Mobility Monday – Field Goal Angel on a Foam Roller
Welcome back to Mobility Monday at Stowe Training Systems.
Mobility Monday is where every Monday I take you through some super awesome exercises that are easy to do and offer a very high risk vs. reward ratio.
With proper mobility can we help alleviate and help prevent future injuries while simultaneously increasing our athleticism for the game of life.
Today’s exercise is the Field Goal Angel on a Foam Roller and I know you probably wondering…..
Why Should I Do This Exercise?
You should perform this mobility drill if you have inadequate T-spine (thoracic spine) range of motion.
Having poor T-spine range of motion can lead to neck, mid back, shoulder, and even elbow pain. It can also limit your ability to do over head pressing exercises as well as ruin a golf swing.
The quickest way to see if you are lacking proper T-Spine mobility is to perform the “itch and scratch” test. Basically if your T-Spine mobility is “good enough” then you should be able to touch your hands together behind your back as I demonstrate in the video below.
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6EFyDUO-CQ&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
How to do the Field Goal Angel on a Foam Roller
1) Find a foam roller than will allow your butt, lower back, upper back, and back of your head to make contact with the foam roller simultaneously.
2) Make sure that your lumbar is flat against the foam roller – this is important!
3) Form a “field goal” with your arms.
4) Move your arms up and down while having your shoulder blades rub across the foam roller as you go through the motion for the prescribed amount of time or reps (I recommend 12 to 20 reps).
Biggest Mistake
The biggest mistake on this is exercise is allowing your lumbar to not maintain contact for the duration of the exercise. If this happens then you will end up compensating and achieving your range of motion through your lumbar region instead of through your upper back. While I wouldn’t exactly call this mistake “dangerous” it DOES completely ruin the point of the exercise and robs you of 99% of its effectiveness.
So there you have it; the Field Goal Angel on a Foam Roller. Awesome exercise for helping out with neck and/or shoulder pain as well as increasing T-spine extension for a better golf swing.
Give it a shot and let me know what you think in the comments section below!
Move Better. Look Better. Feel Better
Nathan “Nate” Stowe BS, NASM-CPT, NCSF-CPT, CES, PES, FNS
Owner/Lead Trainer/Wears all the hats
Stowe Training Systems
About Nate
Nathan Stowe, BS, is the president and founder of Stowe Training Systems LLC, a personal training company in Austin, TX.
A highly sought after coach for healthy or injured adults alike, Nathan has helped folks at all-levels – from 14-80 years old to even professional athletes – achieve their highest level of performance for their chosen goals. Behind Nathan’s expertise, Stowe Training Systems has rapidly established itself as the go-to destination for those wanting to improve their movement capacity, function, and experience Nathan’s cutting-edge methods. Nathan is probably best known for his work with his “pre-hab” clientele.
Nathan while majoring in Finance at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX managed to take every Health and Fitness related elective available. At Trinity, Nathan participated in several Intramural Sports as well as receiving extensive education in nutrition and resistance training.
Prior to founding Stowe Training Systems Nathan worked as a General Manager, Fitness Manager, Assistant Fitness Manager, and Master Trainer for Total Athlete Sports Complex and 24 Hour Fitness respectively. Although prepared in several bodies of knowledge, Stowe specializes in applied kinesiology and biomechanics as they relate to program design and injury rehabilitation, maximum relative strength development, and increased athleticism – particularly as it relates to those over the age of 45.
Nathan publishes a free blog at StoweTrainingSystems.com.
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