🤔 Noticing more tension in your upper back than usual? Are you working from home with a set up not ergonomically suitable for you? Are you adopting poor postures or overusing muscles in this area when training?
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🤓 We know that making improvements in thoracic or mid-back spinal mobility will also improve shoulder and lumbar or lower back mobility.
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☝️ Try this simple drill using a foam roller, or a big rolled up towel to help improve thoracic spine extension.
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‼️ We have 3 roller reference points for this mobility drill...
1️⃣ Roller placed underneath the bottom of the ribcage.
2️⃣ Roller placed underneath the bottom of the shoulder blades.
3️⃣ Roller placed underneath the top of the shoulder blades.
- Start laying on the floor and place the roller in position 1.
- Arms are straight and shoulder width apart go over head with the aim to touch the ground (do not worry if they do not make contact straight away). Relax the head and neck. Stay here for a few breathes.
- Bring the arms back down by your side and roll down the roller so it is in position 2.
- Take the arms back overhead, relax the head and neck and stay here for a few breathes.
- Bring the arms down by your side again and roll down the roller so it is in position 3.
- Take the arms back overhead, relax the head and neck and stay here for a few breathes.
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🎯 Aim for 60 seconds continuing through this movement pattern - roller in position 1 into 2 into 3 back to 2 back to 1.
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👍This can be done pre and or post exercise 🏃♀️ sitting at the desk 👨💻 or if you’re experiencing any shoulder, mid or lower back tension 😬
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⚠️ It is important that we do not just roll up and down the back aimlessly. The foam roller is designed to help reduce tension in soft tissues e.g. muscles and tendons. We do not need to put unnecessary forces through the vertebrae by rolling up and down. Which is why this drill is a semi-static drill – the roller does not move – we simply use the roller as an object to extend over!
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🙌 Give this a try or tag someone that needs help improving their mid-back mobility 🙏
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