How to Improve Your Mobility If You Work At a Desk

A guide to undoing what sitting does to your body, by personal trainer and MoreYoga instructor Eser Ozdag.

Seven years ago strength and mobility became my obsession after I herniated two discs in my lower back, L4 and L5. It wasn’t a mild injury. I was paralysed for a period of time, on heavy medication just to get through the day. I remember looking through the window watching people walk past, and I wanted nothing more than to be able to walk without pain. Fitness goals, having a great body, earning money – none of it mattered any more. I just wanted to walk free from pain.

I got there through strength and mobility work, applied patiently and consistently. That is why I take sitting-related stiffness and back pain seriously in my clients, even when it looks minor on the surface. A tight hip or a weak glute might seem like nothing until it isn’t. I’ve lived on the far end of that spectrum, and I’d rather help people fix the small problems before they become the big ones.

That’s what this article is about.

Jump to the exercises

Why sitting does this to you

If you sit for long hours, your body adapts to that position, and that’s not good. Your hip flexors shorten. Your glutes and hamstrings switch off because they simply don’t need to work in a seated position. Your shoulders roll forward, and your neck and upper back end up compensating for everything else.

Over time this shows up as stiffness, aches and fatigue, especially through the neck, shoulders, lower back and hips. None of this means your body can’t be fixed. It’s just adjusting to the lifestyle we have built.

The fix is not complicated. All it takes is a bit of dedication and consistency. A few assessments, paired with the right mix of mobility and strength work, can start undoing those patterns.

Mobility and strength

Mobility is how well your joint can move through its full range. How far you can lift your arm or bend your knee, and how well you can control that movement.

Strength is how much force your muscles can produce, and how well they can hold it.

If you only stretch, your muscles may feel relaxed for a short time, but they aren’t strong enough to support the joint. Your body doesn’t become stable. You may feel loose, but the problem comes back.

If you only do strength training and never work on mobility, your body gets stronger but stays stiff. It’s like building more muscle on top of a tight joint. That can reinforce a bad movement pattern and may cause pain or injury.

So the best approach is to train both together. Improve mobility so the joint can move well, and build strength so the body can control and support that movement.

Desk workers need both, in the same routine:

Restoring mobility where you’ve gone tight
Strengthening what sitting has switched off
Building better posture and movement habits through the day

What sitting actually does to your body

There’s a predictable chain reaction that happens after months or years behind a desk.

Tight hip flexors and psoas. Sitting keeps your hips in constant flexion, so the hip flexors and psoas shorten over time. A tight psoas tilts the lower back and causes that pain you feel when you finally stand up.

Weak glutes and hamstrings. In a seated position these muscles are lengthened but switched off, inactive and doing almost nothing. Understimulated for hours and days at a time, the lower back ends up picking up the slack and taking all the pressure. The lower back isn’t built for that, but with the glutes not firing, the body naturally leans on it.

Forward head posture and neck tension. Hours staring at a screen pull the head forward, loading the neck and upper back far more than they’re designed for. The head weighs roughly 10-12 lb, and the further it moves forward, the greater the mechanical load on your neck. The result is neck stiffness, upper back tension, a tight chest, and deep neck stabilisers that aren’t doing their job.

Stiff ankles and restricted shoulders. Both joints need regular movement. If the ankle is stiff, the knee can’t travel forward during a squat and the pressure goes into the hips, back and quads. Stiff shoulders make reaching and lifting harder than it should be. Shoulder joints should move freely in many directions, but after too long sitting, arms won’t lift as high or reach as far, and the body relies on the neck and upper back instead.

Three quick checks you can do at home

Before jumping into exercises, it’s worth finding out where you’re actually tight or weak.

Ankle mobility wall test. Stand facing a wall, place one foot about 4-5 inches back from it, keep the heel down and try to touch your knee to the wall. Repeat on the other side. If one side is noticeably stiffer, or your heel lifts, your ankle mobility needs attention.

Shoulder mobility check. Reach one arm over your shoulder and down your back, and the other arm behind your lower back and up, trying to touch or nearly touch your fingers. Compare sides. A big difference usually points to shoulder or upper back restriction.

Hip flexor and psoas check. Get into a half-kneeling position, squeeze the glute on your back leg, and shift your hips gently forward without letting your lower back arch. Pay attention to the front of your hip and thigh. Significant tightness, or pinching in the lower back, suggests your hip flexors are limiting you.

The areas worth mobilising

Three movements that give you back the range sitting has taken away. Follow along with the videos.

Psoas and hip flexors: half-kneeling hip flexor stretch

Kneel on one knee with the other foot flat in front. Tuck your pelvis in slightly, as if flattening your lower back, and squeeze the glute on the kneeling side. Shift your hips forward until you feel the stretch at the front of your hip. Hold for 30-60 seconds, then change side.

Don’t allow your lower back to arch. Arching takes the stretch away from the psoas and puts pressure on your lower spine instead.

