Hours spent sitting at a desk can gradually reduce mobility, weaken key muscles, and contribute to lower back discomfort. According to Strength Side creator Joshua Hash, improving back health isn’t about finding a single miracle exercise. Instead, it’s about rebuilding the entire movement system that prolonged sitting slowly takes away.
In a recent YouTube video, Hash outlines what he calls his “Anti-Sitting Commandments,” a collection of simple movements designed to strengthen the posterior chain, restore hip mobility, improve posture, and create what he describes as a healthier “low back ecosystem.”
1. Strengthen Your Lower Back With Back Extensions
Hash begins with direct lower back strengthening using back extensions. If a machine isn’t available, he recommends simple alternatives such as Swiss ball back extensions against a wall or isometric holds using pillows under the hips. The goal is to strengthen the muscles that support the spine through controlled extension.
2. Stretch Tight Hip Flexors
Prolonged sitting leaves the hip flexors in a shortened position, which can place additional stress on the lower back. Hash recommends spending time in split squat or lunge positions to gradually restore hip extension while actively controlling the movement instead of passively stretching.
3. Build Stronger Hip Flexors
Mobility alone isn’t enough. Hash explains that weak hip flexors often feel stiff because they aren’t strong through their full range of motion. Front kicks, seated hip flexion drills, and eventually L-sits are all effective ways to strengthen this often-overlooked muscle group.
4. Improve Inner Thigh Mobility
A wide squat stance helps open the adductors while strengthening the hips in a neutral spine position. Unlike sitting in a chair, this position encourages the hips to move while remaining stable, making it both accessible and back friendly.
5. Restore Hamstring Flexibility
Hours spent seated compress the hamstrings, leaving them both weak and tight. Hash recommends practicing controlled hip hinges while maintaining a flat back to gradually improve flexibility without rounding the spine.
6. Increase Hip Rotation
Modern life rarely challenges the hips through rotation. To restore internal and external rotation, Hash recommends regularly spending time in the Z-sit position before gradually adding forward and backward leans to increase range of motion.
7. Open the Front of the Shoulders
Desk work often leaves the shoulders rounded forward. Crab presses reverse this position by opening the chest while strengthening the muscles along the back of the shoulders, helping restore healthier posture.
8. Improve Overhead Shoulder Mobility
Hash also recommends overhead shoulder stretches using an elevated surface to improve shoulder flexion while lengthening the lats and triceps, two muscle groups that often become restricted after long periods of sitting.
9. Spend More Time in a Deep Squat
Rather than relying exclusively on chairs, Hash encourages spending time in a deep squat whenever possible. Developing this natural resting position can improve ankle, hip, and lower body mobility while reinforcing healthy movement patterns.
10. Don’t Neglect Your Upper Back
To finish the routine, Hash recommends adding trap-three raises and loaded side bends. These movements strengthen the upper back, improve posture, and develop the quadratus lumborum, an important muscle that helps stabilize the spine during everyday movement.
The Takeaway: Build an Anti-Sitting Routine
Hash’s message is that no single exercise can undo the effects of prolonged sitting. Instead, consistently restoring strength and mobility throughout the hips, back, shoulders, and core creates a more resilient body over time.
Rather than avoiding chairs altogether, he encourages using these simple movements throughout the day to rebuild natural movement patterns and reduce the physical toll of a desk-bound lifestyle.
About the Author
Jeremiah Oliva
Jeremiah Oliva is a writer passionate about fitness, sports, and active living. He has experience in songwriting and managing content and social media for online radio and magazine platforms.
He covers HYROX, CrossFit®, and competitive fitness, with a focus on performance, mindset, and athlete development.
Outside of writing, Jeremiah trains in boxing, cycles, explores the outdoors with his kids, and plays the guitar.
