[NEW MINI-SERIES] 1-to-3: One movement, three benefits (The “Not Another Zoom Call” Edition)
It’s September, guys, which means we’re three months ‘til the end of 2020 (what even IS 2020?!), two months from Christmas…and for many of us, we’ve had six straight months of Zoom calls from our home offices, with little hope of it changing.
Yup - it’s been tough, and even with our heightened awareness of taking care of our health due to Covid-19, many of us have fallen into an unhealthy “work from home” routine. We’re leaning over makeshift desks, working from our couches or are on hours of Zoom calls (wine optional). Our movement has become limited as the boundaries between work and home life continue to blur.
That’s why this month we’re introducing our new mini-series called “1-to-3”: one simple movement that leads to three benefits.
Each of these poses and drills are easy-to-remember and easy-to-do so you can inject some quick and quality movement into your day. They don’t need to be done in any particular order (or even altogether) - but boy, does each pose ever come with a lot of physical and mental and emotional benefits.
Here’s the September edition, which is perfect for those of you who are finding yourself hunched over your computers or desk for too long. Take a few minutes during your day to allow yourself to move a bit - and relax while you’re doing so - and let us know what you think.
Movement: Cat/Cow Segmental
3 Benefits:
The segmental Cat-Cow is very effective at mobilizing the spine and restoring your ability to properly flex and extend across the entire spine.
This movement builds body awareness that will support proper technique/spinal positions in and out of the gym.
It will also nourish your joints and surrounding soft tissues, which ultimately keeps them healthy and resilient.
How to perform:
Start on all fours. Your neck should be aligned with your spine with a tucked chin. Your low back should have a slight arch, and your arms should be pressed into the ground so as not to sag between the shoulder blades.
From here, start by tilting your tailbone towards the ceiling. This will anteriorly tilt the pelvis which starts the ‘Cat’ – extending the spine from the bottom up.
Next, imagine your spine is being pulled toward the ground and actively arch your back, one segment at a time. (If you have a training partner, it helps to have them walk their fingers up your back. The kinaesthetic
feedback will help you to connect with the area you’re trying to actively extend).
When you reach the mid back, (thoracic spine) extension becomes a bit more challenging. Think about your chest or sternum being pulled toward the ground and contracting the muscles of your back to hinge/arch, one segment at a time.
When you are in a fully arched position, do not throw your head back into hyperextension…just look up.
Next, we reverse the motion. Imagine each vertebrae of your spine is attached to strings, like a puppet. Lightly press your arms into the ground and lift your spine one segment at a time until you reach the pelvis. It also helps to think about crunching the abs.
Tuck your tailbone to finish the ‘Camel’ / fully rounded spine position
From here, arch your tailbone to tilt the pelvis and continue in this manner for 3-5 full cycles.
Movement: Scapular Controlled Articular Rotation’s (CAR’s)
3 Benefits:
CARs are helpful because they are a low-stress way to:
Assess joint range of motion
Practice movement isolation, and
Increase blood flow to the joints for improved joint health.
How to perform:
Your shoulder blades will be (gently) moving a bunch here as you protract (forward) and retract (back), elevate (up) and depress (down).
From a standing or seated position, extend the arms beside the body.
Maintaining elbow extension, start by elevating the scapula. Lift up, then retraction pull the shoulder blades together straight back. Depress by pulling down and finish with protraction and move through the next rotation. Up, Back, Down, and Forward reverse. Shoulders Down, back, up, and forward.
Bring the shoulders back to the start position under the shoulder returning to the full quadruped position after the exercise.
Movement: Quadruped T-spine rotation
3 Benefits:
This exercise increases T-Spine mobility with minimal low back involvement.
The thoracic spine plays a major role in breathing, throwing, and overhead positions.
It improves spinal and shoulder health by creating conscious movement through the thoracic spine. Reinforcing rotation through the T-spine supports a healthy lower back and can improve posture.
How to perform:
Get into a quadruped position with the knees under the hips and the hands under the shoulders with the spine in a neutral position.
For the first position, place one hand on the upper back or back of the neck. Do not pull down or put pressure into neck with hand.
Begin to rotate leading with the eyes, head and shoulder as far as possible down toward the hand. Then reverse the motion leading with the eyes, head and shoulder rotating upwards as far as possible. Maintain position of opposite arm with elbow extended while moving in both directions and keep the lumbar, thoracic and cervical aligned during rotation.
For the second position, change the hand position and place it on the low back with the palm facing up. Repeat the exercise with the hand in this position.
Bring the hand back to the start position under the shoulder returning to the full quadruped position after the exercise.