Notes:


Wall Calf Stretch - Knee Straight, 3D
HOW:  Get set-up standing with a wall in front of you and place your hands on the wall. Take a step backwards with the side you plan to stretch, have that foot facing 12 o’clock the entire time with the heel flat on the ground. Start out by having the front foot facing 12 o’clock then lean and shift your weight forward until you feel a stretch in the calf of the foot that is behind you, then repeat by stepping with the front foot to 10 o’clock and shift your weight in that direction, then 2 o’clock, then repeat

 

FEEL:  You should feel a stretch in the calf of the foot that is behind you and depending on the direction you’re shifting your weight to – you will feel the stretch on the inside or outside. You shouldn’t feel pain or a pinch in front of your ankle.

 

COMPENSATION:  Be sure to keep your back foot facing 12 o’clock, do not let your foot turn out or in. Try to keep your heel down.
Standing Hamstring Stretch - Dynamic, Foot Elevated
HOW: Get set-up standing, feet shoulder width apart, with the side you want to stretch – place the foot slightly in front of the other on an elevated surface. While maintaining a relatively flat back, neutral spine, and neutral foot position hinge at your hip and reach for your toes. Slowly come back to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch behind your thigh and knee. You may also feel a pulling sensation higher up on the back of your thigh of into your calf and foot if it is too intense you can point your foot down.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not bend/round your back too much as this will take away from the hamstring stretch. 
Frog Stretch - Dynamic
HOW: Begin on your hands and knees in a tabletop position with your knees spread as far as comfortable. Rock back until you feel adequate stretching of your groin.

 

FEEL: You will feel a stretch in the groin/adductor region.

 

COMPENSATION: Make sure to keep your back flat, avoid rounding the back as you rock back.
90/90 Hip Stretch - Dynamic
HOW: Get set-up in a 90/90 position, you can use a yoga block or something else under your front hip to get into the correct position (follow video for tips and details). Once set-up, keep your thighs, knees, and feet flat against the ground, lift your chest up to make your torso long. Holding this position, shift your weight forward until you feel a stretch and hold that position for a moment, return to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in the back of your hip and your butt on the front thigh. You may feel a stretch inside your thigh and groin on the back leg.

 

COMPENSATION: See video for tips and details, the most important thing is having a long torso and relatively straight back as best as you can especially when you shift your weight forward. We want to move through our hip and not our low back
Dynamic Lat Stretch With Dowel

This stretch is designed to specifically target the Latissimus Dorsi. The Lat’s limited flexibility is often the culprit of excessive lumbar extension with overhead movement. This lumbar extension can be noticed with a rib flare & can cause Lower Back pain. Additionally, tight Lat’s often manifest in an internally rotated/rounded shoulders position, this is due to its action of internal rotation at the shoulder joint. This internal rotated position decreases subacromial space, which may result in SHOULDER IMPINGEMENT. Hopefully that shows the importance of flexibility in this muscle!

The Latissimus Dorsi is a LARGE pulling muscle which play a huge role in Extending, Internally rotating, and Adducting your gleno-humeral joint. So how do we stretch it? Moving in the opposite motion!

This means moving the shoulder into Flexion, External Rotation, and Abduction.

This clip demonstrates how to passively stretch the Latissimus Dorsi, followed by how to activate the Lat’s antagonist for an end-range lift off!

Adductor Rock Back
HOW: Get set-up on your hands and knees, on the side you want to perform the stretch kick your leg out to the side with the knee straight and foot lined up with your other knee. Find a neutral pelvic position with your low back relatively flat. While keeping this position, push yourself back with your hands and shift your butt backwards as far as you feel comfortable with. Return to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You will feel a stretch on the inside of your thigh and your groin on the leg that is kicked out.

 

COMPENSATION: Take your time with this exercise and try to keep a relatively flat back. Do not excessively arch or bend your back. Do not move your leg
90/90 Hip Stretch - Dynamic, Trunk Rotation
HOW: Get set-up in a 90/90 position, you can use a yoga block or something else under your front hip to get into the correct position (follow video for tips and details). Once set-up, keep your thighs, knees, and feet flat against the ground, lift your chest up to make your torso long. Holding this position, with the opposite arm of your front leg, reach around your front hip and rotate your upper body towards that side, return to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in the back of your hip and your butt on the front thigh. You may feel a stretch inside your thigh and groin on the back leg. You will also feel a stretch in your low back on the sides.

 

COMPENSATION: See video for tips and details, the most important thing is having a long torso and relatively straight back as best as you can, however towards the end of the rotation it is ok to bend. Do not hold your breath.
Dynamic Hamstring Warm-Up With Supine Band Assisted SLR and Hip Hinge With Band

All too often we see people sticking their leg up as high as they can on something, bend forward, and say they’re stretching their hamstrings. In reality, this person is hanging on passive structures, stretching their nerves, and probably pissing off their low back.

