Every good story has a quest \u2013 the quest in this story is that of healthy spines\/shoulders in training, as well as life in general. With every good quest, there is a hero and a villain. The villain in this story is our sedentary, desk-based, Zoom and iPhone culture of 21st century industrialisation. This has amplified significantly during lockdowns, where most have been sitting at home for 12 hours a day. Fear not though trainers, for your programming is the hero. You can rethink the balance principle in your training regimens!<\/p>\n
For years, writing programmes for clients to achieve health and fitness was all about balance for symmetry, joint health and promoting an optimal posture environment \u2013 the use of equal \u2018push vs pull\u2019 exercises were considered ideal and, 20 years ago, spot on.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s western culture, though, is drastically different \u2013 dare I say even more sedentary \u2013 and, with the influx of devices, computers, tablets and phones dominating our day-to-day work\/social\/play lives, things have taken a drastic turn.<\/p>\n
Those 12 hours made up of endless Zoom meetings, an addiction to scrolling on phones and watching TV are impacting on musculoskeletal health significantly, particularly that of shoulder\/spinal health.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all too easy to say, \u201cGet up and break the sitting cycle\u201d and \u201cPut your phones down\u201d (which invariably lasts five minutes max) but, barring a few stand up and stretch breaks and the odd 5\u201310-minute walking meeting, the desk culture is with us to stay. As for the phone, many have an addiction to it, so we must accept that it is part of our culture and, as such, better programme to defend against the negative health impacts. A few 30-second stretches here and there are not going to unwind the 60-70 hours a week of stagnant seated postures.<\/p>\n
To give some context and some stats, neck, upper back and shoulder pain episodes have risen uncontrollably in the past 18 months, rising to equal the prevalence of low back pain (where almost four in five adults suffer from aches\/pain\/tension, as opposed to 2.5 in every five adults prior to lockdown one).<\/p>\n
The hours spent with gravity beating the spine into a flexed position negatively impact on the position and motions of the spine\/shoulder and scapula \u2013 all of which narrows the \u2018space\u2019 in which the shoulder joint can operate and function day to day. If there is less space, there is less freedom of motion and, if the joint has fewer \u2018freedoms\u2019, mobility, stability and strength inevitably decline.<\/p>\n
So, to alter the newly adapted postures above, first and foremost we must engage in daily rituals of low-level shoulder and spinal 3D mobilisations to maintain the health of these structures \u2013 remember, ONLY MOVEMENT maintains the health of a joint and defends against arthritis. No pills, supplements or foods will suffice, for the joints and bony\/ligamentous tissues do not have a direct connection with our circulatory (blood) system to \u2018pump\u2019 nutrients to those tissues; instead, it must be \u2018pushed\u2019 through osmotic pressures (movement). Don\u2019t move a joint and it will rot and die away. Try not<\/em> brushing your teeth for two to three years and see what happens.<\/p>\n So, engage in mobility to maintain<\/em> health of the joints, but the long-lasting \u2018secret sauce\u2019 is to put force through these required ranges of motion, teaching the body\u2019s nervous system how to own, control and be resilient in movement.<\/p>\n Before we get into my top five exercises, remember this: the recipe for change is to perform twice as many \u2018pull\u2019 movements for every \u2018push\u2019 (2:1 pull to push) in your programming.1<\/sup> Prioritise \u2018horizontal push movements\u2019 as opposed to vertical pulls, as these directly influence the anterior shoulder capsule, which is what we need\/want to open up more.<\/p>\n So, without further ado, my top five exercises to combat the decline of spinal\/shoulder health and to build good-quality, mobile, resilient joints\/muscles are listed below.<\/p>\n This is my number one due to its brilliant simplicity, with myriad benefits, that is easily adaptable for any demographic \u2013 young, old, fit, not-so-fit and anyone in between.<\/p>\n The TRX low row utilises bodyweight as resistance (which is \u2018life\/sport\u2019 \u2013 aka \u2018functional\u2019) and a quick change of foot starting position changes the demand for the user to work within the confines of their own strength\/fitness abilities.<\/p>\n While it hits the necessary motions required here to train \u2013 T-spine extension, scapula depression and retraction, and shoulder external rotation \u2013 perhaps the most advantageous benefit that makes it number one is that research has found this exercise to have the highest amount of back musculature recruited\/activated, while at the same time having minimal compression forces directed at the spine.<\/p>\n Dr Stuart McGill compared this exercise to three commonly used back exercises (the barbell bent over row, cable row and machine seated row) and the motor unit activation was significantly higher \u2013 meaning maximal \u2018bang for buck\u2019 with minimal spine risk\/effort.2<\/sup><\/p>\n When executing the exercise, maintain a tall \u2018active plank\u2019 position and imagine the handles as a steel bar. Bend the bar downwards as you initiate the pull for maximum effect.3<\/sup><\/p>\n1. TRX low row <\/strong><\/h3>\n