This exercise helps you loosen a stiff upper back by rolling it slowly over a foam roller.
Brettzel 2.0 On Elbows
This exercise helps you unlock upper back rotation from a side-sitting position, using your breath to turn a little further with each exhale.
- Starting Position:
- Side-Lying
Start: Sit with one leg in front, hip and knee bent to right angles, and the other leg behind you with the knee bent and the thigh in line with your body. Place the elbow on the outside (the side away from the front thigh) on the floor roughly level with your hips.
Action:
Breathe in. As you breathe out, rotate your shoulders down toward the floor, reaching the inside elbow toward the ground.
The goal is both elbows on the floor with your shoulders parallel to the front thigh.
Keep breathing: the inhale may pull you slightly out of the turn, the exhale lets you go further. Use each exhale to gain a little.
Stop when the rotation stops improving. Come out slowly and switch sides.
Feel: You should feel this in your upper back and the hip of the front leg. If you feel it in your lower back, you've pushed past the upper back's range — back off.
Related Exercises
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This exercise helps you open your upper back by rotating toward the floor while lying on your side and reaching both arms in opposite directions.
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This exercise helps you unlock rotation through your upper back while stretching the front of the opposite hip, breathing your way into the turn.
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This exercise helps you unlock rotation through your spine and hips while lying on your side, letting your breath do the turning.