There are better ways to stretch your hamstrings! One of the easiest ways to stretch a muscle is to add a load to it. Another way to term this is to perform eccentric muscle actions. The hamstrings extend the hip and flex the knee – thus you want to perform movements that load the hip into flexion with the knee in extension.

Here are two exercises that are great to perform before leg day, running, or any type of sport. Most sport-related hamstring strains are due to an extreme uncontrolled stretch. Priming the hamstrings before activity and learning to actively control motion at end ranges is a way to prehab those hammys. Be sure to limit pelvis and low back motion, keep the ribs pulled down, and breathe through the exercises

Cat Cow - Lumbar Spine
WHY: This exercise will help with learning back and pelvic body awareness as well as it promotes global mobility of these regions. This exercise also provides the opportunity for your back to get comfortable with moving in and out of your spinal flexion and extension range of motion.

 

HOW: Get set-up on your hands and knees. While keeping the rest of your body still, round your entire back followed by slowly arching your entire back. Repeat

 

FEEL: When you round your back, you should feel like you’re pushing your chest away from the ground by pushing through your hands. You should also be performing a posterior pelvic tilt with rounding your back, thus your back looks like an angry cat. When arching your back, you should feel like your chest is dropping towards the ground, but you don’t want to bend at your elbows, keep your arms straight. You should also be performing an anterior pelvic tilt with arching your back, thus your back and head make the shape of a camel. Follow the video for other cues and tips.
Low Back And Hip Mobility Routine

Here are some of my favorite low back and hip warm-up + cool-down mobility drills. I like to perform these movements especially before and after golf. Opening up the thoracic spine and hips is so important to feel not restricted with your golf swing. However, I also have individuals with general hip and back mobility deficits perform these movements as well.

The hips, pelvis, and lumbar spine region is very complex. As we have said in many posts prior, proximal stability promote distal mobility. However, proximal stability is not limited to minimizing trunk/spinal movement. Proximal stability can be attained through controlled proximal mobility drills!

The mobility drills featured in this video primarily focus on slow and controlled trunk movements that promote movement throughout the spine. The videos are sped up 1.5x speed for viewing purposes, however these movements are not to be rushed. I would encourage you to try these drills with anyone that has limited trunk/pelvis rotation with walking or limited hip ROM, and reassess after.

When I am feeling extra tight/stiff and want to warm-up fast, I always use the back venom Hyperice

Thoracic Spine Active Rotation

Improve your Rotation!
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Here are 2 exercises to improve your Thoracic spine mobility, with some side benefit of improving Shoulder Mobility.

Exercise #1️⃣:
✅Start in a 1/2 kneeling position with a ball between your inner leg and the wall. This will ensure you DON’T cheat with any hip motion!
✅Try to rotate with your hand all the way around and back
-Progression: Keep your hand away from the wall the entire time

Exercise #2️⃣
✅In half kneeling – Keep both hands behind your head
✅Thoracic spine around the world against wall
✅Rotate all the way around and come back, try to challenge yourself from keeping the elbow away from the wall.
❌AVOID side-bending the opposite direction, this is a compensation.
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What is the difference between this and the open book exercise? This requires more active range of motion!

Quadruped Thoracic Spine Rotation

This stretch is for all the desk jockeys. The thoracic spine is often stable and generally on the stiffer side, limiting mobility. This limited mobility can manifest in compensations up or down the chain, which is why people often have neck and low back pain!
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Your thoracic spine–also known as your mid-back–is comprised of 12 vertebrae (T1-T12) and is responsible for about 35 degrees of rotation to each side. This number is just a norm and can vary from person to person. The amount of rotation you have depends significantly on your activity. For example, if you play golf or baseball you may have more rotation to one side than the other.
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To perform this exercise:
-Begin with a rock back to allow your lumbar spine to go into flexion in order to lock out your lower back. This allows the motion to come primarily from the thoracic spine.
-Rotate with one hand as far as you can while keeping your arm in contact with the floor.
-An alternative way of performing the exercise is shown with the hand on the head. Focus on opening up your chest to the wall you are rotating towards. Focus on moving ONLY at the thoracic spine. .
Note: This stretch will additionally open up your pecs!

Thoracic Spine Foam Rolling
HOW: Get set-up with your butt supported on the ground with a foam roller supporting your mid back. The goal is to make a ‘fulcrum’ that we can use to mobilize your mid back. Position the foam roller in your mid back and drive the upper half of your back “over” the foam roller while exhaling. Move the object to different areas of your mid back to mobilize multiple segments.

FEEL: You should feel moderate amounts of pressure in your mid back. If you feel a “pop”, that is totally normal and okay.

