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Does your body feel stiff or achy?

Do your shoulders slouch forward, revealing a posture that resembles a croissant?

If you said "Yes" to any of these, then I've got good news for you:

You can fix these with a few simple exercises.

Dan Go @FitFounder Thankful to say that zero body parts hurt. I'm feeling pretty good at 44 as a result of maintaining my body. https://twitter.com/unkonfined/status/1861198542154637510 Unkonfined @unkonfined Everybody over 30, what part of your body hurts right now? 9:23 AM • Nov 26, 2024 10 Retweets 340 Likes Read 39 replies

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Lacking mobility in key areas of the body can lead to poor movement capacity and posture, which can increase your risk of injury and impact your quality of life.

When we look at pain, we usually focus on where the pain is coming from, which is a poor approach.

If we want to fix our bodies once and for all, we need to look at what the root cause is and fix it for good.

So, in this article, I will show the 5 exercises that will fix 90% of your problems.

You ready? Let's go!

5 Exercises That Fix 90% of Problems

There's a 2 step formula for finding out where your pain is coming from:

Step 1 - Assess the pain
Step 2 - Fix the root

There are 5 main areas where you'll most feel pain: the shoulders, mid and upper back, hips, ankles, and a mystery part that no one cares to think about.

1. Shoulder Mobility

Assess test: Perform the Apley Scratch Test

• Reach one arm up and over your shoulder
• Reach the other arm up your back
• Aim for fingers to touch or reach specific points on your shoulder blades
• Your fingers should be able to touch each other.

Exercise Fix: Towel Mobility Drill

• Use a towel or shirt behind your back
• Pull down to mobilize the top arm
• Pull up to mobilize the bottom arm

2. Thoracic Spine Mobility

Assess test: Take a side-view picture and check for a rounded upper back. If you have a picture resembling the picture on the right, you can use the following exercises to fix them.

Exercise Fixes: 1. Thoracic Opener and 2. Bar Hangs

1. Thoracic Extensions

Dan Go @FitFounder This exercise should be mandatory for people who sit desks: It's called a Thoracic Extension. Thoracic extension improves your posture, boosts spinal mobility, and keeps back pain in check. It basically undoes the damage from slouching through life like a desk jockey. Aim for… https://x.com/i/web/status/1846868303601340838 6:58 AM • Oct 17, 2024 745 Retweets 7134 Likes Read 73 replies

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1. Place elbows on a bench or couch
2. Drop chest towards the floor and hold for 2 seconds
3. Repeat for 6-12 reps

2. Bar Hangs

Dan Go @FitFounder The most underrated exercise on the planet is the Bar Hang. But 99% of people don't even do them. Here are 4 powerful reasons to do bar hangs every day: 1. They improve your posture Don't want to look like a croissant? Bar hangs help strengthen & mobilize your upper body.… https://x.com/i/web/status/1686392605469478912 11:5 AM • Aug 1, 2023 505 Retweets 4500 Likes Read 161 replies

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1. Place hands on a pull-up bar
2. Let yourself hang for as long as you can handle
3. Work up to 1 minute and eventually 2 minute hangs

3. Hip Mobility

Assess test: Perform a bodyweight squat and check for 3 things:

• Excessive foot turn-out
• Inability to go below parallel
• Hip shift to one side

Exercise fix: The couch stretch (and the ankle exercise in #4)

Dan Go @FitFounder Great stretch for people who sit at desks. It's called the Couch Stretch. 1. Place knee on a mat 2. Place foot on a couch or bench 2. Slide leg in 4. Squeeze butt & raise arm 5. Hold this for 30 to 60 seconds Your hips & low back will thank you for doing this. 10:37 AM • Aug 26, 2020 479 Retweets 3024 Likes Read 99 replies

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• Place knee on a mat
• Place your foot on a couch or bench
• Slide leg in
• Squeeze your butt & raise your arm
• Hold this for 30 to 60 seconds

4. Ankle Mobility

Assess test: Perform a bodyweight squat and check for these 3 things:

1. Check depth without a heel lift or excessive forward lean
2. Check for feet turning out as you go down.
3. Repeat with weight plates or book under heels to compare

Exercise fix: Ankle Mobs

Dan Go @FitFounder This exercise should be mandatory for people who sit at desks that exercise on a regular basis. It's called an Ankle Mob. Due to prolonged sitting & comfy shoes our ankles get tight. This sets off a chain of tightness in our bodies, which limits our performance in our workouts.… https://x.com/i/web/status/1702353905009721635 12:9 PM • Sep 14, 2023 2211 Retweets 9648 Likes Read 99 replies

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• Place one foot on an elevated platform
• Drive knee over toe while keeping the heel planted and hold for 1-2 seconds
• Repeat for 6-12 reps

5. Being excessively overweight

Every pound you lose takes 4 pounds of pressure off your knees and 6 pounds off your hips.

A 5% reduction in body weight can result in a 50% reduction in joint pain!

Renato Villanueva @openrenato @FitFounder Had a friend who I made this point to for years. Years and years of injections, surgeries etc to try to fix his knees. Got an ulcer and lost 70 lbs and magically all the pain went a way. imagine that. Dan Go @FitFounder Every pound you lose takes 4 pounds of pressure off your knees and 6 pounds off your hips. A 5% reduction in body weight can result in a 50% reduction in joint pain. Many people think they have knee or hip issues when it's a weight issue. 5:30 PM • Nov 29, 2024 0 Retweets 74 Likes Read 1 replies

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If you have 20 or more pounds to lose, it can have a dramatic effect on relieving the pain you experience on a day-to-day basis.

I've made a few articles on how to reverse this that you can access here, here, and here.

Don't be an ostrich

There's a theory in psychology known as the ostrich effect:

When an ostrich sees something they fear they bury their heads in the sand, hoping the danger goes away.

Now, this has been debunked over time, but it teaches a great lesson.

If you've been dealing with pain, please do not bury your head in the sand, ignore it, and hope it goes away.

There is a solution for everything. Fix the problem at the root and give yourself time.

Consistency will always win the game.

I hope this article helped point you in the right direction. If you need any clarification on anything, reply to this email, and I'll do my best to help.

Onwards and upwards. 🚀

- Dan

When you're ready, here is 1 way I can help:

1. Promote yourself to 362,397+ subscribers​ by sponsoring this newsletter.

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