For thoracic rotation mobility. Try to keep lumbar spine neutral, head follows hand, 15 to 20 reps each side. A good exercise for clients with restricted rotation or people who perform sports that require trunk rotation eg golfers, baseball, swimming.

Keep gluts and feet flat on the floor, use your arms as a pendulum to rock over the foam roller. Start with the roller at the bottom of your ribs, perform 10 reps, then move roller up your back and repeat. Do this 4-5 times. A good exercise for people who get discomfort, “tightness”, between the shoulder blades which I often come across in office workers, IT workers etc. This can also be used for clients who have Scheuermann’s disease or an exaggerated thoracic kyphosis.

Lie on side, elbow out at approximately 90degrees, elbow bent. Place ball (tennis ball, spikey ball, hand ball), underneath, where you feel discomfort or “tightness”, rotate arm internally and externally 10 times. Move ball slightly to another spot and repeat. A good exercise to do prior to performing an activity that uses the shoulder eg swimming, throwing sports, upper body weights. Can also be performed immediately post activity.

Concentrate on holding scapular retraction and slight depression (shoulder blades in and down) whilst externally rotating both arms. Elbow slightly below shoulder height, elbow approximately 90deg. Perform 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps. Important exercise for scapular setting and engaging the external rotator cuff. A good warm up exercise for clients involved in activities using the shoulders eg throwing sports, boxing, racquet sports, swimming.

Maintain elbow at height just below shoulder height. Internally rotate arm, extend arm, reaching forward with trunk rotation. Perform 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps. A good exercise for engaging the internal rotator cuff, and scapular protractors. An antagonist exercise to the bilateral external rotation exercise. A good warm up exercise for clients involved in activities using the shoulders eg throwing sports, boxing, racquet sports, swimming.