In this article I will tell you my best exercises so that you can regain more mobility in your spine and prevent pain – even in the office.
In addition, the exercises are also available in a video so that you can get started right away.
Who should mobilize their thoracic spine anyway?
In principle, everyone can benefit from the exercises presented.
Remaining in one position for too long is poison for your spine. If you want to mobilize your thoracic spine, the following exercises will help you.
They are particularly helpful for people who sit a lot – for example, when you have an office job or generally a lot before Computer sits.
I often feel that I sit in front of the screen all day with a certain tension in my upper back.
What exactly is going on in your body?
Well, to put it simply: You’re rusting!
This means that your vertebral joints become stiff due to insufficient movement and your muscles can no longer be controlled as well by your nervous system. Both together are consequences of rigid postures (regardless of whether the back is straight or crooked).
The thoracic spine is a – let’s call it – joint that should be mobile. Michael Boyle reports on this in his Joint by Joint Approach.
You may know the principle.
Use it or loose it.
This also applies to the mobility of your spine. If you no longer move it properly in everyday life because you have a sedentary lifestyle, you just have to make sure that it remains supple in return.
The following exercises will help you.
Mobilize the thoracic spine – the exercise video with 5 exercises
Important for all exercises: Do them with the full range of motion (FROM)!
Even with mobility training, you can easily work up a sweat, so you can put some muscular effort on yourself, especially at the end of your range of motion in the joint. In this way, you train your central nervous system to allow greater ranges of motion and loosen tense muscles.
If you want to find out more about mobility, read here.
Exercise 1. BWS rotation
To do this, stand in the bench position, bend one arm and place your hand on your temple. Then rotate to the elbow of the arm touching the floor and back up as far as you can.
Repeat 10 times on one side, then it’s the other side’s turn.
Exercise 2. Cat / Horse BWS
You may know the humpback and the counter exercise to it.
It is always called a little differently, but when you hear horseback, cow or camel, you can already imagine what it is about. Namely, that you alternately bend and straighten your spine.
In this case, we’re focusing on the thoracic spine, so you put your buttocks almost on your heels to stabilize your hips and focus only on the upper part of your spine.
10 repetitions.
Exercise 3. Arm Thread
The German translation of this exercise is difficult. It’s a stretch where you start in the bench position and then extend one arm between the other arm and legs until one shoulder hits the floor. This creates a pleasant twist in the spine, which at the same time has a stretching, loosening effect.
Do 5 repetitions on each side and stay in the stretching position for a moment.
Exercise 4. Scapula Push Up
This exercise is a push-up with no arm flexion.
That means you try to go as high and low as possible with the help of your shoulder blades and in the shoulder joint without bending your arms.
Do 10 reps.
Exercise 5. Sidebend
Get on your knees and bring one arm over your head, the other arm in front of your body, opposite to the side.
Do 5 repetitions on each side.
Bonus: Exercise variants for the thoracic spine mobilize in the office with 6 exercises
If you want to do the exercises upstairs in the daytime in the office, it quickly looks like you’re hiding under your desk.
That is suboptimal.
That is why I present the 5 exercises presented above in the following video as standing variants, which you can then easily perform in the office in between.
Plus: There is also a bonus exercise for which you don’t even have to get up!
Exercise 1. BWS rotation
To do this, stand with your legs slightly bent and your upper body bent forward at your hips. Support your head with your hands and twist to the left on the exhale, back to the center on the inhale, right on the next exhale, and so on.
Do 10 repetitions on each side, making sure that your hips stay straight and don’t twist.
Exercise 2. Standing cat / horse
Your knees are slightly bent again, your hands propped up over your knees.
Then you switch between hollow back and cat hump – hip and head initiate the movement.
Do 10 reps.
Exercise 3. Sideways turn
During this rotational movement you are again slightly bent in your legs, the upper body is bent a little forward from the hips. Here, too, you can breathe out while turning.
Do 5 repetitions per side, again making sure your hips stay straight.
Exercise 4. Scapula Push Up
This exercise is a push-up with no arm flexion.
That means you try to go as high and low as possible with the help of your shoulder blades and in the shoulder joint without bending your arms. You can put your hands on the desk while doing this.
Do 10 reps.
Exercise 5. Sidebend
Stand up straight and bring one arm over your head, the other arm in front of your body, opposite to the side.
Do 5 repetitions on each side.
Exercise 6. Sitting chest stretch
Sit on your office chair. So that you can do the stretch well, the backrest should not be too high. It is ideal if it reaches roughly the lower tips of your shoulder blades.
Then lean back, lift your arms up and slowly bring them back and down. You should feel a comfortable stretch in the chest muscles. Hold the stretch for about 30 seconds.
Conclusion
In this article you got to know a total of 11 exercises with which you can keep your thoracic spine mobile.
This is important because above all rigid attitudes are public enemy # 1 of our spine.
So keep moving with the exercises, do them daily, maybe even several times a day if you have the opportunity, and you will soon notice an improvement.
Have fun trying it out! If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments.
