Thoughts On Posture + A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!
A few Friday’s ago I had the pleasure of joining in on an educational webinar about the shoulder.
Riveting Friday afternoon, right?
The Doctor who was giving the lecture said something that I thought was really eye-opening and immediately made me think of all of us gym-goer's who workout, but also work a routine day job, which probably has us sitting more times than not.
When she got to the spine, as it relates to the shoulder, she informed that the spine is one of the only joint structures in the body that has to move all over the place - rotation, side to side, front and back - BUT is not responsible for initiating that movement.
*Low key, my mind was blown. I had never pieced that together*
But what does this mean for you?
It means that every time you look over your right shoulder when backing your car around, whenever you lean forward to pick something up, whenever you walk in to your house carrying all two bags of groceries, your spine is moving, but isn't the REASON it is moving. It's like a tag-a-long.
What this ALSO means is that if you have shoulder or lower back pain, the decent function and movement of the spine is really important.
^^That last sentence is probably the relevant piece to take home today^^
I also thought it was a timely statement by the Doctor, since I had just made an Instagram video talking about movements in your training session and whether or not you should 'feel' them and what value those movements you can't feel bring to the table. You can check that video out right here, if you are interested....
So, our spine does important things, and the muscles around the spine make it do those important things. How can we keep our spine moving well?
Ah, I am so glad you asked!
For when you want your spine to extend (bend backwards) better, this mobilization exercise is a favorite of mine. I've found that when you have trouble raising your arms or have pinchy shoulders, this is a great move to do in your warm up. I also think that this is a must-do if you sit at a desk for more than 4 hours a day...
Trainer Tip: Perform 3 sets of 6-8 reps of this right after your warm up and paired with your first strength movement. It works well if you've gotten a little sweaty from the start of your workout.
When you need your spine to move side to side, like when you're carrying your groceries in to your house (shout out to all my one-trippers out there...), this weighted side bend should be a staple in your training, as a filler movement OR in the warm up.
Trainer Tip: Perform 3 sets of 15-25 reps per side at any point in your training session. My favorite is to superset it with a lower body movement like a lunges or squats.
When you're putting the car in reverse and need to rotate, or even if you just want to turn and look over your shoulder, training your spine to twist is super important. A go-to of mine is this seated lift off....
Trainer Tip: Perform 3-5 of these lift offs per side, at any point in your training session
*For whatever reason, YouTube hates this video and wouldn’t directly upload on this article…
A really good entry point to working the spine in a variety of directions is this controlled articular rotation, also known as a CAR. CAR's do a good job of taking a joint or area of the body through a safe range of motion, ranges that you might not always get (i.e. you sit a lot, you sleep on your side, etc.). I like this variation with a bench or chair by your butt so you can't cheat and move at your hips.
Trainer Tip: I like this movement any time, any day of the week, and as often as you want to do it. CARS work really well as a daily vitamin for movement!
If you're reading this and you've had achey backs and/or shoulders, or want to help combat a long day of sitting at a desk, or even if you want a few good movements to do after an extended car ride, I would make sure you save these for future reference. A little bit of love, scattered throughout the week, goes a long way in keeping your body- in this case your spine- loving life!
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