Tip Do This for 20 Minutes Feel Great Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip Do This for 20 Minutes Feel Great Deload your spine fix your posture function better Here' s how by TC Luoma July 28, 2017August 12, 2022 Tags Back, It Hurts Fix It, Mobility, Tips, Training You Need Some Horizontal Time Strangely, sitting for long periods of time is one of the worst things you can do to your back. It places 40% more pressure on your spine than standing, and it's even worse if, like most people, you slouch like a sleep-deprived gamer. Standing in one place isn't all that great, either. It diverts stress disproportionately and compresses the facet joints. And then, when you combine standing with wearing high-heeled shoes or any of the weird Frankenfoot training shoes with giant slabs of rubber in the heels that make you feel like you're perpetually standing on your toes to reach a cookie on the top shelf, you increase lordosis and make things exponentially worse. Of course, hyperextension of any kind isn't good for the back, either, and neither are heavy compressive loading or excessive forward bending and twisting. Hell, when you think about it, there isn't much we do that's good for the back. What were we humans thinking, learning to walk erect and all that? Stupid humans. If only we'd listened to the other mammals and kept our spines horizontal. Of course, adopting a horizontal position, even for just a few minutes every day, would go a long way into making our spines feel and function better, along with being hugely restorative in general. Deload the Spine Merely "de-loading" the spine for 20 minutes a day, or less if time is restrictive, can offer your tired back tons of relief. Find some floor space and lie on your back with your lower legs and calves on an ottoman, chair, or shipping box that your "Body by Jake" Thigh Rocker came in so that your hips and knees are at a right angle. This takes the load off the discs in your spine and allows them to completely relax without having to contend with the forces of gravity. The bent-knees position will also take tight hamstrings out of the picture so that they don't tug on your pelvis, which will allow your back to relax further. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip 3 Mobility Drills for Chest & Shoulders Do these drills before you press or pull to alleviate upper body tension and tightness, and prevent injury. Exercise Coaching, Mobility, Tips Cristian Plascencia June 16 Training Tip The Sled Press Boost your pressing frequency with this. With no eccentric component, the nervous system is spared. Great for off days or deloads. Chest, Exercise Coaching, Metabolic Conditioning, Tips Drew Murphy July 21 Training Tip The Banded Dumbbell Flye Add a band to your dumbbell flyes and pump out more gains. Bodybuilding, Chest, Exercise Coaching, Tips Kelvin King, Jr June 27 Training Question of Strength 18 Q & A with one of the world's premier strength coaches. Bodybuilding, Powerlifting & Strength, Question of Strength, Training Charles Poliquin March 5