Using lacrosse balls for massage can be an effective way to offer relief from tightness and stiffness, aid in fitness recovery, and simply help the muscles and the nervous system relax. As doctor of physical therapy and author of Radical Relief, Joe Tatta, DPT tells mbg, lacrosse ball massage is a popular at-home therapeutic method, and pair well with professional treatment.

What’s the benefit? “We’re working on different parts of the nervous system that become tense or tight, based on either your daily life habits or based on emotional distress—anxiousness, stress, tension, things like that,” says Tatta.

In addition, massage techniques like using lacrosse balls, or even softballs and foam rollers, help to break up the fascia, “so you’re essentially letting the muscle relax,” explains certified personal trainer and founder of TMAC FITNESS, Todd McCullough. He also adds, this helps your muscles move more effectively.

And while it certainly can feel good to target one pesky area (like that super tight upper back), Tatta advises to “work down their entire spine, because your entire spine moves together, so working on one part isn’t the best.”

Welcome to mbg moves! We’ve been working out at home more than ever lately—and we know our readers are, too. To help keep your fitness routine feeling fresh, we’re releasing a new at-home workout every Monday to start your week off strong. Each month will feature routines from a different incredible trainer we adore. Now, let’s get moving with our spotlight trainer: Jessica Aronoff.

Are you ready for a workout that really targets the deepest muscles of your glutes and abdominals? This stability and sculpting workout will do the trick.

In this 10-minute workout, we’re going to use a trampoline to create an unstable surface and really challenge those stabilizer muscles. Even if you don’t have a trampoline, you can still try this workout at home—just use any elevated surface, like a bench or step. You can also do it without any equipment at all, it’ll just work your muscles slightly differently.

Another thing I love about this routine is it strengthens your muscles in a low-impact way, which means you can do it every single day if you’d like. I also recommend pairing it with cardio—it’s a nice balance to activate your muscles right after getting that heart rate up.

Your 4-week challenge: This month, I’m going to share four different movement routines you can do from home. Some will be more cardio-focused, and others will emphasize more strength and sculpting. I encourage you to make these routines part of your weekly workout schedule as often as you can, but aim for at least two to three times a week.

Welcome to mbg moves! We’ve been working out at home more than ever lately—and we know our readers are, too. To help keep your fitness routine feeling fresh, we’re releasing a new at-home workout every Monday to start your week off strong. Each month will feature routines from a different incredible trainer we adore. Now, let’s get moving with our spotlight trainer: BB Arrington.

So far with my mbg moves series, we’ve discussed eccentric exercises and the concept of shortening and lengthening. Now, I want to highlight another important aspect of fitness: pushing and pulling. Pushing movements are when you bring the weight away from your body, and pulling movements are when you bring the weight towards your body.

To put this concept into practice, I’ve put together an efficient upper body strength workout that takes you through various pushing- and pulling-focused exercises.

What I love about pushing and pulling is they require different muscle groups. So in theory you could do all pushing one day, and do all pulling the next day, and your workout wouldn’t be compromised. You can also manipulate a push movement to have more pull by changing the placement of the weight, and we’re going to explore that during this workout, as well.

You’re going to need one medium dumbbell and a chair (or other elevated surface) for a bit of stability. This push-pull upper body workout would be great to do two or three times total, if you’re up for it!

Your 4-week challenge: For the next couple weeks, I’ll be sharing a different strength-training workout that focuses on a specific exercise principle—so we’ll be strengthening our minds and bodies all at once. I challenge you to make it a goal to incorporate these routines two to three times per week.

As a fitness trainer, I think it’s really important to train our muscles in the various ways they’re going to be challenged in real life.

One way I like to do this is by working different muscle groups in both a shortened and lengthened position. To put this technique into practice, I’ve put together this efficient lower-body workout for you to try at home.

This routine specifically hones in on the quadriceps and hamstrings. We’re going to do two exercises for each area— one that focuses on lengthening, and the other shortening. Now, grab a dumbbell and get ready to work those legs!

Your 4-week challenge: For the next four weeks, I’ll be sharing a different strength-training workout that focuses on a specific exercise principle—so we’ll be strengthening our minds and bodies all at once. I challenge you to make it a goal to incorporate these routines two to three times per week.

There’s nothing more satisfying than listening to your body and giving it exactly what it needs.

That’s why we’re big fans of mindful movement practices, like intuitive Pilates. What is intuitive Pilates, you ask? It’s simply a practice that encourages you to tune into your body, making any modifications and changes you need throughout.

If you want to give this type of fitness a try, we’ve put together a 25-minute intuitive Pilates workout you can do at home. Try to follow along with our cues, but allow yourself to move in a way that feels right for your body, today, whatever it’s going through.

At the end of the practice, give yourself permission to stretch or move around in any way your body is asking. That’s part of the intuitive piece of this work: It’s about giving yourself permission and allowing your body to ask for what it needs and wants.

The best part: You can do this routine truly any time. It works all different kinds of muscles in your body, so you don’t have to worry about overtaxing one area. It’s also a great way to get organized for the day, turn on those core muscles, or take a lovely movement break whenever you’d like.

Your 4-week challenge: Every week this month (keep an eye out for a new workout every Monday), we’ll be sharing a routine that focuses on promoting mindfulness and mental health. By the end of the month, we encourage you to make this type of freeing movement part of your regular routine—whether that’s one day a week, three, or even daily.