{"id":25282,"date":"2019-08-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.saatva.com\/most-effective-bed-exercises\/"},"modified":"2023-08-28T18:11:47","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T18:11:47","slug":"most-effective-bed-exercises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/most-effective-bed-exercises\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Effective Exercises You Can Do in Bed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Most days, you likely struggle to decide whether you should&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/morning-workout-good-for-sleep\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">get up early to hit the gym<\/a>&nbsp;or press snooze and continue to lie in bed. But what if we told you you didn&#8217;t have to leave your bed to fit in a workout? Here, top fitness instructors share the best exercises you can do right from the comfort of your bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ab-roll-ups\">Ab roll-ups<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is so effective for &#8216;waking up&#8217; your core,&#8221; says Rachel Piskin, co-founder of&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/chaisefitness.com\/\">ChaiseFitness<\/a>. It also helps you focus on breathing and stretching out your spine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>How to do the exercise:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lie down with your legs extended and arms overhead.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In eight slow counts, lower your arms toward your ears, bring your head toward your chest, and roll your upper body up, breathing in and out as you go.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sit up tall and reach your arms toward your toes, holding the stretch for eight counts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Slowly roll back down starting with your upper body, head, and arms. Do this eight to 10 times.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-hip-lifts\">Hip lifts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;This focuses on the core and most importantly the lower abs,&#8221; says Piskin. \u201cWhen the bed is soft you have to focus on controlling the movement even more, so bonus for that ab sculpting power.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>How to do the exercise:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lie flat with your legs on the bed, with your arms pressed into the bed by your hips.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Extend your legs up so that they&#8217;re in a 90-degree angle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scoop your core in and lift your hips a few inches off the bed, then slowly bring them down. Do 20 reps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-flying-eagle-stretch\">Flying eagle stretch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a great hip opener stretch while also being a full-body exercise because you need to focus on balance, says Piskin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>How to do the exercise:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Standing in an upright position, place the arch of one foot on top of your bed. Your standing leg should be slightly further back.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Extend your arms in a V position by your ears.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bend both your knees and pull your elbows into your hips creating a stretch in your back hip, then push up to a standing position with arms extended. Repeat 10 times per side.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-leg-elevation\">Leg elevation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Piskin, this position is great for promoting blood flow and increasing flexibility. Do it before bed to help relieve stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>How to do the exercise:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lie down on your bed with your hips toward the headboard and your legs extended up against the headboard in a 90-degree angle. Above the heart is a good guide for leg placement, says Piskin. Keep your upper body aligned and arms by your side.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Focus on breathing and activation of core muscles. Hold for 15 seconds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-plank\">Plank<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe soft surface of the mattress adds an element of instability and a new dimension of challenge,&#8221; says Corey Phelps, National Academy of Sports Medicine-certified personal trainer and founder of&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cultivatebycorey.com\/\">Cultivate 365<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>How to do the exercise:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Begin on top of the bed face down, then tuck your toes under and place your forearms on the mattress.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lift your hips in line with your shoulders and hold. \u201cBe sure to keep the core engaged and not to arch the back,&#8221; advises Phelps. Aim to hold for 30 seconds to one minute and repeat four to five times.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-diamond-bridges\">Diamond bridges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This exercise helps to lift and sculpt your glutes, especially underneath and on the side, as well as your hamstrings, says Phelps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>How to do the exercise:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Begin by lying back on the floor with your legs bent in a 90-degree angle and your feet on top of the bed. The soles of your feet should touch in a diamond shape at the edge of the mattress.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While engaging your core, glutes, and hamstrings, lift your hips and hold for three counts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lower back to the starting position. Do three to five sets of 15 to 20 reps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dips\">Dips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This exercise strengthens and tones your upper body, targeting mainly your triceps and shoulders, says Phelps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>How to do the exercise:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Begin with your back facing the edge of the mattress.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Place your hands on the edge of the bed with your fingers facing your back, legs slightly bent, and shoulders rolled back.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lower your hips toward the ground by bending at the elbow to a 90-degree angle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Press to lift back up to the top. Repeat for 15 to 20 reps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Love working out? Try pickleball! Learn about the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/sleep-benefits-of-pickleball\/\">sleep and health benefits of pickleball<\/a>&nbsp;and how to add it to your fitness routine.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most days, you likely struggle to decide whether you should get up early to hit the gym or press snooze and continue to lie in bed. But what<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":25283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[389,390],"tags":[],"coauthors":[426],"guest":[],"host":[],"class_list":["post-25282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sleep-health","category-sleep-tips"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25282\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25282"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=25282"},{"taxonomy":"guest","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/guest?post=25282"},{"taxonomy":"host","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/host?post=25282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}