HOW: Start by lying on your side with your knees bent and raised to hip height. Clasp your hands on top of each other. Slowly reach your top hand forward as far as you can. Then, slowly pull your hands back, across your chest, and drop to the opposite side.

 

FEEL: You should feel a nice gentle stretch through your mid-back region. You may also feel a little pec stretch in the front of your shoulder.

 

COMPENSATION: Make sure to keep your knees high. If your knees are not high enough, you will not get the stretch in your mid-back region.

HOW: Start in a quadruped position with your hands and knees on the ground. Slowly rotate to one side by bringing your arm under your body and through to the other side. To increase the stretch, you can “crawl your fingers” and exhale at the end of the stretch.

 

FEEL: You should feel a nice and gentle stretch in the middle region of your back when you perform this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Make sure to keep your hips on top of your knees, or even sink your hips back more towards your ankles. Do not let your hips come forward like in a modified plank position. 

HOW: Start in a sitting position with your knees bent, feet flat on the ground and a foam roller lying on the ground behind you at about shoulder level. You can either interlock your hands behind your neck or cross your arms across your chest. Keep your hips on the ground as you lean gently back into the roller bringing your shoulders, head, and neck down over the roller. Carefully work up and down the length of your mid back by lifting your hips up, rolling back, and extending over the foam roll.

 

FEEL: You should feel some pressure and stretch in the middle portion of your spine. 

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t go too fast, go slow and controlled over the foam roller.

HOW: Begin in a kneeling position next to a wall. The knee that is up should be closest to the wall. Placing your elbow on the wall with your arm bent is the correct distance you should be from the wall. From here, extend your arm out on the wall and move it in a circular motion going up overhead and then behind you attempting a full circle. The closer you are to the wall the harder it will be. 

 

FEEL: You should feel your shoulder muscles working as you complete the circle on the wall. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your chest and shoulder still the entire time, only move the arm that is on the wall without rotating your chest.

HOW: Begin in a kneeling position with your feet pointed down and a foam roller in front of you. Place your wrist on the roller with your thumbs facing up and slightly out. Let your arms roll forward and your chest drops toward the ground. You can spread your knees more to let your chest get lower. Hold that position as prescribed and repeat. 

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in your lat muscles. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your thumbs up in order to get a better stretch.