Top 14 'Creak-to-Capable' Foundational Exercises to do in 2025 - Goh Ling Yong
Heard that little ‘creak’ getting out of bed this morning? Or maybe a groan as you stood up from your desk? You’re not alone. In our modern lives, we’ve become experts at sitting, slouching, and moving in limited ways. Over time, our bodies adapt, leading to stiffness, weakness, and that feeling that we’re one wrong move away from a week of discomfort. It's the slow transition from feeling capable to feeling... well, a bit creaky.
But here’s the good news: 2025 can be the year you reverse that trend. It’s not about jumping into punishing workouts or aiming for a supermodel physique. It’s about returning to the fundamentals. The goal is to transform from ‘creak-to-capable’ by building a rock-solid foundation of movement. This foundation will support you whether you want to run a marathon, lift your grandkids, or simply navigate your day with energy and without pain.
This list isn’t about the flashiest exercises you’ll see on Instagram. It’s about the humble, powerful movements that teach your body to work as an integrated system. These are the 14 foundational exercises that will help you build stability, improve mobility, and unlock the strength you already have. Master these, and you’ll be building a body that’s resilient, capable, and ready for whatever you throw at it next.
1. Diaphragmatic Breathing: The True Core Exercise
What it is: Often overlooked, this is the most fundamental human movement pattern. Diaphragmatic breathing, or "belly breathing," involves using your primary breathing muscle—the diaphragm—to create stability through your core before you even move a limb.
Why it matters: Most of us are "chest breathers," taking shallow breaths that engage our neck and shoulder muscles, leading to tension and a weak core connection. Proper breathing calms the nervous system, improves oxygen exchange, and, most importantly, teaches you to pressurize and stabilize your core from the inside out. It's the bedrock of all other strength exercises.
How to do it:
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of four, focusing on making the hand on your stomach rise while the hand on your chest stays relatively still. Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of six, feeling your stomach gently fall. Aim for 2-3 minutes of focused breathing to start or end your day.
2. The Glute Bridge: Waking Up Your Powerhouse
What it is: The glute bridge is a simple but mighty exercise that isolates and activates your gluteal muscles—the largest and potentially most powerful muscles in your body.
Why it matters: Due to prolonged sitting, many people suffer from "gluteal amnesia," where their glutes forget how to fire properly. This forces the hamstrings and lower back to take over, leading to tightness and pain. The glute bridge specifically targets and "wakes up" your glutes, reminding them of their job to extend your hips and stabilize your pelvis.
Pro-Tip: At the top of the bridge, focus on squeezing your glutes, not arching your back. Imagine you're holding a hundred-dollar bill between your cheeks that you don't want to lose. To progress, try a single-leg glute bridge, which adds a significant stability challenge.
3. The Bird-Dog: Building Bulletproof Stability
What it is: This exercise involves being on all fours and extending an opposite arm and leg simultaneously while keeping your torso perfectly still. It looks simple, but its effect on core stability is profound.
Why it matters: The Bird-Dog trains your body to resist rotation through the spine, a key function of your core muscles for preventing back injuries. It improves balance, proprioception (your sense of where your body is in space), and coordination between your upper and lower body. As I often tell my clients at Goh Ling Yong training, mastering the Bird-Dog is a non-negotiable step toward building a resilient back.
How to do it:
Start on your hands and knees, with hands directly under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Engage your core by imagining you're bracing for a light punch to the stomach. Slowly extend your right arm straight forward and your left leg straight back, keeping your hips and shoulders square to the floor. Pause for a second, then return to the starting position with control. Repeat on the other side. The key is to move slowly and prevent any rocking or arching.
4. The Dead Bug: Smarter Core Training
What it is: Lying on your back, you lower an opposite arm and leg towards the floor while maintaining a flat back and a braced core. It’s the "upside-down" cousin of the Bird-Dog.
Why it matters: The Dead Bug is a fantastic exercise for teaching you how to move your limbs independently of your spine. It strengthens the deep abdominal muscles (like the transverse abdominis) that act like a natural corset for your torso. Unlike crunches, it does this without putting any strain on your neck or spine.