Ankles: knee to wall rocks

From a lunge position with your front foot a few inches from a wall, keep your heel down and gently push your knee toward the wall and back. 8-10 times per side.

Shoulders and upper back: wall slides

Stand with your back against a wall and gently pull your stomach in. Raise your arms and bend the elbows into a goalpost position. Slide your arms slowly overhead and back down, 8-10 reps.

This builds shoulder mobility and strengthens the upper back at the same time.

The areas worth strengthening

Sitting weakens your posterior chain, everything that’s meant to support you from behind. These three bring it back online.

Hamstrings: glute bridge

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat. Press through your heels, lift your hips up, squeeze at the top, and lower slowly. 12-15 reps, 2-3 sets.

Glutes: single-leg bridge

Same setup, with one foot flat and the other leg extended, or bent until you build more strength. Press through the working heel, lift, keep your hips level, and lower slowly. 8-10 reps per side.

Your glutes are the power house of the body. When they’re weak, your lower back and hamstrings take over the job.

Core: dead bug

Lie on your back with your arms reaching up and knees bent at 90 degrees. Press your lower back gently into the floor to imprint the spine, then slowly lower one arm and the opposite leg, and return. 6-8 reps per side.

This exercise isn’t about developing abs. It’s about teaching your spine and pelvis to stay stable while your limbs move.

Why your neck is always tight

Neck tension in people with a desk job is rarely just a neck issue. It’s usually the sum of forward head posture, a tight chest, weak deep neck flexors, a stiff upper back, and a neck and upper traps that have been compensating for all of it.

Chin tuck. Sit or stand tall and gently glide your head straight back, as if making a double chin. Keep your eyes level, hold for 2-3 seconds, and repeat 10 times. This wakes up the deep neck stabilisers and takes the load off the back of your neck.

Foam roller thoracic extension. Place a foam roller under your upper back with your hands supporting your head, and slowly move up and down the upper back. This helps restore upper back mobility and reduces the strain on your neck.

A daily desk reset, in 15 to 20 minutes

You don’t need an hour in the gym for this. A short, consistent routine covering the areas desk workers need most:

Ankle rocks, 8-10 per side
Half-kneeling psoas stretch, 30-60 seconds per side
Wall slides, 8-10 reps
Glute bridge, 12-15 reps, 2-3 sets
Dead bug, 6-8 per side, 2-3 sets
Chin tuck, 10 reps, 2-3 sets

Do this three to five times a week, or daily if it feels good.

Lifestyle habits that matter just as much

Exercise alone won’t undo the effects of ten hours in a chair. The small daily habits carry real weight too:

Move every 30-45 minutes, even if it’s just for a minute or two
Set your monitor at eye level
Keep your feet flat on the floor
Use a standing desk, or take a walking meeting when you can
Build in movement snacks through the day
Avoid staying fixed in one position for hours at a stretch

The goal isn’t to avoid sitting altogether. It’s to interrupt long stretches of it and give your body the movement it’s asking for.

Final thoughts

A desk body reset is not about doing lots of exercises. It’s about understanding your body’s biomechanics, then choosing the right movements to bring it back to balance.

I learned it because I needed it. At one time my only goal was to walk without pain. Money and every other goal stopped mattering until I could move without pain again. As they say, health is your greatest wealth. Strength and mobility work gave me back my body, and now I try to give the same thing to my clients.

You don’t need many hours of training. You need three things:

Do a little, often. Consistency is the key.
Feel your body and notice what is tight or weak. That’s awareness.
Do the right exercises for the body you have now.

Mobility and strength are not enemies. They work together. When you have both, you move better, sit more comfortably and feel stronger in daily life. Strength without mobility, and mobility without strength, are incomplete.

WORKSHOP WITH ESER

The Desk Body Reset: Mobility Workshop for Tight Hips and Neck and Back Pain

Want to work through all of this in person? Eser runs a two hour workshop taking you through the checks, the mobility work and the strength work, with hands on guidance on your own tight spots.

MoreYoga Canary Wharf
Sunday 4 October 2026
2:00pm to 4:00pm, 120 minutes
With Eser O.
Limited spaces

Book your place

About Eser Ozdag

Eser has been practising yoga for 11 years, bringing the same discipline and body awareness into everything he does, both on and off the mat. He particularly enjoys classes and retreats with Stewart Gilchrist.

Alongside his yoga practice, he has spent 18+ years as a personal trainer, working at some of London’s top studios before going independent. Today, he runs Precision by Eser in Canary Wharf, coaching busy professionals through one-to-one resistance training focused on body transformation, fat loss, rehabilitation, mobility and strength.

For Eser, yoga and strength training are not so different. The principles of control, patience and self-awareness that are key to being a great yoga student are equally important when coaching clients.

For coaching enquiries:
Email: eserozdag@googlemail.com
Web: precisionbyeser.com
Instagram: @precision_by_eser