The Spinalis exercise targets the spinal muscles, promoting better posture and spinal stability.

To perform this exercise:

  1. Start by lying face down on a mat.
  2. Engage your core and lift your upper body slightly off the ground.
  3. Hold the position for a few seconds, focusing on the contraction of your spinal muscles.
  4. Lower your body back to the starting position and repeat.

How to perform the Spinalis

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Spinalis using your body weight.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your latissimus dorsi.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your latissimus dorsi rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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