My favourite exercise as a physio, if I could only pick one

The windmill, for its versatility

The windmill can seem complex at first glance. The movement is unusual, it requires coordination and a certain body awareness. But once mastered, it’s one of the most complete exercises around: usable for unloaded mobility to start with, or for strengthening with progressive load to build more strength and stability. It’s this dual nature that makes it such a valuable tool in clinic.

The windmill for the lower back

The windmill combines two movements that I consider the most neglected in rehab: lateral tilt and rotation of the lumbar spine. The vast majority of back-strengthening programmes work flexion and extension — plank holds, deadlifts, back extensions. But in real life, you don’t just move front to back.

Walking, running, turning to grab something, gardening, carrying a child — all of these actions involve rotation and tilting of the trunk. Not training them leaves the back exposed as soon as you move outside the sagittal plane. The windmill fixes this with a single exercise, which makes it my number one choice for functional lower back mobility work.

The windmill for the hips

Hip stiffness is a recurring topic in my rehab sessions. It’s behind many compensations — lower back, knees, shoulders — and it affects both the person sitting all day and the athlete who never does any specific mobility work.

What makes the windmill particularly interesting for the hips is that it mobilises this joint standing, under load, in a functional position. It’s not a passive stretch on the floor, it’s active hip work in a context close to what the body encounters in real life. The effect on hip mobility is fast and noticeable from the first sessions.

The windmill for the shoulders

The windmill is an excellent exercise for shoulder stability, and that’s where its particularity lies compared with most classic shoulder exercises.

In most exercises, it’s the arm that moves relative to the body. In the windmill, it’s the opposite: the arm stays fixed overhead, and it’s the body that moves beneath it. This setup creates dynamic shoulder stability work that deeply strengthens the rotator cuff and improves joint control. The result: a more stable, stronger shoulder, less exposed to overuse injuries.

Who I recommend the windmill to

To many of my patients, because the benefits of this exercise apply to very different profiles. Here are the three groups I most often see benefit from it.

Patients with low back pain

When I see a patient with low back pain who lacks mobility — which is the case for the vast majority — the windmill is one of my first tools. It requires learning the technique: the movement can’t be improvised, and it’s better to start unloaded to master the coordination before working on range of motion.

But once mastered, it’s a major asset in low back rehab. By simultaneously working mobility, stability and motor control in rotation and tilt, it prepares the back for all the demands of everyday life, far better than a static plank hold.

Stiff athletes who aren’t motivated by stretching

Many athletes know they lack flexibility, but have neither the time nor the desire to spend 20 minutes stretching at the end of a session. I understand. The windmill is the answer to this problem: in a single exercise, you work a lot of things.

The lower back in rotation and tilt, the hips in active mobility, the shoulder in dynamic stability, the hamstrings in an active stretch, the adductors engaged. For a stiff athlete short on time or motivation for a long mobility session, 3 minutes of windmills morning and evening have a real, measurable impact on movement quality.

Sedentary people

This is without doubt the profile that benefits most from the windmill. Sedentary people lack movement, motor control, deep core engagement and body awareness. They’re often stiff, disconnected from certain areas of their body, and not used to moving through space.

The windmill addresses all these deficits at once: bringing back movement, improving motor control, activating deep core engagement, shoulder stability. And all of that in 3 minutes of effort, with no equipment, standing in your living room. It’s often the exercise I prescribe first to give a sedentary body back the taste and capacity for movement.

When I recommend doing the windmill

The dose I prescribe most often: 3 sets of 5 reps on each side. That’s enough to get an effect, never gives an excuse not to do it, and is easy to fit into any routine. But the time of day matters too.

Morning and evening for sedentary people

For sedentary people, I recommend two short sessions in the day. 5 reps on each side in the morning to get the body moving, wake up the joints and unlock the back before hours spent sitting. 5 reps on each side in the evening to clear out the bad positions accumulated during the day, release tension and prepare the body for the night. This simple ritual, under 5 minutes in total, changes the quality of the body over the long term.

Several times a day for low back pain

In a low back pain phase, the unloaded windmill becomes a daily pain-management tool. I often prescribe 3 to 5 short sessions spread through the day: after waking up, before and after lunch, in the late afternoon, before bed. These micro-doses of movement maintain lumbar mobility, prevent progressive stiffening, and keep circulation going in the tissue, which supports healing and reduces background pain. Provided, of course, you stay within the ELA criteria: no pain exceeding 3/10 during the movement.

As activation before sport

For athletes, the windmill finds its place in the warm-up. 5 reps on each side before a running, weight training or team sport session are enough to functionally activate the lower back, hips and shoulder. It’s a complete joint preparation that reduces injury risk and improves the quality of sporting movement from the very first minutes of effort. Many of my patients who’ve built it into their routine no longer warm up without it.

Want to add the windmill to your rehab or your routine?

HOPP offers personalised care programmes with video exercises, explained by FIFA-certified sports physios. Get started in 3 minutes, from home, with no need to wait for an appointment.

FAQ — The windmill

Where can I find this exercise to practise it?

The windmill is well documented on video, including on our YouTube channel. Search “windmill kettlebell” or “windmill mobility” to find demonstrations. In HOPP, you’ll find the exercise on video with explanations of how to perform it and mistakes to avoid, directly in your dashboard, built into your care programme.

How can I be sure I’m doing it right?

The windmill is a technical exercise that requires learning progressively. A few essential pointers to get started:

• Start without load, simply placing your hand in line with your raised arm. Master the movement before introducing weight.
• Keep the raised arm perfectly vertical throughout the movement — it stays fixed, it’s the body that lowers.
• Look at your raised hand during the exercise: it helps maintain trunk rotation and control the shoulder.
• Lower slowly along the front leg — don’t try to go fast, try to feel each area that’s working.

If you feel sharp pain during the movement, reduce the range or go back to unloaded. The windmill should create a sensation of effort and sometimes stretching, not acute pain.