#increase shoulder mobility

[amgelodc-blog]

New Post has been published on http://dailyvitamoves.com/mobility-exercises-for-shoulders-thoracic-spine/

Mobility Exercises for Shoulders & Thoracic Spine

How To Improve Shoulder Mobility and More

People sometimes tell me their shoulders feel tight and ask me for mobility exercises to loosen up their shoulders, but I’m always careful to ask a bunch of questions before suggesting anything or until I’m able to meet with them in person. The reason is that the shoulder joint itself has a wide capacity to move in many directions because it’s in a very shallow “ball & socket” joint and held together by muscles, tendons, & ligaments that aren’t very thick.

This means that the shoulder can be more susceptible to injury especially because we use it so frequently when we use our hands, reach for things, push on things, lift things off the ground or overhead, etc. In addition, the function of the shoulder joint also relies on other body parts to be working properly as well.

For example, when we have more of a hunched over posture, this will limit our ability to reach overhead because the ball of the humerus (upper arm bone) will compress more into the acromion (the roof of the shoulder joint). Also, the rounded upper back will overstretch the muscles along the thoracic spine and weaken them. Another thing that can happen is that our head may be held forward of our shoulders which causes more stress on our neck muscles and joints because they have to work harder to keep our head up.

However, we can counteract all of this by doing today’s shoulder mobility exercise. You’ll learn that there’s a lot more you can accomplish than gain more shoulder flexibility.

BTW, this is another one of those simple-looking exercises, but not so easy to perform. So don’t strain yourself to do it exactly how I demonstrate. Do what you can and as you do it more, you’ll get better.

Here’s to making moves that nourish your life!

[divider style=”7″]

Level of challenge:

Moderate to Challenging

Benefits:

Improve shoulder external rotation muscle contraction

Improve posterior to anterior mobility & endurance of thoracic spine extension

Counteract forward head posture

Strengthen low back and abdominal stability

Set-up:

Stand with feet hip-width apart

Place fingertips touching behind head

If you can be in this position for more than 10 seconds without pain or discomfort, you can proceed with the movement

Movement:

Begin simultaneously to reach your right hand towards your left shoulder and your left hand towards your right shoulder with your right hand moving on top of your left hand

As you do so, keep your head and spine in neutral position, the same position it’s in when you’re standing upright – you should feel your upper back and neck muscles contracting. There should be no pain. If so, stop the exercise.

Also, prevent your low back from curving inward more (increasing lordosis) – you should feel your abdominal muscles contract

Once you’ve reached as far as you can comfortably go, slowly come back to the starting position with your fingertips at the back of your head

Repeat this time with the left hand moving on top of your right hand as you reach for opposite shoulders

Recommended use:

 10 repetitions

Perform at least 3 times a day

Be sure to maintain steady breathing while performing

[amgelodc-blog]

New Post has been published on http://dailyvitamoves.com/mobility-exercises-for-shoulders-thoracic-spine/

Mobility Exercises for Shoulders & Thoracic Spine

How To Improve Shoulder Mobility and More

People sometimes tell me their shoulders feel tight and ask me for mobility exercises to loosen up their shoulders, but I’m always careful to ask a bunch of questions before suggesting anything or until I’m able to meet with them in person. The reason is that the shoulder joint itself has a wide capacity to move in many directions because it’s in a very shallow “ball & socket” joint and held together by muscles, tendons, & ligaments that aren’t very thick.

This means that the shoulder can be more susceptible to injury especially because we use it so frequently when we use our hands, reach for things, push on things, lift things off the ground or overhead, etc. In addition, the function of the shoulder joint also relies on other body parts to be working properly as well.

For example, when we have more of a hunched over posture, this will limit our ability to reach overhead because the ball of the humerus (upper arm bone) will compress more into the acromion (the roof of the shoulder joint). Also, the rounded upper back will overstretch the muscles along the thoracic spine and weaken them. Another thing that can happen is that our head may be held forward of our shoulders which causes more stress on our neck muscles and joints because they have to work harder to keep our head up.

However, we can counteract all of this by doing today’s shoulder mobility exercise. You’ll learn that there’s a lot more you can accomplish than gain more shoulder flexibility.

