This is a two-part look at improving frontal flexibility, and by that I mean improving your access to the space inside the front of your body.
Most of us have tight, congested anterior bodies and stretched, weak posterior bodies. In short: our fronts are crunched up, which causes our backs to be stretched. It may seem counter-intuitive, but being always in a stretched position creates weakness and instability. So does being always in a flexed position.
There is one big caveat attached to doing work to release the front, and that is: any time you start bending backward, you are fundamentally re-aligning your central nervous system. I won't say it's easy to hurt yourself, but it's certainly possible – and therefore I recommend anyone starting a program of this kind do it under the supervision of a qualified trainer.
What is a qualified trainer? Probably not the cute blonde at the mass-market gym, who may have gotten her certification in a weekend course that covered only the broadest and least-specific aspects of anatomy. A weekend certification is better than none, but it is not going to give you the benefit of actual knowledge of the kinetic chain – the interrelationships between body parts and the potential consequences of various realignments. Find a trainer certified by ACSM or NASM, and proceed at your own risk.
First: learn how to elevate your rib cage. When you are in a seated, forward-inclined position, your rib cage will tend to descend to the top of your pelvis. Imagine what this does for your viscera. Your organs are all smooshed together in there; how well do you think they are working?
How to do it: sitting in a chair, put your feet flat on the floor. Scoot to the edge of your chair if you have to. Tilt your pelvis forward and back a couple of time, using your hands to feel the difference between a flexed (swayed) lower spine and an extended (rounded) lower spine. Find the midpoint, when your lower spine feels as close to straight on the vertical as you can get it. Your pelvis should be level at this point, and your lower abs, below the belly crease, lightly engaged.
As you have done the above, your ribs will naturally have lifted off your pelvis. You can't straighten your lower back without lifting your rib cage! It's like magic.
Now pull your shoulder blades toward the middle of your back, and slightly down. Your shoulders should roll over toward the back. And now re-adjust your spine, because there is a tendency to push the mid-spine forward as you engage your shoulder blades. Holding your shoulders and spine in position, lift your breastbone straight up - but not to the point that your upper spine begins to bend back. That comes later.
As you have done the above, your head will naturally have lifted off your chest and come back over your shoulders. More magic!
This is the first, and possibly the most important, sequence to follow before you actually start to work: this is your new at-rest position, which you should come back to before any new action is taken. It will take some concentration and even some effort at the beginning, but if you regularly – like, ten times a day – go through this sequence, you will be doing important work to improve your core strength and your posture, and also to restore proper functioning in your body. It only takes a minute or two: DO IT.
Feel how much space there is now in the front of your body! Your viscera have plenty of room to move, your anterior rib cage is open and your diaphragm is released. You are about to get more oxygen than you are used to, and you may feel a little light-headed. Rest here for a moment, and enjoy.
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