Pro-Tip: The number one priority is keeping your lower back in contact with the floor. If you feel it starting to arch, you've lowered your arm and leg too far. Reduce the range of motion until you can maintain that solid connection. Quality over quantity is everything here.
5. Cat-Cow Stretch: Mobilizing Your Spine
What it is: A gentle, dynamic stretch that moves your spine through flexion (rounding) and extension (arching). It’s a staple in yoga for a reason.
Why it matters: Our spines are designed to move, but they often get locked into one position (usually a slump) for hours at a time. The Cat-Cow gently lubricates the spinal discs, relieves tension in the back and neck, and improves your overall spinal awareness. It’s the perfect movement to do first thing in the morning or as a break from sitting at your desk.
How to do it:
Start on all fours. As you inhale, drop your belly towards the floor, lift your chest and tailbone, and look forward (Cow Pose). As you exhale, press into your hands, round your spine up towards the ceiling, and tuck your chin to your chest (Cat Pose). Flow smoothly between these two positions for 10-15 repetitions.
6. Bodyweight Squat: The King of Movement
What it is: The fundamental human movement pattern of sitting down and standing back up. The bodyweight squat, when done correctly, is a full-body exercise.
Why it matters: Squatting is a primal movement we should all be able to perform. It builds strength in your quads, glutes, and hamstrings, improves mobility in your hips and ankles, and reinforces a strong, upright posture. Mastering the bodyweight squat is the gateway to almost every other lower-body exercise.
Pro-Tip: Focus on "sitting back" as if aiming for a chair behind you, rather than just bending your knees forward. Keep your chest up and your weight in your mid-foot and heels. If you struggle with depth, try squatting to a low box or chair first, gradually reducing the height as your mobility improves.
7. Wall Push-up: Building Your Pressing Foundation
What it is: A push-up performed against a wall. This variation reduces the amount of body weight you have to lift, making it an accessible starting point for everyone.
Why it matters: Pushing strength is crucial for everyday tasks, from pushing a heavy door to getting up off the floor. The wall push-up teaches you the correct form—a straight line from head to heels and proper shoulder blade movement—without the high demand of a floor push-up. It builds strength in the chest, shoulders, and triceps safely.
How to do it:
Stand facing a wall, about arm's length away. Place your hands on the wall slightly wider than your shoulders. Keeping your body in a straight plank position, bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the wall. Press back to the starting position. To make it harder, simply move your feet further back from the wall.
8. Hip Hinge: Protecting Your Back for Life
What it is: The movement of bending forward by pushing your hips back while keeping a flat back. This is different from bending at the waist, which rounds your spine.
Why it matters: Learning to hinge at the hips is arguably the most important skill for long-term back health. This is the movement pattern used to safely pick things up off the floor, from a bag of groceries to a heavy barbell. It engages your powerful glutes and hamstrings to do the work, sparing your vulnerable lower back.
Pro-Tip: A great way to learn this is with a dowel or broomstick. Hold it vertically along your spine, making contact at your head, upper back, and tailbone. Hinge forward by pushing your hips back, ensuring the dowel maintains all three points of contact. If it loses contact, you’re rounding your spine.
9. Wall Sit: Forging Mental and Physical Fortitude
What it is: An isometric exercise where you hold a squat position with your back supported by a wall.
Why it matters: The wall sit is incredible for building muscular endurance in your quads, glutes, and hamstrings. Because it's an isometric hold (the muscle is under tension but not changing length), it’s low-impact on the knee joints. It also builds serious mental toughness as you fight the burn and hold the position.
How to do it:
Lean against a wall and slide your back down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Ensure your knees are directly above your ankles. Keep your back flat against the wall and hold. Start with 20-30 seconds and gradually work your way up to a minute or more.
10. Inverted Row: The Accessible Pulling Exercise
What it is: A bodyweight pulling exercise that builds strength in your back, biceps, and shoulders. It's the opposite movement to a push-up.
Why it matters: Most of us do a lot of pushing and sitting in our daily lives, which can lead to a rounded, "hunched" posture. Pulling exercises like the inverted row strengthen the muscles of the upper back (lats, rhomboids, traps) that pull your shoulders back and promote an upright posture. It’s a crucial movement for balancing out your physique and improving shoulder health.
