Welcome to our weekend roundup, Three of the Best! Every Saturday, we’ll post up Breaking Muscle’s top three articles of the week. These pieces have caught your attention throughout the last seven days. So here they are in one place for you to consume, digest, and enjoy.
[Photo courtesy of Jorge Huerta Photography]
#1 – Mid-Back Mobility: Strength With a Twist
The thoracic spine is designed for rotation. It’s supposed to rotate more than your lumbar spine, but for the majority of people, it’s the opposite. Why? Lifestyle choices lead to posture that feeds thoracic spine dysfunction. Hunching over your cell phone and rounding your shoulders increases your thoracic curve, making efficient rotation damn near impossible.
Every joint in the body must be mobile and stable. The amount of mobility and stability your joints have depends on the environment you are in and the role they need to play. If the body feels safe, it will grant you more movement. If it feels threatened, it will restrict movement for self-preservation.
#2 – A Guide to Regain Your Flexibility
Flexibility is a critical component to a well-rounded training program, and is essential for maintaining quality of life as we age. Once you treat your flexibility gains with the same seriousness as you do your strength gains, the freedom of movement, decreased pain, and lessened tension throughout the body will have you hooked.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that I still have a long way to go when it comes to developing my own flexibility. I’ve spent a large portion of my training career chasing higher poundage on the bar with the bare minimum time put into stretching. Many of you are probably in the same boat.
#3 – Dave Matthews, the Elliptical Machine, and the Haters
As I read many of the articles published all over the Internet, one thing is consistent: there are millions of self-proclaimed experts (i.e., “haters”) out there. They love nothing more than to tell you what you should, and more importantly shouldn’t be doing. They’ll quote a couple studies and talk about how their Uncle Phil or their neighbor failed at exactly what you are doing.
But I don’t expect you all to agree with me. For that matter, I don’t expect you to care what I have to say about the exercises or routines you love. I’m not you. I don’t know what gets you up and moving. All I care about is whether you find it.
Did You See These?
How to Train for Strongman at Any Gym
Postpartum: The Gift of Starting Over
Programming for the Unexpected: Risk vs. Reward
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