Upper back flexibility

[Leppi]

I took up BJJ a few months ago and have been working on increasing my flexibility for it. Most of the stretches I have no trouble with, but I have been wondering how to safely develop upper back flexibility. Also, what types of neck bridging are safe and useful?

And on a minor note: how long does it take before rolling does not cause DOMs?

[El Tejon]

Lep, does your BJJ teacher recommend yoga? You may want to look into it. It will help your flexibility and allow you to recover quicker.

You may want to start out with:

Spinal Twists. Start slow and breath into them. http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/yogapractice/halfspinaltwist.asp

Big Wheel (back bend). http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/473

The Bow. http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/yogapractice/thebow.asp

It may be your shoulders that are causing your pain. I'd focus on them as well.

[creevy15]

Hi,
For better flexibility you have to undergo any physiotherapy treatments.. For your problem i can suggest you about irehab.com where Postural exercises, back pain treatment and pain relief program is given in a customized basis.. Hope this can help you..

[PASmith]

And on a minor note: how long does it take before rolling does not cause DOMs?

In my case...never. :)

[Fusen]

And on a minor note: how long does it take before rolling does not cause DOMs?

If you roll hard, you need to warm down and stretch a little at the end of class, slow/flow rolling for the last roll is a good way to do this.

[slipthejab]

One major issue with upper back flexibility is you might find you have a very underdeveloped musculature in your upper back. Especially in relation to your chest. Most men do unless they've specifically worked to develop their upper backs.

Partially it's because we see our chest and front side everyday in the mirror. But when was the last time you woke up... looked in the mirror and flexed your rhomboids. Probably never.. lol.

So that sort of an imbalance can lead to flexibility problems due to your chest being tight and your upper back not being strong or developed enough to balance it out. Watch at most gyms... guys do bench press and push ups all day long... but very few will do rows or horizontal pulls.

Something to bear in mind if you're looking to have flexibility and good balance in your upper torso.

[Van Zandt]

You need to strengthen your back through the full range of movement. This will give you safe, functional flexibility.

Do these:

YouTube - 10 wide grip pull ups

And these:

YouTube - Dumbbell shrugs for traps

And these:

YouTube - High Pulls Best Traps Exercise - Trapezious Olympic Lifting

And these:

YouTube - Frank Sepe - Seated Cable Rows

Always, always, always train through the full range of movement, to make gains in flexibility.

And on a minor note: how long does it take before rolling does not cause DOMs?

When you stop exceeding what your body can handle.

[Shaky]

Overhand bent over rows are, in my opinion, the ultimate back exercise. If you're outside of a bodybuilding gym, then you won't see them done often, they're seriously underrated. You will probably look and feel stupid doing them, especially if you keep good form and have your arse stuck out... Do 3x8-12 of these, keep strict reps, slow movement and full range of motion and you will really feel the back muscle pump. The things you always need to focus on are slow movement and strict reps, far to many people swing the weights, taking the load away from the muscle. A good test on any exercise to see if the weight you have on is to much is to hold for 1-2 seconds at the peak of the exercise. You are using strength to lift the weight, but if you can't even hold it at the peak, then obviously you used an element of cheating to get there in the first place and thus reduce the work on the muscle you're trying to build.

These are better than machine rows simply because you're using a hole host of muscles to stabilise your position, I would definitely do

Bent over rows
Seated cable rows
Wide grip pull ups or lateral pull downs if you don't have the facility for the pull ups
Deadlifts (if you strengthen upper back, you need good stability from the lower back otherwise you will get a lower back injury)

If you're pairing muscle groups, then always train back before biceps as you're working biceps and forearms in most of these movements.

YouTube - Bent Over Rows