A 5-Minute Total-Body Stretching Workout

While often ignored, stretching and mobility sessions are among the most important parts of any fitness routine. Really, there’s no better way to protect your muscles and joints, prevent injuries, and alleviate everyday aches and pains.

Enter: This 5-minute stretching routine created by Or Artzi, CPT, a lead group fitness instructor at Equinox and creator of the fitness platform Orriors. With gentle moves that target your back, legs, arms, and abs, you’ll feel good as new.

Join the club

If you’re following along with our January 2025 Good Moves Club Winter Challenge (sign up here if you haven’t already!), this is the workout for day 3, week 1. You can follow along with Artzi and the full-length workout below.

The workout

You’ll need an elevated surface to complete this workout. You can use a stair, step, sturdy box, or even stacked mats. Do each exercise for 30-60 seconds. Complete one round.

1. Cat-cow pose (Marjaryasana Bitilasana)

1. Start on all fours with your hands and knees on the floor. Align your elbows and shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees.
2. Slowly arch your spine, dropping your belly toward the floor. Look up as you draw your tailbone toward the ceiling (cow pose).
3. Slowly transition into a rounded spine, tucking your chin toward your spine as you tilt your pelvis forward (cat pose).
4. Continue alternating between cow and cat poses.

2. World’s greatest stretch (alternating sides)

1. Start in a high plank with your feet hip-width apart and your shoulders stacked over your wrists.
2. Step your right foot forward and place it outside of your right hand.
3. Keeping your hips square, lift your right hand toward the ceiling, rotating your chest toward your right leg. Allow your gaze to follow your fingertips.
4. Pause, then return your right hand to the floor and extend your right leg back to plank position.
5. Repeat on the opposite side.
6. Continue alternating sides.

3. Quadruped T-spine mobility (left side, then right side)

1. Start on all fours with your palms and knees on the ground. Align your elbows and shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees.
2. Place your left hand behind your head with your left elbow flared out to the side. 
3. Rotate your torso to the left as far as you can. 
4. Then, rotate your torso to the right as far as you can so your left elbow touches your right elbow. 
5. Do all reps on one side, then switch.

4. Crab reach (alternating sides)

1. Sit with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. 
2. Place your left hand on the floor about a foot behind you, fingers facing away from your body. Place your right elbow on your right thigh, palm open and facing up toward the ceiling.
3. Press your feet into the floor and drive your hips toward the ceiling as high as possible so you are in a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
4. Simultaneously, reach your right arm over your right shoulder.
5. Return to the starting position, then repeat on the opposite side.

5. Standing quad stretch (left side, then right side)

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and arms by your sides. 
2. Shift your balance to your right foot, and catch your left foot with your left hand, bending your knee, and pulling your left foot toward your glutes. 
3. Focus on keeping your hips squared and not twisting.
4. You can either lift your right hand above your head or use your right hand to hold a chair or other stable surface for support. 
5. Hold for the allotted amount of time, then repeat on the opposite side. 

6. Lat stretch

1. You’ll need an elevated surface to complete this exercise. You can use a stair, step, sturdy box, or even stacked mats. 
2. In front of your elevated surface, come to all fours with your palms and knees on the floor. Align your elbows and shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees.
3. Place your elbows on top of the elevated surface.
4. Rock back on your knees so you feel a stretch in your lats, the muscles underneath your armpits. 
5. Hold this position for the allotted amount of time.