COMPENSATION: Do not put the foam roller on your lower back, just your upper back. Keep your core engaged and do not overly arch in your lower back.

Quadruped Thoracic Extension And Rotation Mobilization

Here are two excellent movements to increase thoracic spine mobility into rotation and extension!

When it comes to movement at the spine, it is all dictated by up-gliding and down-gliding of the zygapophyseal joints with RESPECT to joint movement. Up-gliding bilaterally is flexion, versus unilateral up-glide and contralateral down glide is associated with rotation and side-bending, depending on what side you’re referencing. Bilateral down-gliding is associated with extension. What does all of this anatomical lingo mean? Regardless of the direction of joint glides, it increases mobility at those functional spinal units and helps you move more in your spine!

The first exercise is focused on increasing thoracic rotation to the left. The next movement focuses on overhead shoulder flexion to drive thoracic extension. Did you know end-range shoulder flexion to 180 degrees is dependent on some thoracic extension?! Performing these movements in quadruped helps to decrease movement from the low back. Notice how the second movement I sit further back to really isolate the movement at the thoracic spine and limit movement from my lumbar spine.

Be sure to try this out before your workouts or sports!

Scapula Control Technique

Your scapula aka your shoulder blade is often very difficult for people to find. If you don’t initiate movements like rows or pull-ups from the scapula = you will “arm” the movement. Meaning you will rely heavily on shoulder and arm muscles. Your scapula is able to handle more load than your arm muscles.
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With any movement you want to move proximally to distally, the scapula should initiate the motion when performing a movement like the Row, Lat Pull-Down, or when performing pull-ups.
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Shown here are a couple movements that will help improve scapula control.
Realize that at First implementing this strategy may decrease your performance, however the potential to improve your performance increases.
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1️⃣start in open chain with your arms moving in space
2️⃣add a resistance band which will help give a resistance cue to target the scapula retractors (muscles that pull your shoulder blade back)
-keep minimal elbow flexion here
3️⃣perform scapula pull-ups also with minimal elbow flexion

Levator Scapulae Stretch
HOW: Begin this exercise upright. Keep the hand of the side to be stretched behind your back. Bring your nose towards the opposite armpit (here I am showing my nose going to the Left armpit). This requires you to flex your head forward, sidebend away, and rotate away from the side you want to stretch.

 

FEEL: The levator scapulae (muscle on the back outside of your neck) being stretched.

 

COMPENSATION: letting the shoulder girdle elevate on the side of the neck that is being stretched.
Levator Scapulae Mobilization

If I had the power to re-create the Human Body, do you want to know the ONE MUSCLE I would leave out??? That’s right you guessed it – the LEVATOR SCAPULAE! The levator scapulae has got to be the single most annoying and most painful muscle out there. It’s literally SO SMALL, yet is can inflict SO MUCH PAIN AND DISCOMFORT on your neck and shoulders!

A plethora of things can cause or contribute to levator scapulae pain, including but not limited to whiplash, forward head posture, working/sleeping with the head turned for too long or holding a phone between your shoulder and ear for too long. Or, as highlighted in yesterday’s post, simply upper trap overuse – and consequently levator scapular overuse as it is a scapular elevator as well – can lead to the development of trigger points which can literally leave you in 10/10 pain. If your think you have levator scapulae or upper trap pain and are looking for some soft tissue work, give this self-release a try.

Using the @mobloko trigger point ball, place it on your neck/shoulder region where you feel your greatest discomfort and lay down on it. This pressure alone may already be enough. If you need more pressure, SLOWLY raise your arm. As you raise your arm, the pressure will INCREASE. Try holding the position for a few seconds, then relax. Repeat 10-15 times per spot. Be gentle with it!

Stretching Neck Muscles

With the amount of time we spend sitting at a � desk, it’s no surprise that two of the most commonly tight muscles in our neck are the levator scapulae and upper trapezius. However, despite the seemingly close anatomical similarities between these two muscles, there are distinct ways in which we can isolate stretching them.
Additionally demonstrated here is how to stretch the Scalenes.
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To Stretch the Upper Trapezius- Listen to your opposite arm pit: Contralateral Side bend, Ipsilateral Rotation, Flexion (Add the Chin Tuck) of the cervical spine
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Levator Scapulae- Smell your opposite arm pit: Contralateral Side bend, Contralateral Rotation, Flexion (Add the Chin Tuck) of the cervical spine.
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Scalanes-There are 3 components to the Scalenes (Anterior, Middle, and Posterior): To stretch these perform a contralateral side bend of the cervical spine.

Note: Sitting on your ipsilateral hand will keep the shoulder girdle depressed on the side you want to stretch to maximally stretch these muscles, try it out!
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Tag a friend that needs to do these stretches!

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