Fit in the office – these exercises will help you prevent pain and tension

The ugly truth: According to the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Baua), 80% of office workers in Germany suffer from physical pain . The back, shoulders, head and arms are particularly affected.

The cause of the discomfort is easy to explain. If you sit behind a computer for hours, you are overtaxing your muscles. Due to the lack of movement, they are not supplied with enough oxygen and become stiff. This leads to tension and pain .

To counteract these problems, you should incorporate more exercise into your daily work routine. We will show you how to prevent tension in the office and improve your health, with and without aids.

1. Stretch your spine

Our bodies are not designed to sit for long periods of time and need movement to remain fully functional. You can start by stretching your spine regularly and consciously.

Sit on a chair and interlace your fingers. Breathe in deeply! Now raise your arms vertically above your head and press them back as far as possible. You should feel a noticeable tension in your upper arms. Hold the position for a few breaths and then slowly return your arms to the starting position.

2. Circle your shoulders

Sitting for long periods of time causes tension in the shoulder area for many people. We want to counteract this and relax our muscles.

Sit up straight on your chair without leaning back. Place your hands on your shoulders so that your elbows point outwards. Stay upright! Now circle your shoulders, ten times forward and ten times back.

3. Targeted treatment of trigger points

Have you leaned your neck to the side for too long and now it hurts? Are your hands totally cramped? Use the Knobble to find targeted relief.

The wooden knob replaces thumb pressure, so you can achieve a deep self-massage with less effort. With the Knobble you can relieve trigger points all over your body, from the neck to the soles of your feet. The relaxing effect follows in no time.

4. How to strengthen your arms

No, you don't have to lug dumbbells to work. All you need to train your arms is your desk. Sit up straight, tense your entire body and press your palms against the desk from below. This strengthens the upper and lower arms, is unobtrusive and keeps you fit. Alternatively, you can try push-ups. To do this, support your arms on the desk and go back until your body forms a straight line. Now tense your body and slowly lower it down before supporting yourself up again. 5 minutes of training is enough to wake up your arms.

5. Now it’s the fascia’s turn

Fascia is the soft connective tissue that surrounds the muscles and gives them their shape. Over time, the fascia can stick together and harden, causing pain and limiting mobility.

With a fascia roller like the BLACKROLL® STANDARD you can revitalize the structure of your fascia. You work solely with the weight of your body and can vary the pressure on your tissue.

To train your upper back, clamp the fascia roll between your back and the wall. By bending and stretching your knees, the Blackroll can now roll over your back and specifically relieve muscle pain and tension.

To intensify the effect, equip your fascia roller with the booster. This is inserted in the middle and intensifies the massage through vibrations. Muscles regenerate faster and you can return to your everyday life pain-free.

An alternative is the Vyper from Hyperice. This fascia roller with a vibration core promotes myofascial stimulation and, like the Booster, offers three intensity levels for individual training. Whether at home, in the gym or in the office.

You can use the BLACKROLL® MINI to massage your forearms.

6. With this exercise you can train your butt in the office

Use waiting times wisely. If you are standing at the coffee machine or in the elevator, imagine that you are holding a coin between your buttocks. Now tense your gluteal muscles for 15 to 20 seconds and then relax again. You can repeat the whole thing five times.

7. Cupping works anytime, anywhere

With silicone cups, you can treat trigger points in a similar way to the Knobble and relieve pain. There are many ways you can use the cups. We will introduce you to two that are also well suited to your workplace.

The placement is easiest here. Place your cup on a pain point, such as on your hand or neck. Let the bell suck in and relax. You should focus your attention on this spot for the next 30 seconds, then release it and repeat if necessary.

By pinching you increase the elasticity of your tissue and strengthen it. Let the cup suck in the desired place and then immediately pull it off again. Repeat this several times. If you do the exercise quickly, you train stability, whereas slowly sucking in and pulling off ensures more elasticity.