How to do it:
You can do this under a sturdy dining table. Lie on your back under the table, gripping the edge with both hands. Keeping your body in a straight line from head to heels, pull your chest up towards the edge of the table. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top, then lower yourself back down with control. The more horizontal your body, the harder it is.
11. Scapular Wall Slides: The Posture Corrector
What it is: A corrective exercise performed against a wall that trains the small muscles around your shoulder blades (scapulae) to function correctly.
Why it matters: Poor posture from texting and computer work can lead to stiff, immobile shoulders and a weak upper back. Wall slides activate the lower and mid-trapezius muscles, which are often weak, and help improve your ability to raise your arms overhead without compensation. This is key for pain-free shoulder movement.
How to do it:
Stand with your back against a wall, with your feet about six inches away. Try to keep your tailbone, upper back, and head against the wall. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees and press your forearms and the backs of your hands against the wall. Slowly slide your arms up the wall, keeping your forearms and wrists in contact, then slide them back down. Only go as high as you can without your back arching or wrists coming off the wall.
12. Standing March with Hold: Building Single-Leg Stability
What it is: A simple balance drill that mimics the single-leg stance phase of walking and running.
Why it matters: Life is often lived on one leg at a time—walking, climbing stairs, running. This exercise improves your balance and strengthens the stabilizing muscles in your hips and ankles. Good single-leg stability is crucial for preventing falls and reducing the risk of knee and ankle injuries.
How to do it:
Stand tall with your core engaged. Shift your weight onto your left foot. Slowly raise your right knee up to hip height, as if marching in place. Hold this position for 2-3 seconds, focusing on staying perfectly still and not leaning. Lower your foot with control and repeat on the other side. To make it harder, try closing your eyes for a brief moment.
13. Farmer's Walk: The Ultimate Functional Exercise
What it is: Simply walking while carrying a weight in one or both hands. It's as simple and functional as it gets.
Why it matters: The Farmer's Walk is a full-body exercise that builds a ridiculous amount of practical strength. It challenges your grip (crucial for overall strength), your core (to stay upright), your upper back (to keep your shoulders from rounding), and your legs. From carrying groceries to moving furniture, this exercise translates directly to real-life capability.
How to do it:
Start with a manageable weight, like a dumbbell, kettlebell, or even a heavy bag of groceries in each hand. Stand up tall, pull your shoulders back and down, and engage your core. Walk forward for a set distance or time, taking small, controlled steps. Your goal is to maintain perfect posture throughout.
14. Ankle Mobility Circles: Unlocking Your Foundation
What it is: A gentle mobility drill to improve the range of motion in your ankle joint.
Why it matters: Your feet and ankles are your body's foundation. If they are stiff and immobile, it creates a chain reaction of dysfunction up through your knees, hips, and even your lower back. Poor ankle mobility is a common culprit behind squatting problems and knee pain. Regular ankle circles help to lubricate the joint and restore a healthy range of motion.
How to do it:
Sit or stand comfortably. Lift one foot off the ground. Slowly and deliberately draw the biggest circle you can with your toes. Focus on isolating the movement to the ankle joint itself. Do 10-15 circles in one direction, then reverse. You'll be surprised at the clicks and pops you hear—that's just your body saying "thank you!"
Your Journey from Creak to Capable Starts Now
There you have it—14 foundational exercises to build a stronger, more resilient body in 2025. Remember, the goal isn't to be perfect on day one. The goal is to start. The philosophy I share with all my Goh Ling Yong clients is that consistency trumps intensity every single time.
Don't feel like you need to do all 14 every day. Pick 3-5 that resonate with you. Maybe start your day with Diaphragmatic Breathing and Cat-Cow. Perhaps do some Wall Sits and Glute Bridges while you wait for dinner to cook. Weave these movements into the fabric of your life.
Listen to your body, focus on quality movement, and celebrate the small wins. Before you know it, those creaks will be replaced by a quiet confidence in your body's ability to move well. You'll be stronger, more stable, and more capable of tackling whatever life throws your way.
Now it's your turn. Which of these exercises are you excited to try? Do you have a favorite foundational move that didn't make the list? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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