Today I was coaching a fella who wants to Olympic lift…

What those oober strong, leotard wearing athletes in the Olympics do when they chuck a bar over their head

Thing is he spends a lot of his day hunched over a desk on a laptop

Surprise surprise his back aches plenty

And he’s got a bit of a ‘haunch’ like an old age pensioner

This is a problem…

As he’s unable to hold the bar overhead and squat down…

Without having his shoulder wobble like jello and dropping the bar in front of him

He shares a problem I guarantee most of you will have…

Poor mobility in your upper back (thoracic spine)

And this devil is more than likely causing you epic…

Back pain

Shoulder pain

And neck pain

If you spend your hours at an office desk, this lack of mobility will be crippling you

Just like the wannabe leotard wearing guy I coach

But I’ve had to spend years correcting this…

Most prominently in a rugby player who changed positions early in his professional career

The new position required him to throw overhead, but there was a problem

He literally shouldn’t lift his arms back far enough to do it

But with some dedicated, consistent work, he’s now one of the worlds finest players in his position

Get your ‘pulling’ strength better can pull you into a better position, by doing 2-3 times more than pushing exercises

(Rather than tight pecs pulling your forward from all that bench press, your pulling muscles counter this)

Using stretching and foam rolling on this area, daily, quickly you can wave goodbye to those pains

The most basic way is to literally lie on your back on the floor, arms over head and while keeping you back flat, reach overhead

Hanging from a bar (even though you look a bit daft) can work…

Also reaching overhead, keeping your lower back flat, and filling your lungs with air and tucking your chin

You can also now do your train without feeling the Hunchback of Nostredam

That’s why this area is typically an aspect I train in all the people I coach, from athletes, to office workers, weekend warriors to consultants

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Think of me next time your leaning over that keyboard!

Cheers

Dave