Overhead Lifting Mobility Couplet

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This week on Movement Fix Monday I want to share with you guys a couplet you can use to work on your overhead mobility.

Static stretching isn't nearly as effective as repetitive end range loading and controlling your range of motion.

This couplet plays off of that notion.

First we can do a scap pull up, but instead of thinking about the 'work' as being the pulling up part, we can consider the work as pushing yourself away from the bar and controlling the descent.

Start with both arms on the pull up bar to do this and wean yourself over to one side more than the other. If you add in some side bending, you can really require your lat muscles to get into a lengthened position. I'd advise that you don't go aggressively on this section right off the bat, especially if you don't have a lot of strict pull up strength. Start gradually and work up to more aggressive techniques over months/years.

Just doing this would be fine, but you want to re-pattern some of these positions in your brain so that they are accessible when you actually want to use them.

For this, you can use an open chain scap press. I use a landmine in the video because I felt like using it, but you can use dumbbells or kettlebells for this. The arc of motion with the landmine makes it a little more interesting to me (but don't think you have to have a landmine to do something similar).

I would do this couplet shown in the video for 10-20 minutes depending if it was on a day where I am doing movement work or if I am using it for prep before a workout.

If for prep, I would be on the shorter time domain. It it is a movement work day, it is on the longer side mixed in with a lot of other things.

The Couplet (for 5 rounds or so):

• 5 scap pull ups (focusing on the descent and the lat stretching aspect)
• 5 open chain scap presses

Thanks for reading!

-Ryan