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Stability in the lower back is important for a good runner, as is mobility in the thoracic spine. The combination of «mobility above and stability below» makes your jogging more efficient and faster.

This article is brought to you by Spiraldynamik

The «home office» situation has exacerbated the back problems of many runners for more than a year. Sitting for too long and a lack of movement reduces your jogging performance. A flexible rib cage plays a crucial role here – for two reasons:

Breathing should not limit your speed

The elasticity and flexibility of the rib cage ensures deep and relaxed breathing. Tension in the back and reduced flexibility have a negative effect on breathing. They limit your respiratory volume and the more restricted you are, the higher the resistance when breathing in and out deeply. These two factors limit your speed and make you tired faster. If you help your thoracic spine to become more mobile, you can also use your entire lung volume.

Mobility helps with stability

The whole back is divided into 3 regions: the lumbar, thoracic, and cervical spine. The lumbar and cervical spine are mainly concerned with stability, whereas the thoracic spine stands for mobility. With prolonged sitting, the thoracic spine gets too little movement and stiffens. In everyday life, the lumbar and cervical spine take on the role of movement at the expense of stability. This has a huge impact on your running pattern. With a lack of stability in the lower back and reduced mobility in the thoracic spine, the energy cannot be converted correctly while running. It is therefore important to make your thoracic spine mobile again. To ensure you hit two birds with one stone, incorporate deep breathing into each exercise. In this way, you will not only increase your mobility, but also improve your breathing technique.