BTW, this is another one of those simple-looking exercises, but not so easy to perform. So don’t strain yourself to do it exactly how I demonstrate. Do what you can and as you do it more, you’ll get better.

Here’s to making moves that nourish your life!

[divider style=”7″]

Level of challenge:

Moderate to Challenging

Benefits:

Improve shoulder external rotation muscle contraction

Improve posterior to anterior mobility & endurance of thoracic spine extension

Counteract forward head posture

Strengthen low back and abdominal stability

Set-up:

Stand with feet hip-width apart

Place fingertips touching behind head

If you can be in this position for more than 10 seconds without pain or discomfort, you can proceed with the movement

Movement:

Begin simultaneously to reach your right hand towards your left shoulder and your left hand towards your right shoulder with your right hand moving on top of your left hand

As you do so, keep your head and spine in neutral position, the same position it’s in when you’re standing upright – you should feel your upper back and neck muscles contracting. There should be no pain. If so, stop the exercise.

Also, prevent your low back from curving inward more (increasing lordosis) – you should feel your abdominal muscles contract

Once you’ve reached as far as you can comfortably go, slowly come back to the starting position with your fingertips at the back of your head

Repeat this time with the left hand moving on top of your right hand as you reach for opposite shoulders

Recommended use:

 10 repetitions

Perform at least 3 times a day

Be sure to maintain steady breathing while performing

[amgelodc-blog]

New Post has been published on http://dailyvitamoves.com/mobility-exercises-for-shoulders-thoracic-spine/

Mobility Exercises for Shoulders & Thoracic Spine

How To Improve Shoulder Mobility and More

People sometimes tell me their shoulders feel tight and ask me for mobility exercises to loosen up their shoulders, but I’m always careful to ask a bunch of questions before suggesting anything or until I’m able to meet with them in person. The reason is that the shoulder joint itself has a wide capacity to move in many directions because it’s in a very shallow “ball & socket” joint and held together by muscles, tendons, & ligaments that aren’t very thick.

This means that the shoulder can be more susceptible to injury especially because we use it so frequently when we use our hands, reach for things, push on things, lift things off the ground or overhead, etc. In addition, the function of the shoulder joint also relies on other body parts to be working properly as well.

For example, when we have more of a hunched over posture, this will limit our ability to reach overhead because the ball of the humerus (upper arm bone) will compress more into the acromion (the roof of the shoulder joint). Also, the rounded upper back will overstretch the muscles along the thoracic spine and weaken them. Another thing that can happen is that our head may be held forward of our shoulders which causes more stress on our neck muscles and joints because they have to work harder to keep our head up.

However, we can counteract all of this by doing today’s shoulder mobility exercise. You’ll learn that there’s a lot more you can accomplish than gain more shoulder flexibility.

BTW, this is another one of those simple-looking exercises, but not so easy to perform. So don’t strain yourself to do it exactly how I demonstrate. Do what you can and as you do it more, you’ll get better.

Here’s to making moves that nourish your life!

[divider style=”7″]

Level of challenge:

Moderate to Challenging

Benefits:

Improve shoulder external rotation muscle contraction

Improve posterior to anterior mobility & endurance of thoracic spine extension

Counteract forward head posture

Strengthen low back and abdominal stability

Set-up:

Stand with feet hip-width apart

Place fingertips touching behind head

If you can be in this position for more than 10 seconds without pain or discomfort, you can proceed with the movement

Movement:

Begin simultaneously to reach your right hand towards your left shoulder and your left hand towards your right shoulder with your right hand moving on top of your left hand

As you do so, keep your head and spine in neutral position, the same position it’s in when you’re standing upright – you should feel your upper back and neck muscles contracting. There should be no pain. If so, stop the exercise.

