You Need to Do This Stretch Before Your Next Upper-Body Workout

When it comes to the back and shoulders, mobilizing the thoracic spine while maintaining a stable lumbar is one of the major keys to healthy movement.

Sean Garner, trainer at Anatomy 1220 in Miami, Florida, shows you how to mobilize and open up your upper-body with the open-book stretch. Keeping your knee on a foam roller and your belly button pointing towards that knee will keep your lower back in a stable position as you open your chest. You should feel a tremendous (but pleasant) stretch throughout your upper body. (Don't have a foam roller? We like this one from LuxFit.)

You will likely have to contract your abs to maintain its position, which is an important primer for upper-body movement. Keeping your abs activated when you workout is important for lower back stability. This is essential for upper-body movements such as the overhead press, where many people tend to extend at the lower back to compensate for their lack of thoracic and shoulder mobility.

Garner recommends doing 8 to 12 reps on each side, using this movement as a warmup for your upper-body, or including it in your active recovery routine.

(For a workout program that fits into your schedule, try Metashred Extreme from Men's Health.)