Hanging Exercise

Hanging Exercise to Decompress Your Spine and Mobilise Your Thoracic

Are you currently or have you ever experienced a back problem?

I am dealing with my own right now and I gotta tell you…

IT SUCKS!

It’s cramping my style. I was cruising along on a new exercise program; running and making progress to the point that I was actually starting to enjoy the running, SHOCKer, and then WHAM, my Back started acting up.

…And yes, it isn’t lost on me that adding running into my routine may have contributed to my current plight, but we’ll deal with that later.

As you know, Back issues affect other areas of your life besides just your workout routine. It also affects your work and play. In my case, I was barely able to muster a walk on the beach with my husband the other day. Part of me also wonders if my clients will think less of me as a “Personal trainer” or “Movement Coach” because I am human and also experience these issues.

“Ms. Fitness the Movement Coach hurt her back”

…to quote loved ones recently. Others have expressed surprise that I can have these types of problems or seem to expect that I have all of the tools at hand to deal with it and be back on my feet pain free right away.

It is true, I am in a fortunate position to know a little about how to help myself. Many thanks to my good friend and mentor John Polley, at Be Free movement lifestyle wellness where I used to coach, for sharing the knowledge and for always being there to help me sort my own stuff out. But sometimes you need to add new clues to the puzzle and knowing when to ask for help is also critical. This time, I felt that I needed to do just that and find out a little more about what is going on.

I got some help and found out that I have a slight curve and twist in my lumbar spine. Surely not a new condition, but the information is new to me and adds a really important clue to the puzzle. In fact, it confirms or explains a lot of the myofascial limitations and restriction patterns that I have been mobilising, thanks to John again, for the last few years. Now I have a good idea for why they are there. …or which came first…?

I am very grateful for my knowledge about the myofascial anatomy of the body and how to mobilise it for freer movement. Without it, I would have been in a lot of discomfort a lot sooner. With it, I am positive that I will be out of this uncomfortable state and back on my feet very soon.

I am still getting outside help, but I am helping myself also. If you check out the video, you’ll see a few hanging exercises that I am doing to decompress my spine and mobilise my restricted right side. Be sure to not thrust your ribs and move slowly in and out of the movements. You can see I am taking my time, especially cus the back is a bit tender. Feel free to comment or contact me if you would like a little more information.

If you are having some back pain or discomfort, perhaps a daily routine of a decompressing hangs may help. If you are seeing an allied professional for your condition, double check with them to make sure that it is a proper thing to do for your unique situation.