Okay folks, it’s time to get back to office life, where we’re busy kicking holy hell outta overcompensations.
You’ve had a couple weeks to work with the Shin Box Switch — if you missed it, first of all, shame on you. Second, pop over to the link, read the article, and get to work. You have nothing to lose but your pains…
Okay, bad pun, I know. But those of you who diligently worked with this movement over the past couple weeks should already be experiencing greater hip range of motion and much less lower back discomfort.
Mike did the work, and check out his results:
I can not thank you enough for posting this video. Having now worked to almost flat to the ground, it has improved so many other ranges of motion I can not believe it! My hips both had dull pain in them 24-7—-NOT ANY MORE! Thanks again
Well done brother! You’ve made us proud.
Now it’s time to take it a step further.
Several of you wrote in to ask about movements that address the shoulders and upper back. That’s where we’re headed next…
It’s been a couple weeks, and our dime store Quasimodo has been diligently practicing his hip mobility. It’s time to address the next link in the tension chain. If you put in the work and perform these three movements daily, you’ll be walking upright faster than you can say “hunch be gone!”
Your first exercise is a Thoracic Surge. You’ve gotta mobilize the area to break up fascial adhesions and get blood flow and nutrients back into the bits that are locked up before you go deeper. Begin with 10 or 20 slow, smooth reps of this, and then hold both the front and back position for 30 seconds to a minute — just until you feel that tension start to melt away.
Once you’ve gone beyond your short range stiffness, it’s time to break out the Double Handcuff. No, this isn’t some sadistic device your boss purchased to keep you attached to your desk. It’s a very simple but very effective release for the shoulders, and it’ll go a long way towards righting that forward hunched posture so typical of wielders of the pen.
You can practice both these movements throughout the day in even the smallest cubicle, and bang out a few after your evening commute to put the perfect polish on your day. But save the last movement — the floor variation — for evening hours, lest you be accused of lying down on the job.
Your last movement is the Shoulder Bridge. Do this at the end of your day, and take the time to go deeply into it. Pay special attention to the shoulders. Roll them up and back to open your chest in order to compensate for a full day in your chair. Start with 30 second holds, and build up to a minute. You’ll get a lot of mileage out of this one.
Here’s a short video to coach you through the movements:
Give these a try and let us know how it goes.
If there’s enough interest, we can address wrist and elbow overcompensations in a future instalment.
Banish joint and muscle pain with more cool moves like this one from our Million Dollar Exercise system.