Also, prevent your low back from curving inward more (increasing lordosis) – you should feel your abdominal muscles contract

Once you’ve reached as far as you can comfortably go, slowly come back to the starting position with your fingertips at the back of your head

Repeat this time with the left hand moving on top of your right hand as you reach for opposite shoulders

Recommended use:

 10 repetitions

Perform at least 3 times a day

Be sure to maintain steady breathing while performing

[amgelodc-blog]

New Post has been published on http://dailyvitamoves.com/mobility-exercises-for-shoulders-thoracic-spine/

Mobility Exercises for Shoulders & Thoracic Spine

How To Improve Shoulder Mobility and More

People sometimes tell me their shoulders feel tight and ask me for mobility exercises to loosen up their shoulders, but I’m always careful to ask a bunch of questions before suggesting anything or until I’m able to meet with them in person. The reason is that the shoulder joint itself has a wide capacity to move in many directions because it’s in a very shallow “ball & socket” joint and held together by muscles, tendons, & ligaments that aren’t very thick.

This means that the shoulder can be more susceptible to injury especially because we use it so frequently when we use our hands, reach for things, push on things, lift things off the ground or overhead, etc. In addition, the function of the shoulder joint also relies on other body parts to be working properly as well.

For example, when we have more of a hunched over posture, this will limit our ability to reach overhead because the ball of the humerus (upper arm bone) will compress more into the acromion (the roof of the shoulder joint). Also, the rounded upper back will overstretch the muscles along the thoracic spine and weaken them. Another thing that can happen is that our head may be held forward of our shoulders which causes more stress on our neck muscles and joints because they have to work harder to keep our head up.

However, we can counteract all of this by doing today’s shoulder mobility exercise. You’ll learn that there’s a lot more you can accomplish than gain more shoulder flexibility.

BTW, this is another one of those simple-looking exercises, but not so easy to perform. So don’t strain yourself to do it exactly how I demonstrate. Do what you can and as you do it more, you’ll get better.

Here’s to making moves that nourish your life!

[divider style=”7″]

Level of challenge:

Moderate to Challenging

Benefits:

Improve shoulder external rotation muscle contraction

Improve posterior to anterior mobility & endurance of thoracic spine extension

Counteract forward head posture

Strengthen low back and abdominal stability

Set-up:

Stand with feet hip-width apart

Place fingertips touching behind head

If you can be in this position for more than 10 seconds without pain or discomfort, you can proceed with the movement

Movement:

Begin simultaneously to reach your right hand towards your left shoulder and your left hand towards your right shoulder with your right hand moving on top of your left hand

As you do so, keep your head and spine in neutral position, the same position it’s in when you’re standing upright – you should feel your upper back and neck muscles contracting. There should be no pain. If so, stop the exercise.

Also, prevent your low back from curving inward more (increasing lordosis) – you should feel your abdominal muscles contract

Once you’ve reached as far as you can comfortably go, slowly come back to the starting position with your fingertips at the back of your head

Repeat this time with the left hand moving on top of your right hand as you reach for opposite shoulders

Recommended use:

 10 repetitions

Perform at least 3 times a day

Be sure to maintain steady breathing while performing

[amgelodc-blog]

New Post has been published on http://dailyvitamoves.com/mobility-exercises-for-shoulders-thoracic-spine/

Mobility Exercises for Shoulders & Thoracic Spine

How To Improve Shoulder Mobility and More

People sometimes tell me their shoulders feel tight and ask me for mobility exercises to loosen up their shoulders, but I’m always careful to ask a bunch of questions before suggesting anything or until I’m able to meet with them in person. The reason is that the shoulder joint itself has a wide capacity to move in many directions because it’s in a very shallow “ball & socket” joint and held together by muscles, tendons, & ligaments that aren’t very thick.

This means that the shoulder can be more susceptible to injury especially because we use it so frequently when we use our hands, reach for things, push on things, lift things off the ground or overhead, etc. In addition, the function of the shoulder joint also relies on other body parts to be working properly as well.

For example, when we have more of a hunched over posture, this will limit our ability to reach overhead because the ball of the humerus (upper arm bone) will compress more into the acromion (the roof of the shoulder joint). Also, the rounded upper back will overstretch the muscles along the thoracic spine and weaken them. Another thing that can happen is that our head may be held forward of our shoulders which causes more stress on our neck muscles and joints because they have to work harder to keep our head up.

However, we can counteract all of this by doing today’s shoulder mobility exercise. You’ll learn that there’s a lot more you can accomplish than gain more shoulder flexibility.

