all posts post new thread

Kettlebell SFG II experience - Portland, OR, Feb 2017

Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
morrisda said:
Anna what do you do for T-spine mobility work?
Click to expand...

Well that is a great question... and not easy to answer, actually :)

I guess the overall theme is this: Safely get the t-spine to move more (and better), and then USE that range of motion in the kettlebell work.

For example, you can probably do military presses with no mobility work beforehand, but your movement pattern won't be optimal. It's far better to spend time doing Brettzels, downward dogs, halos, arm bars, shoulder dislocates, foam rollers, lacrosse balls, or whatever you find works best for you to mobilize your joints and soft tissues, and THEN press or do your other kettlebell work. Now your shoulders and t-spine will be moving well and your brain will learn how to safely use this range of motion.

Another important theme is having a movement baseline. I learned this from Karen Smith, and we also practiced this in SFG II weekend. So before you do your mobility work and other training, do something that gives you information about where you are that day. It might be arms overhead, and check the mirror to see how vertical your straight arms are with shoulders packed. Or it might be a glide (my favorite): lie on your side with the hips and shoulders stacked and top knee at 90 degrees, have both arms straight out in front of you on the ground, palms together, and glide your top hand all the way back and all the way forward while keeping the elbows straight. Your top hand will probably go all the way ahead and behind your bottom hand, and maybe a bit farther. Wherever it is, that's your baseline. Notice if you feel sticky spots or restrictions, or if you are overall able to move less than usual. That tells you that you that more mobility work is needed before pressing, etc. You can also re-check during mobility work to see if it is actually helping.

So back to your question -- what do I use to improve T-spine mobility? I would say I USE the movements themselves -- heavy snatches, windmills, bent presses, or double bells overhead in press, push press, jerks, and double snatch. But as far as mobility work to PREPARE for these? Light get-ups, yoga sun salutations, Karen Smith's 3-way thoracic, Brettzels, foam rollers, arm bars, bent arm bars are some of my favorites.

One other thing worth mentioning -- one goal while mobilizing the T-spine should be to STABILIZE the lumbar spine. If the t-spine isn't rotating and you continue to rotate, it comes from the lumbar area, which isn't made for rotation. So be aware of this goal of stabilizing the lower spine while getting more movement out of the ribcage area. For example, when doing a Brettzel, the top knee at 90 degrees helps ensure lumbar stability.

Hope that helps.
 
Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Back
Top Bottom