Mobility Matters

Sitting slouched forward in a chair… It may seem harmless and even comfortable, but it’s doing a number on our bodies and it may be hurting our sports performance.

Think about your daily routine. Likely, you sit in class or at the office for about eight hours, occasionally resting your head on one of your hands. Then you have an hour or two of practice and/or workouts before heading home to sit at a computer and do some more work. Finally, you finish up the day on the couch watching your favorite show.

Even if you are an athlete, the majority of your day is spent sitting or in a forward hunched position. This leads to poor postural adaptations and loss of some mobility and stability through your spine and extremities.

Sitting is often unavoidable, so the best thing you can do is to fight it. It’s easy to do if you commit to the following routine every morning. It only takes 10 minutes.

1. Foam Roll

Benefits: Relieves tight muscles and adhesions that can build up from intense training or limited movement.

How to: Slowly roll over the following muscle groups, focusing on tender areas.

• Glutes x 20 seconds each side
• Calves x 20 seconds each side
• IT Band x 20 seconds each side
• Quads x 20 seconds each side
• Groin and Hamstrings x 20 seconds
• Back x 20 seconds

2. Lacrosse Ball Roll

Benefits: Same as foam rolling, but hits areas you can’t get to with a roller.

How to: Slowly roll over the following muscle groups, focusing on tender areas.

• Bottom of foot x 20 seconds each side
• Back of shoulder x 20 seconds each side
• Chest x 20 seconds each side

3. Foam Roll Thoracic Extensions

Benefits: Relieves a hunched posture with forward rounded shoulders by increasing thoracic spine extension.

How To:

• Lie with the middle of your back on a foam roller with the foam roller perpendicular to your spine. Place your hands across your chest, bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the ground.
• Arch your back, hinging at the vertebrae under the foam roller. Straighten your back. Repeat for the specified number of reps.
• Roll slightly up your spine to the next vertebrae and repeat.
• Continue until you reach your upper back

4. Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch

Benefits: Your hip flexors shorten from sitting. This stretch helps to lengthen these muscles.

How to:

• Kneel on your right leg with your left foot on the ground and knee at a 90-degree angle. Place your hands on your hips.
• Drive your right hip forward. Hold for one count and release.
  Sets/Reps: 1×10 each leg

5. Ankle Dorsiflexion Stretches

Benefits: Improve ankle mobility, which is critical for maximizing your power when running and jumping. Also alleviates a common issue that causes Squat form breakdowns.

How to:

• Stand facing a wall in a staggered stance with your right toes an inch away from the wall and your left foot 2 feet behind your right. Place your hands on the wall for support.
• Drive your right knee forward until it touches the wall to stretch your calf.
• Straighten your leg and repeat.
• Sets/Reps: 1×10 each leg

6. Hip Extension Bridge

Benefits: Engages your glutes and alleviates tight hip flexors.

How to:

• Lie on your back with your feet together and flat on the ground, and your knees hip-width apart.
• Drive your hips up to the ceiling to form a straight line between your knees and shoulders. Hold for one count.
• Lower your hips to the ground.
• Sets/Reps: 1×10

7. Cobra Press

Benefits: Again, relieves a tight back and improves extension in your spine.

How to:

• Lie on your stomach with your hands on the ground next to your shoulders.
• Straighten your arm to drive your up and arch your back. Keep your shoulders back.
• Lower to the ground and repeat.
• Sets/Reps: 1×10

8. Shoulder W

Benefits: Activates and strengthens the muscles that act on your shoulder blades, which often can become weak and dormant from hunching forward.

How to:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart with your elbows to your sides.
• Hold a resistance band with your hands shoulder-width apart and bend your elbows to a 90-degree angle.
• Keeping your shoulders back, rotate your arms to your sides to lengthen the resistance band and form a ‘W’ with your upper body.
• Return to the start, in control, and repeat.
• Sets/Reps: 1×10

If you are interested in booking an in-person or virtual assessment with one of our experienced office ergonomic specialists, please contact us today.