BTW, this is another one of those simple-looking exercises, but not so easy to perform. So don’t strain yourself to do it exactly how I demonstrate. Do what you can and as you do it more, you’ll get better.

Here’s to making moves that nourish your life!

Level of challenge:

Moderate to Challenging

Benefits:

Improve shoulder external rotation muscle contraction

Improve posterior to anterior mobility & endurance of thoracic spine extension

Counteract forward head posture

Strengthen low back and abdominal stability

Set-up:

Stand with feet hip-width apart

Place fingertips touching behind head

If you can be in this position for more than 10 seconds without pain or discomfort, you can proceed with the movement

Movement:

Begin simultaneously to reach your right hand towards your left shoulder and your left hand towards your right shoulder with your right hand moving on top of your left hand

As you do so, keep your head and spine in neutral position, the same position it's in when you're standing upright – you should feel your upper back and neck muscles contracting. There should be no pain. If so, stop the exercise.

Also, prevent your low back from curving inward more (increasing lordosis) – you should feel your abdominal muscles contract

Once you've reached as far as you can comfortably go, slowly come back to the starting position with your fingertips at the back of your head

Repeat this time with the left hand moving on top of your right hand as you reach for opposite shoulders

Recommended use:

 10 repetitions

Perform at least 3 times a day

Be sure to maintain steady breathing while performing

[amgelodc-blog]

New Post has been published on http://dailyvitamoves.com/mobility-exercises-for-shoulders-thoracic-spine/

Mobility Exercises for Shoulders & Thoracic Spine

How To Improve Shoulder Mobility and More

People sometimes tell me their shoulders feel tight and ask me for mobility exercises to loosen up their shoulders, but I’m always careful to ask a bunch of questions before suggesting anything or until I’m able to meet with them in person. The reason is that the shoulder joint itself has a wide capacity to move in many directions because it’s in a very shallow “ball & socket” joint and held together by muscles, tendons, & ligaments that aren’t very thick.

This means that the shoulder can be more susceptible to injury especially because we use it so frequently when we use our hands, reach for things, push on things, lift things off the ground or overhead, etc. In addition, the function of the shoulder joint also relies on other body parts to be working properly as well.

For example, when we have more of a hunched over posture, this will limit our ability to reach overhead because the ball of the humerus (upper arm bone) will compress more into the acromion (the roof of the shoulder joint). Also, the rounded upper back will overstretch the muscles along the thoracic spine and weaken them. Another thing that can happen is that our head may be held forward of our shoulders which causes more stress on our neck muscles and joints because they have to work harder to keep our head up.

However, we can counteract all of this by doing today’s shoulder mobility exercise. You’ll learn that there’s a lot more you can accomplish than gain more shoulder flexibility.

BTW, this is another one of those simple-looking exercises, but not so easy to perform. So don’t strain yourself to do it exactly how I demonstrate. Do what you can and as you do it more, you’ll get better.

Here’s to making moves that nourish your life!

Level of challenge:

Moderate to Challenging

Benefits:

Improve shoulder external rotation muscle contraction

Improve posterior to anterior mobility & endurance of thoracic spine extension

Counteract forward head posture

Strengthen low back and abdominal stability

Set-up:

Stand with feet hip-width apart

Place fingertips touching behind head

If you can be in this position for more than 10 seconds without pain or discomfort, you can proceed with the movement

Movement:

Begin simultaneously to reach your right hand towards your left shoulder and your left hand towards your right shoulder with your right hand moving on top of your left hand

As you do so, keep your head and spine in neutral position, the same position it's in when you're standing upright – you should feel your upper back and neck muscles contracting. There should be no pain. If so, stop the exercise.

Also, prevent your low back from curving inward more (increasing lordosis) – you should feel your abdominal muscles contract

Once you've reached as far as you can comfortably go, slowly come back to the starting position with your fingertips at the back of your head

Repeat this time with the left hand moving on top of your right hand as you reach for opposite shoulders

Recommended use:

 10 repetitions

Perform at least 3 times a day

Be sure to maintain steady breathing while performing