Fast Fitness - Fourth Group Functional Training Exercise, Functional Upper Back Stretch

Friday, November 13, 2009

Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM

Here is Fast Friday Fitness from the 2009 Black Belt Hall of Fame. I am here teaching and learning.

In my "Stretching Smarter" workshop here, I teach healthier ways to move and stretch for daily life and sports. One is the fourth Functional Fitness Training (FFT). It retrains how you look and reach upward, to reduce neck and shoulder compression and give a built-in stretch for the upper back:

1. Assemble your group (or yourself) and tell them that when they look upward, to feel the range of motion more from their upper back than neck. Have them feel, notice, and visualize where is their upper back - one way to do this is to watch a person in line ahead of them.
2. Remind the group that the neck is not a Pez dispenser - the idea is not to pinch the neck back (photo below with yellow hat), but to "unround" and lift upward more from the upper body.

photo shows unhealthful neck compression - pinching back and jutting chin, creating a postural spondylolisthesis.

3. Have everyone look upward by straightening the upper back and by lifting more in the chest (drawing, upper bike rider on water bottle). Repeat while reaching upward with both hands. Make sure not to return to pinching backward at the neck, jutting the chin forward (photo above), or leaning the upper body backward. Get the reach from the shoulders.

Use conscious control to prevent pinching your neck back every time you look and reach upward.

Each new Functional Training exercise shows how to teach your groups (or self) how to prevent common musculoskeletal problems during the team season or operational theater. Trainers, Drill Instructors, readers, send in your stories of how you use these in your program.


Book to Learn Functional Stretching:

• Stretching Smarter Stretching Healthier

More Group Functional Fitness Trainings (FFTs):

• Info on this new Functional Training program - Back to School With Fitness Fixer
• First Group Functional Training Exercise, Good Bending for Back and Knees
• Second Group Functional Training Exercise: Ankle Stability and Ability
• Third Group Functional Training Exercise: Ankles and Knees in Jumps and Landings

Related Fitness Fixer:

• Fast Fitness - Stop Neck Pain From Biking
• Change Daily Reaching to Get Ab Exercise and Stop Back and Shoulder Pain
• Overhead Lifting, Reaching, and Throwing - More Part I

Lucky Friday the 13 Fitness Fixer (Friday the 13th is a superstitious day for some Americans):

• Friday, March 13, 2009 - Fast Fitness - Even More Core With No Forward Bending
• Friday, February 13, 2009 - Fast Friday - Valentine's Day Partner Weightlifting
• Friday, June 13, 2008 - Fast Fitness - Fixing Yoga Warrior and Lunge Exercise to Neutral Spine
• Fri July 13 2007 - Altitude Sickness, Viagra, and Bubbles on Flights

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Read success stories of these methods and send your own.
Before asking questions, see if your answers are already here by clicking labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, and The Fitness Fixer Index. Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail" (under trumpet) upper right.
For personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions. Limited Class spaces for personal feedback. Top students may apply for certification through DrBookspan.com/Academy. Learn more in Dr. Bookspan's Books.

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Craning Neck Photo by exceedcharge
Water bottle reminder from cafepress

Labels: fast fitness, International Academy of Functional Sports Medicine

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