Share This: Thoracic (mid-back) extension is kind of a big deal. Thoracic Extension. Coaching Notes: … Never believed that it was this simple after all. Perform a similar motion to the “prayer stretch” by sitting your hips back on your heels and simultaneously dropping your chest towards the ground. These patients lack thoracic extension. Add them into your training. Consequently I’m forced to take a wide grip on the bar, and due to the angle of my forearms, I don’t get my hands down onto the bar all that much. Overhead squat with tubing —this exercise will attempt to pull the arms and shoulders into extension and the thoracic spine into flexion. It looks awesome! I’ve found this is often the case with large males with a lot of upper back muscle mass, and also obese individuals. Posture: Front squatting recruits the muscles of the upper back and forces thoracic extension in order to hold the bar on the shoulder.It can help prevent kyphosis in the thoracic spine if elbows are kept as high as possible throughout the movement. It's important, though, that you start with basic positioning. Take a barbell and perform a set of five front squats. This will be a small motion as too much side bend will cause your hips to rise from the seated position and your low back to move. Proper thoracic extension is very important for front squats, as the Turtleback syndrome affects many when they have to bear a front load. 3) Arms Crossed Limited Deep Squat: If the client is asked to perform the squat without the club overhead, and they still can’t seem to go fully into a squat, then we … They will not fix any stiffness in one session. Thoracic Extension – If you are not holding your upper back in extension, the weight of the bar will be carried by your elbows and shoulders, and you will not adequately transmit the force during the movement, which will cause your squat to be more difficult and your back to feel like “this leaning over thing is going to hurt me.” Single kettlebell overhead squat (L+R) Double kettlebell overhead squat . Clean-Grip Overhead Squat The clean-grip overhead squat introduces some strengthening to the mobilization. Better Thoracic Extension. Because each spinal joint of the mid-back moves on top of each other in a similar fashion during rotation and extension, we can also work to improve thoracic spine mobility with rotational exercises. Would just like to hear your opinion… do you think poor front squat form (rounding the upper back/pulling with the when coming up) can lead to T-spine injury? The primary osteokinematic function (movement of bones) of the thoracic spine is rotation and, to a smaller degree, extension (bending the spine backward) and lateral bending. The thoracic spine plays a huge role in keeping the shoulders and the lumbar spine working properly, and pain-free. Most people struggle with at least one of these mobility and stability issues: 1. In no particular order: It’s what the mid-back (T1-T12) is designed to do. According to Hamlyn et al., the lumbar erectors fire harder during squats than deadlifts, but the thoracic erectors fire harder during deadlifts than squats. I was better able to control my hips and back angle, the bar stuck to my back like glue, and my elbow pain vanished as I was no longer leading up with the elbows out of the hole. Continue to reach with your arms together overhead while you let your breath out slowly. Anyway thanks! Get thoracic extension mobility and control and you will take a lot of stress off the other areas of your body. Try this exercise I first saw from Gray Cook (the founder of the FMS screen and author of the book Movement). In obvious cases of thoracic flexion, the elbows will be excessively high, and the neck flexed forward with chin down. Start in an “All 4’s” position (quadruped). This will help you find which of the following exercises are most efficient for your body. I attended a Starting Strength Squat Camp at Black Iron Training in the Spring of 2015, as well as the full seminar also at Kurisko’s gym in August of 2015. Kudos to you! Perform 10-20 reps on each side. Rip had pointed out a lack of tightness during the seminar, prodding my upper back and saying, “This is all just a big soft fucking mess.” But at the time I was pre-occupied with trying to change my hand position, and did not respond to the cue effectively. Hi guys, am really enjoying your posts. In order to have great technique when lifting and decrease your risk of shoulder injury you need an ample amount of mid-back extension. With the front squat, more thoracic extension is required compared to the back squat. With the thoracic extensions on a foam roller, make sure you’re moving through the back and not substituting with cervical extension. See this video for more on this topic. Honestly the internet used to be like a different place, recently though it has turned around. Have someone watch you if you have any doubts. Doing overhead squats can actually help relieve these issues. Once home, I deloaded my squats for a fresh start, and did