Sitting Stomach Massage
Plane of Motion
Sagittal
Spring Setting
Light / Medium
Roll Up Bar Short Springs
Mid-Pole Hooks
Muscle Focus
Spinal Flexors
Rectus Abdominis, Internal Oblique, External Oblique
Maintain the c-curve and flexion in the trunk as the legs straighten and bend.
Pull the legs to the chest as the knees bend.
Spinal Extensors
Erector Spinae, Semispinalis, Deep Posterior Spinal Group
Receive a stretch as the legs straighten.
Co-contract with spinal flexors to pull the legs back in and stack the spine to sit tall.
Other Muscles at Play
Spinal stabilizers create lumbo-pelvic stabilization.
Scapular depressors keep the shoulders down away from the ears.
Scapular upward rotators allow for overhead reach when rounding forward by drawing the shoulder blades down and under the armpits.
Elbow extensors keep the arms straight.
Hip extensors may feel a stretch when rounded forward over legs.
Knee extensors straighten the legs and keep the legs straight during the ankle actions.
Hip adductors close the legs together as the knees straighten and create midline connection.
Dorsiflexors flex the feet.
Plantar flexors point the feet and push into the bar.
Objectives
Stretches the entire posterior chain from head to heel.
Teaches how to initiate from the core and deepen the C-curve to pull the knees into the chest, using the support of the hands and bar to reinforce strong abdominal engagement and precise, well-organized spinal shaping.
Focus on breathing to synchronize the movement.