Part 1: Cat-Camel

This next video series is going to be on drills that improve your thoracic mobility for your mid-back. This allows for a better overhead position. People don't realize that your mid-back is a huge part of being able to get your hand over your head in the position that you want, especially if you want to add weight to it

The first exercise we're going to show is a universal mobility exercise for your spine: cat camel or cat cow, whichever you prefer. You're going to start on your hands and knees, then you’re going to tuck your chin to your chest. Next you're going to round your back as much as you possibly can, hold it for a couple seconds, and then flip and arch your back including your neck all the way up as much as you possibly can.

You can go through this motion nice and slow and controlled about 10 times to get that thoracic mobility and get ready to load that overhead position.

Part 2: Open Book

The next exercise for improved thoracic Mobility to get a better overhead position, is going to be an open book exercise

To start, you're going to get down on your side on the floor. You're going to bring your knees up to your chest, and with your hands on top of each other, you're going to open all the way up. Let your upper shoulder kind of fall back to the ground and get that rotation through your mid back, and finally come all the way back putting your hands together.

This is a really good exercise to open up that thoracic spine and get you ready to lift over head as well.

Part 3: Quadruped Thoracic Rotation

The next exercise for improved thoracic mobility and overhead position, is going to be a thoracic rotation on your hands and knees.

So what you're going to do is get on your hands and knees, then you're going to take one hand put it behind your neck. Next you're going to leave your knees where they are, taking that elbow you're going to reach it down towards your opposite knee as far as you can, and then open all the way up. Look up at your elbow and then come back down.

You're getting a stretch through the thoracic spine and the musculature surrounding it. When you open, you're especially getting more of that activation and end range rotation.

Part 4: Wall slide

The next exercise in the thoracic mobility series to improve that overhead position is going to be a standing thoracic extension or wall slides. This one is pretty tough. You really have to focus really hard on it.

What you’re going to do is stand a little bit away from the wall, maybe like a foot or so and then you're going to put your arms straight over your head. Now what you're trying to do is reach your arms back over your head and tap the wall without extending too much through your lumbar spine. Your lumbar spine will extend the little, but you really want to focus on feeling it right in your mid back.

Part 5: Seated Thoracic Ext Drill

The next exercise in the thoracic mobility series is going to be a seated thoracic extension drill.

What you're going to do is just find yourself a chair. In an ideal world, it would be a chair with the back that comes right in the thoracic spot where you feel the tightest, but it can be anywhere throughout the mid back. You're going to lean up against the back of that chair, then you’re going to put your hands right in the back of your neck, and then you're going to lean all the way back. ❗️Make sure you're sitting up nice and tall with your butt to the end of the chair as much as possible. Next you're going to take your elbows and drive them up and over as much as you can and bring them back down. Again, you want to find a position or chair that gets that to sweet spot, using the chair as a fulcrum. ❗️You don't want to be slamming yourself into the chair. You want to get that good extension and go over the top.

Part 6: Shoulder External Rotation + Thoracic Extension

The last exercise in the thoracic mobility series is going to be the super long name, so we're going to call it shoulder external rotation with thoracic extension.

You're going to need a boxer bench or anything that you can rest your elbows on. This exercise can be done in different ways for different purposes.

You’re going to put your elbows up on the box or bench. You're going to take your hands and bring them out so that your hand are wider than your elbows (that's the external rotation component of this exercise). Then you’re going to back up to a point where you can take your torso and push your face down towards the box or bench and get that nice extended spine. ❗️We don't want to be rounded here. We want the spine to be extended and you're kind of pushing down into that position. You can hold it or you can go back in forth with it.

So try all these exercises out, and thank you for watching our series on exercises for thoracic mobility!

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