Get Ready for Handstands: Thoracic Mobility

You can have the best shoulder mobility in the world, and it won't help if your spine can't extend.

Written by Justin Lind Last updated on Nov 22, 2021

This is part three of a comprehensive handstand video series that will help you achieve a strong and stable free-standing handstand. While this video will bring benefit to your training regardless of your current fitness or goals, it is intended as part of larger handstand series.

This is part three of a comprehensive handstand video series that will help you achieve a strong and stable free-standing handstand. While this video will bring benefit to your training regardless of your current fitness or goals, it is intended as part of larger handstand series. I encourage you to check out Get Ready for Handstands: Wrist Prep, where I discuss preparing your wrists, and Get Ready for Handstands: Shoulder Prep, where I discuss how to get your shoulders ready.

Thoracic mobility, particularly thoracic extension, is a forgotten aspect for many prospective handstanders. Your thoracic spine is your middle and upper back; essentially all the vertebrae that have a rib attached. Thoracic extension eludes many people, as their spine stiffens in the unfortunate position in which they spend hours driving, typing, and sitting.

An open and strong overhead position is essential for a handstand, but even perfect shoulder mobility will never get you there if your thoracic spine cannot extend all the way. If you feel your ribcage lift as you reach into an overhead position, your lower back (lumbar spine) is making up for the lack of movement in your t-spine. This leads to the common complaint of lower back pain from handstand training.

Check out the video below for tools to increase your thoracic mobility, and ways to strengthen this position that will directly improve your handstand.

Thoracic Mobility for Handstands

Thoracic Mobility for Handstands

Watch this video on YouTube

About Justin Lind

Justin Lind has been an athlete and student his whole life. While hobbies and sports have come and gone, one thing has remained: a commitment to constant improvement of movement quality. Besides an obsession for health and athletics, Justin remains the consummate student and teacher.

Justin has a passion for learning how to glean the most valuable information from many different communities and philosophies. A former mechanical engineer turned coach and writer; he applies his analytical and structural ways of thinking to the world of health, fitness, and athletics.

While training heavily as a competitive Olympic lifter and CrossFit regionals athlete, Justin suffered a back injury that completely shifted his fitness and movement paradigm. He committed to understanding the flip side of intense training: recovery, mobility, and self-care. Justin soon left engineering to focus on creating empowered athletes who are highly in-tune with their bodies.

In addition to a B.S. in mechanical engineering from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, Justin holds certifications in CrossFit Level 1, RKC Level II, and USA Gymnastics.

Justin is currently travelingthe U.S. full-time. He offers remote coaching and workshops for both kettlebells and gymnastics skills at CoachJustinLind.com.

View All Articles