedelli, PT, DPT
Laura Campedelli
Medically reviewed by Laura Campedelli, PT, DPT

Laura Campedelli, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist currently working in New York at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, an affiliate of New York Presbyterian.

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Stretching in the morning is a great way to get your muscles ready for the day. Stretching can help loosen stiffness in your body while increasing blood flow to your muscles.

Incorporating morning stretches into your daily routine is a positive way to begin each day. Learn an easy and effective morning stretch exercise program.

Before starting this, or any other exercise program, check with your healthcare provider to ensure that each type of exercise is safe for you to do. And stop doing any movement that causes you to have pain.

Prone Press-up

Start your morning by protecting your back with the prone press-up exercise. Keep in mind that this exercise is not safe or recommended for people who have spinal stenosis—if you have back problems, check with your doctor before doing any back stretches.

This is a type of McKenzie exercise that helps to keep your back in a good position to start your day:

  1. Lie on your stomach with your hands in a push-up position.
  2. Relax your back and hips, and slowly push your upper body up, allowing your back to gently arch.
  3. Hold this position for 2 seconds, and then release.
  4. Repeat 10 times.

Lumbar Flexion Stretch

Photo of a person bending forward.
Dr. Laura Inverarity

To gently stretch your low back, perform the seated lumbar flexion exercise. This is a perfect stretch if you have spinal stenosis.

  1. Sit on the edge of your bed with your feet on the floor.
  2. Bend over, reaching your hands toward your feet.
  3. Round your back.
  4. Hold for a count of 10.
  5. Repeat 5 more times.

You must be careful with this stretch if you have a bulging or herniated disc in your spine. This exercise may place increased stress on your herniated disc, causing pain. If that happens, stop the exercise and check in with your healthcare provider right away.

Neck Mobility Stretch

Stretch 2
Dr. Laura Inverarity

A simple way to get your neck moving is with the neck rotation stretch.

Here is how you do it:

  1. Remain seated on the edge of your bed with your feet on the floor.
  2. Rotate your neck in a circle, touching your ears to your shoulders.
  3. Rotate slowly in a clockwise direction 5 times.
  4. Rotate slowly in a counterclockwise direction 5 times.

Shoulder Shrugs

You can do the shoulder shrug with both shoulders or one at a time

Getty Images / bymuratdeniz

Get your shoulders loose with the seated shoulder shrug, like this:

  1. Remain seated on the edge of your bed with your feet on the floor.
  2. Shrug your shoulders up to your ears.
  3. Repeat 10 more times.

Morning Shoulder Stretches

Stretch 4
Dr. Laura Inverarity

Keep your rotator cuff and shoulders healthy with the overhead shoulder stretch. Here's how:

  1. Stand next to your bed.
  2. Lace your fingers together.
  3. Raise your hands above your head, palms upward.
  4. Lift up stretching your rib cage.
  5. Hold for a count of 10.
  6. Repeat 5 more times.

Be sure to watch for any pinching or painful sensations in your shoulders as you do this. If you feel shoulder pain while stretching, stop the exercise immediately.

Standing Quad Stretch

Photo of a young woman stretching her thigh.

Cultura RM Exclusive / Jordan Lutes / Getty Images

To stretch your quadriceps muscles in the front of your thighs:

  1. Stand up and hold onto something stable.
  2. Bend one knee up and grab your ankle with one hand.
  3. Hold your leg up for 15 seconds.
  4. Repeat 3 times.

Now you should be all stretched out and ready to start your day.

These stretches can make you feel ready to tackle your day. Consider adding a few others in the morning or throughout your day as well. For example, you can rotate your wrists and ankles clockwise and counterclockwise while you are sitting or standing (not while driving!) at work to prevent stiffness and to help keep up your energy.

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2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Hotta K, Behnke BJ, Arjmandi B, et al. Daily muscle stretching enhances blood flow, endothelial function, capillarity, vascular volume and connectivity in aged skeletal muscle. J Physiol (Lond). 2018;596(10):1903-1917. doi:10.1113/JP275459

  2. Cambron JA, Schneider M, Dexheimer JM, et al. A pilot randomized controlled trial of flexion-distraction dosage for chiropractic treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2014;37(6):396-406. doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2014.05.005

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