Is targeting the quads the best way to reduce back pain? I tried this yoga routine to find out
Yoga With Adriene's recent yoga flow is lower-body-focused, targeting the hips, quads, glutes, and hamstrings
![Woman doing yoga quad stretch at home](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sQxCrSu6vHu3JddPE8TW5m-415-80.jpg)
I often deal with aches and pain in my back and lower body, mostly when I'm working at my desk. I do core workouts and hip-strengthening exercises to help with this, but I'm always looking for other options.
Yoga instructor Adriene Mishler, known online as Yoga With Adriene, recently shared a routine to reduce lower back pain. In the flow, as well as opening up the hips, she offers exercises that stretch the quadriceps in the front of the thigh.
I decided to try it to see if it could relieve my lower back pain. I also wanted to use the routine to stretch my legs as I had DOMs (delayed-onset-muscle-soreness) from a strength workout a few days prior.
The routine takes 15 minutes and you don't need any equipment, so you can easily do it from home. I tried it on my lunch break during a busy work day.
Watch Yoga With Adriene's 15-minute quadricep-focussed flow
I usually focus on the posterior chain in my workouts and do lots of glute exercises, as this is my weak area. I'm probably guilty of not paying enough attention to my quads, but this routine revealed that these muscles were pretty tight. I felt a big stretch across my front thighs during the routine, particularly during the exercise which involved pulling my foot up to my glutes (butt muscles).
I wondered if the tightness in this area could have contributed to my daily discomfort. I chatted with trainer Pippa Sealey, who explained that it's unlikely to be the sole contributing factor to back pain. She recommends a comprehensive approach to strength training and mobility work if you suffer from aches and pains.
"Incorporating exercises that strengthen the glutes, hamstrings, and the muscles and joints along the posterior chain is helpful to combat lower-back pain," she explained.
Get the Fit&Well Newsletter
Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox.
I still enjoyed the combination of stretching and mobilizing exercises in Mishler's flow, particularly the hip-opening elements. I would be tempted to combine it with some dynamic movements and turn it into a lower-body warm-up, but I don't think doing this routine by itself will relieve my daily aches and pains.
Need something support your stretching routine? Our guide to the best yoga mats can help
Alice Porter is a freelance journalist covering lifestyle topics including health, fitness and wellness. She is particularly interested in women's health, strength training and fitness trends and writes for publications including Stylist Magazine, Refinery29, The Independent and Glamour Magazine. Like many other people, Alice's personal interest in combining HIIT training with strength work quickly turned into a CrossFit obsession and she trains at a box in south London. When she's not throwing weights around or attempting handstand push-ups, you can probably find her on long walks in nature, buried in a book or hopping on a flight to just about anywhere it will take her.
-
A strength training expert says these are the three simple rules every beginner should follow
Workout Just starting out and need a little guidance? This advice can set you on the right path
By Ruth Gaukrodger Published
-
One of the world’s fittest women shares a 12-minute bodyweight workout that anyone can do at home
Workout This workout is a great challenge for all fitness levels
By Harry Bullmore Published
-
This expert-recommended tweak to child's pose is helping me undo the damage of my desk job
Yoga If you spend a lot of time sitting down, you need to try this stretch
By Alice Porter Published
-
I did a one-minute deep breathing exercise every day for a month, and I didn’t think it’d be this effective
Mindfulness This short session calmed my mind and helped me breathe better during exercise
By James Frew Published
-
I tried this short yoga routine and it improved my mood and released muscle tension
Workout Just 15 minutes of movement can make a big difference
By Alice Porter Published
-
I tried this yoga for back pain routine and it immediately eased the tension in my upper-body muscles
Yoga Four minutes of stretching can make a world of difference
By Alice Porter Published
-
I tried this yoga flow instead of my usual workout and was surprised by how much it strengthened my core
Workouts This 30-minute routine put my mid-body muscles to the test
By Alice Porter Published
-
I did 15 minutes of yoga every morning for a week and it transformed my day
Wellbeing You don’t have to spend hours exercising — I found just 15 minutes of mindful movement every morning gave my body and mind a huge boost
By Claire Munnings Published
-
I tried daily journaling for a year to improve my wellbeing—here's what happened
Mindfulness Developing a daily journaling routine only took 10 minutes, but made a world of difference
By James Frew Published
-
I stretched like a gymnast every day for a month, and here’s what happened
CHALLENGE Here’s what happened when I stretched like a gymnast each and every day for 30 days
By Sophie Bird Published