The trainer’s 5 moving bed circuit rebuilds the strength you need to get off the floor
Many people think that getting down is about strength. Leg strength, core strength, maybe flexibility. But after working with clients for over 20 years, I can tell you that that’s usually not where the problem starts.
The real problem is that we have lost the movement patterns we learned as children, and as a result, we have lost the way the body organizes tension throughout the system. Movement is not just muscles. Fascia, joint capsules, ligaments, and the nervous system integrate everything around a stable axis of rotation. All of that is wired into the initial development.
For adults over 65, falls are one of the leading causes of injury and loss of independence. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 4 adults over the age of 65 falls each year. And when someone falls, the consequences can be dire. Hip fracture is one of the most common consequences, and studies show that about 20 to 30 percent of older adults die within a year after a hip fracture. But one of the biggest predictors of recovery is not just the fall itself. Whether they can get off or not after that.
So instead of just trying to get stronger, I take my clients back in order of development. We restore the way the body organizes tension, transfers energy, and stabilizes itself around each joint. These five exercises rebuild that foundation, and you can do almost all of them from your bed.
Spinal Extension
This is one of the first things we learn as children to organize our bodies. The cervical curve starts first, followed by an extension throughout the spine. If that system isn’t working properly, you’ll often see compensation all the way up to the shoulders and even the ribcage. This action recreates that pattern from the bottom up, in the exact order that the nervous system developed.
Muscles Trained: Cervical extensors, thoracic extensors, lumbar extensors, deep spinal stabilizers
How to do it:
- Lie face down on the bed (or the floor) with your head on the floor.
- Lift your head and eyes first. This is where the sequence begins.
- Place your hands under you and slowly stretch up your spine.
- Lower yourself back, head being the last thing to go down.
- Move in stages and in order. The head goes up first and down last. This is how the nervous system develops as a baby, and organization is important.
Recommended Sets and Reps: 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 controlled repetitions
Form Tip: Go slowly. The goal is phase control, not speed. The head leads the way to the top, and is the last thing to return.
Rolling over
Rolling is when the body begins to learn to transfer power throughout. The thorax rotates, the pelvis follows, and the fascial system, especially those slings opposite the body, begin to connect the shoulder to the opposing hip. I see a lot of customer churn here. They have lost the ability to rotate the ribcage, so the pelvis can become overactive or locked, and the spine and hips begin to take pressure that they shouldn’t.
Muscles Trained: Obliques, deep core stabilizers, shoulder stabilizers, hip flexors, thoracic rotators
How to do it:
- Lie on your back with both arms relaxed naturally.
- Take your upper arm (for example, your left arm) up and across your body.
- Let the other arm out of the way.
- Continue reaching until your ribcage rolls over, then let your hips follow.
- To reverse, take the same arm and reach up and back to help you return to your starting position.
- Really reach out. Pull your shoulder down. Your head will rise to another extension as you control the movement.
- Go well. No flopping or falling. He rebuilds the neuromuscular system, not just from point A to point B.
Recommended Sets and Reps: 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 total repetitions (8 to 10 on each side)
Form Tip: Access is what drives the roll. If you don’t get the shoulder blade off the ground, you’re not getting enough rotation in the ribcage.
Hip Bridge Side Row
Now we introduce the load to the system. The shoulder should be centered in the joint, the ribcage should be placed on top of it, and the spine should spread out in extension instead of hanging in one place. If this section is weak, you will often see shoulder instability, neck tension, and poor breathing mechanics because the ribcage is out of alignment. This exercise combines the rolling pattern you’ve already formed with side support.
Muscles Trained: Shoulder stabilizers, obliques, lateral hip stabilizers, intercostal, serratus anterior
How to do it:
- Start on your back (or stomach, whatever is comfortable).
- Use the wrap pattern from the second exercise to roll up your arm.
- Once you’re on your hand, push yourself away from the bed (or floor) into a supported side position.
- Go back down to your arm.
- Return to your starting position. That’s one full answer.
- Key sequence: arm roll, push up, back down, back down.
Recommended Sets and Reps: 1 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions on each side
Form Tip: Do not skip the roll in place. Starting from your back and rolling onto your arm is part of the exercise, not just the setup. It connects this movement with everything you’ve already done.
Shaking
This is the beginning of learning to crawl. You have weight transfer, connections between limbs, and the spine is partially stable while everything else is moving. This section mainly involves the lumbar plexus and sacral nerves, and is important for how the hips and SI joints work. When someone skips this pattern, they often lose the ability to transfer energy from the ground up properly.
Muscles Trained: Hip flexors, hip extensors, quadriceps, shoulder stabilizers, deep core stabilizers, spinal extensors
How to do it:
- Start sleeping face down on your bed or the floor.
- Extend your legs and your bottom to one side.
- Push yourself up and place the other leg under you so that you are in a crawling position.
- Once you’re in position, return to your hips, and shift your weight forward into your arms.
- Do about 4 to 5 swings (back and forth), then go back and lie on your stomach. That’s one repetition.
- Repeat with the opposite leg.
Recommended Sets and Reps: 1 to 3 sets, 4 to 5 swing changes per rep, building up gradually
Form Tip: Reset as needed between changes. The goal is to control the transfer of weight between the hips and arms, not to run through the reps.
Kneeling down to stand
This is the bridge between the ground and direct life. The pelvis should line up, the hip should be centered, and the whole system should coordinate to lift it up. At this point, everything we’ve developed before, facial communication, joint posture, emotional regulation, should all come together. Note: This exercise is done at the side of the bed, not on it. Use the bed for support if needed.
Muscles Trained: Glutes, quadriceps, hip flexors, deep core, full body coordination
How to do it:
- Start on your back (or stomach) next to your bed.
- Use a curling pattern to come in on your side, then push up into your arm like the third exercise.
- Put one hand under you, then the other, so that you are in a crawling position from the fourth exercise.
- Return your weight to your hips.
- Bring your body weight into a double long knee.
- Bring one leg forward into a kneeling position. If you need support, put your hand on your bed.
- When you’re ready, press to full stop.
- Go back down the way you came up: kneeling, kneeling up, kneeling down, crawling, back down.
- Repeat, starting from the other side.
Recommended Sets and Reps: 1 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions (5 on each side)
Form Tip: Every program is important. Don’t jump from the ground straight to kneeling. Go through all positions: roll, side support, crawl, kneel, stand. That’s the point of the whole show.
