Mar
10
Spend most of the day over the computer eh?
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
Think of me next time your leaning over that keyboard!
Cheers
Dave
