Squatting: Thoracic Mobility & Core Strength
In order to help maintain an upright posture with your squat, it is important to have good thoracic mobility and a strong core. This often is seen lost over time due to working at the computer, jobs requiring heavy lifting, and just the majority of our daily lives requiring us to do things in front of us/bent forward. I am specifically going to discuss thoracic extension, rotation, and hollow holds in this article.
Thoracic extension is the ability of your mid and upper back to stay upright, and to curve back slightly (extension). Versus flexion which is the opposite, where you’re curled forward (i.e. sitting & working at the computer, upper/mid back usually ends up rounded forward). If you standing up and curl forward, that’s flexion; bend backwards, that’s extension. Thoracic rotation can be viewed when seated and your hips are stabilized, hands crossed at your chest, and then try rotating 45 degrees from center to the right, and then to the left.
(Thoracic flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation depicted above.)
These are both important to test and ensure adequate mobility, because when one side is tighter than the other it can affect your shoulder mobility, and ability to maintain neutral posture. Shoulder mobility and a stable, neutral posture are key players in squatting. Imagine you have deficits in left thoracic rotation AND thoracic extension. This is going to affect your ability to internally rotate your shoulder (needed for front, back, and back squatting), and then when you go to squat down, you’re just going to collapse forward due to the lack of thoracic extension.
Thoracic mobility testing and exercises to help improve your squat. I suggest doing dynamic stretches prior to lifting, repeating 10 reps and short holds. You can also do it after your workout for longer, static stretches, holding them 20-30 seconds. Be careful not to perform static stretching prior to your activity because this can overstretch your muscles, causing them to lose elasticity and strength.
Rib Flare, Excess lumbar extension
Now to discuss core strength. When squatting, standing, or performing any workout, it’s important to not flare your ribs, which can cause excessive LUMBAR extension (bending backwards at your low back), and causing pinching and eventual pain to the low back. Perform hollow holds and learn diaphragmatic breathing to help maintain your solid, thoracic position throughout your squat, and improve your overall function.
If diaphragmatic breathing is completely alien to you, and it’s very hard, reach out to a pelvic floor therapist near you who specializes in functional strength training. At Athletic Edge Physical Therapy we always review with our clients how to properly diaphragmatically breath and tie this to their core to brace properly when breathing.
Thank you for reading our blog on how to improve thoracic mobility to enhance squatting. Please let us know your thoughts!
