Mobility Monday: Week 2

Welcome back! We hope you enjoyed week 1 and are keen to start adding some new exercises. If you have not seen week 1 we encourage you start there. Otherwise, here’s what Matty has for you this week:

Workout: Upper Body Mobility

  • Sleeper Stretch – 30 secs x 2-4 per side
  • Passive Hang – 60 secs per grip
  • Lean Away Lat Stretch – 60 secs per side
  • Wall Facing Shoulder Extension – 60 secs x 2

Perform the above once through three times this week. We recommend separating each workout by a day if possible, for example do it Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Exercise Details

Sleeper Stretch

  1. Lie on your side with your shoulder stacked underneath you. You can use a pillow under your head if you’d like.
  2. Bring your elbow straight out from your shoulder and then slide slightly down, keeping rear delt glued to the floor.
  3. Bend your arm at the elbow so your fingers are pointed toward the ceiling. Keep your arm bent in this L position.
  4. Use your other hand to push your forearm down toward the floor to feel a stretch in the back of your shoulder and upper back.
  5. Press as far down as you comfortably can.
  6. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Do 2-4 repetitions.
  7. Repeat on other side

Passive Hang

  1. Take an overhand grip on the bar.
  2. Level1- add tension to your upper body by lowering your hips and allowing more of your weight to be supported by your upper body or Level 2 take feet off the floor.
  3. Allow your shoulder and lat muscles to relax. Your body should sink, and your shoulders should be touching your ears (think ear muffs).
  4. Just hang there and let the weight of your body passively stretch your shoulders, lats, and back.
  5. Accumulate 60s of hanging.
  6. Repeat with an underhand grip.

Lean Away Lat Stretch

  1. Start standing facing a horizontal bar at hip height.
  2. Take the bar in your hands with an over/under grip. We should feel the stretch on the side with the underhand grip.
  3. Lean away from the bar until you feel a stretch.
  4. Tuck your ribs down.
  5. Slowly twist by looking toward the straight arm side of your body and pointing chest toward straight arm.
  6. Hold stretch for 60s.
  7. Repeat on other side.

Wall Facing Shoulder Extension

  1. Start facing a wall with a dowel in your hands.
  2. Place hands starting at a snatch ( wide grip) grip with palms to cheeks.
  3. Keep shoulder blades pulled back and traps down.
  4. Keeping arms straight lift hands by externally rotating shoulder until you feel a stretch.
  5. Hold this position for 30 seconds then try to find more range for an additional 30 seconds.
  6. Rest 60 seconds and repeat stretch with hands closer together if you feel good after the first stretch.

And that’s it for this installment! If you would like more information, have questions or are interested in more help with your specific mobility issues feel free to contact us.