One knee down, front foot flat. Drive hips forward slowly. Feel the pull deep in the front of the back hip. Do not rush — 20 seconds does nothing. 90 seconds is where the lengthening happens. Squeeze your glute on the side being stretched.

Back foot up on wall or bench, front foot flat on floor. Upright torso. This hits the rectus femoris — the hip flexor that crosses the knee — which the lunge stretch misses. If this is painful you needed this badly.

On your back, cross ankle over opposite knee. Pull the bottom leg toward you. You'll feel it in the glute and piriformis of the crossed leg. This directly takes pressure off the lower back by releasing the external rotators. Essential for your disc.

Front shin as parallel to your body as comfortable, fold forward over it. Deeper than the figure four — use this once you're warmed up from the stretch above. Hold, breathe into it, let it release.

On your back, both knees pulled to chest, hands clasped around shins. Rock gently side to side. This decompresses the lumbar spine — critical given your disc history. Do not skip this one.

Knees wide, arms extended forward, forehead to floor. Breathe into the lower back. This lengthens the spine under zero load — the opposite of what a compressed disc needs. Hold and breathe, don't rush it.

Roller perpendicular to your spine, mid-back. Arms crossed over chest. Let your head drop back. Move the roller up segment by segment from mid to upper back. Your desk job stiffens this and forces the lower back to compensate. Opening it immediately reduces lumbar load under your lifts.

On your back, arms up, knees at 90°. Slowly lower opposite arm and leg toward the floor without letting your lower back arch. This activates the deep spinal stabilizers that protect your disc during squats and deadlifts. Slow and controlled — if your back lifts off the floor you've gone too far.

On all fours, extend opposite arm and leg simultaneously. Hold 2 seconds at full extension. Spine stays neutral — no rotation, no arching. This builds the anti-rotation stability that keeps your spine safe under load. Do these before every session, not just some.