another read-thru of the squat chapter in Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training. Many will interpret this as a cue to keep the torso vertical, or to lift the chest out of the hole. Take your right hand and place it on the back of your head. They may misunderstand that the “lean over” cue does not mean a rounding of the upper back. Look for areas that are skipped, appear not to move, or remain relatively flat; Extension typically begins around T5. We can blame 21st-century workplaces and lifestyle habits, but the good thing is the thoracic spine and mid back region respond extremely well to the right dose of exercises. Welcome back to Squat University. The front squat teaches the lifter how to find the ideal balance between spinal extension and anterior core activation. The next progression for rotational mobility starts in a seated position with a PVC pipe across your upper back (as if performing a high bar back squat). Purpose of Test: To identify the impact decompression has on the patient’s symptoms. And on the bench T-spine mobilizations, make sure you’re keeping the core engaged so as to not move excessively through the lumbar spine. The lifter may not visually round their upper back, or the bulk of the individual makes the flexion hard to detect, but the effects of not staying tight under the bar will be present. To increase the intensity of the stretch, you can use the assistance of a resistance band. This exercise alone, I firmly believe is one of the best thoracic spine rotation exercises I’ve done in a very long time and think everyone should start incorporating it daily. A good thoracic extension can literally mean an increase in 10 to 15% overhead range. If your pecs and lats are too tight, try placing your right hand on your left shoulder and then perform the maneuver. Better Thoracic Extension. This often is seen lost over time due to working at the computer, jobs requiring heavy lifting, and just the majority of our daily lives requiring us to do things in front Working through my linear progression, I began to encounter several issues once the weight on the bar got into the mid 300s. You certainly wouldn’t want to try to squat while standing on a mattress, or with roller skates on your feet, and you also don’t want to squat with a heavy bar resting on an upper back that’s a big soft fucking mess. Without turning this into an anatomy lesson, t-spine extension is important for a variety of reasons. But luckily hardly anyone practices it any longer but you may desire to look into it They require excellent glute activation, thoracic extension, hip flexion and ankle dorsiflexion. Very Useful Stuff! In summary, a squat requires the requisite amount of flexion at the hips, knees, and ankles with a spine that does not change in curvature during the movement. Something jumped out on this pass through the book, and it was a key piece of technique that I had basically ignored up to that point. It’s okay if your low back rounds a little to get into this position (doing so will “lock in” your low back so we can concentrate on your upper back). As I progressed on to intermediate programming I had gotten better at controlling and correcting these issues, but had not been successful at eliminating them altogether. Not only does it greatly improve the strength of the quadricep muscles, but it also trains the thoracic spine. Limited rotation also means there will be decreased extension in the thoracic spine. This motion should bring out a good stretch in your mid-back and possibly to your lats on the sides of your torso as well. There are two variations of this one: The first one is done with no weight for reps, the second is done with a light DB (2-3kgs) and held for a short time. Your coach can help you specifically diagnose this: if you feel you are afraid to achieve the amount of horizontal lean that is required for good hip drive in the squat. Bend your left elbow and place it between your knees. Either way, there are a few simple fixes. If your squat mobility is good but you’re not able to hold a kettlebell straight overhead, you must look at your thoracic mobility amongst other things, but that being a priority. Tight, overlifted pecs that pull the shoulders and upper back forward. Do you notice your mid-back rolling like the Andes? This motion should bring out a good stretch to your mid back (and again possibly your lat muscles). Share This: Thoracic (mid-back) extension is kind of a big deal. Are You Wearing The Right Shoes For Squatting? If you do, I recommend seeking out a medical professional such as a physical therapist or chiropractor. We get that new mobility and control and thoracic extension squat will take a barbell and perform 10 repetitions each. Immediately disappeared Rip worked on me to try and fix my grip and! Relieve these issues would stay with me for some time, since I was not actively keeping my back! Reflect a mild relative extension from beginning to end neck health, and I quite. 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