How To Improve Your Paddling With Thoracic Mobility Exercises For Surfers
In this article I want to show you how improving the movement through your upper back with thoracic spine mobility exercises for surfers can improve your paddling and decrease lower back fatigue.
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The position of your body when you are paddling on your surfboard means 
your back is in an extended position putting pressure on your lower back. But you can minimize this pressure by extending more from your thoracic spine to take the pressure off your lumbar spine. If your upper back can arch a bit better, you can paddle more efficiently and it can also help prevent your neck from having to extend so much as well.
The problem is, a lot of us have pretty poor posture due to sitting in front of computers all day, so our upper backs and shoulders are usually rounded forward too far, which decreases the mobility of our thoracic spine, and makes extending our upper back when paddling that much harder.
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To help fix this problem and improve the mobility of your thoracic spine, there are a few different exercises for surfers you can do which I will show you in the video below…
Thoracic Spine Mobility Exercises For Surfers
Thoracic Extension on Foam Roller
- Lie on your back with a foam roller placed under your upper back.
- Holding your hands on the back of your head, arch back slowly and gently over the roller.
- Lean forwards again and move the roller up your back just a little then repeat the process.
- Keep moving the roller up your spine little by little until you have done your whole thoracic spine (don’t go up to your neck, or down to your lower back).
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Kneeling Thoracic Spine Extension-Rotation
- Start on all fours with one hand behind your head and your core braced to prevent movement through your lower back.
- Reach your elbow down towards your opposite knee and then extend back up and try and point your elbow towards the ceiling.
- Repeat this for 8-10 repetitions then repeat on the other side.
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Hopefully you can see how improving your thoracic spine mobility with exercises for surfers can improve your paddling and help prevent lower back fatigue (not to mention improve your posture).
If you want to start improving in this area, make sure you have a go at incorporating these exercises for surfers into your next workout.
If you like these exercises for surfers and want a complete functional training plan to help prevent injury and enhance your surfing performance, make sure you download Total Surfing Fitness – 12 Week Surf Fitness Training Plan
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