This might seem like an odd question, but when was the last time you reached your arms overhead?

Or, how about the last time you held the weight of your body with your arms (think along the lines of climbing or hanging from your hands)?

Has it been a while?

If so, I totally get it. Overhead moves aren't exactly required to get through the modern human day.

But they’re so worth adding to your daily list of to-dos.

Why?

Because overhead moves are fantastic for the upper back!

When you reach overhead (especially when you hang from your hands), it creates a positive pull of tension on your spine that helps to hold it up.

Without this tension, your back muscles don’t work to their full potential, and over time, it can lead to upper back rounding.

This is normally blamed on getting older, but it really has more to do with the loads and tensions created in your body by the things you do and how you move—especially how you use and move your arms.

If a rounded upper back concerns you, it's worth getting deliberate about adding overhead movement into your routine every single day.

In today’s video, I’ll show you a fun and simple way to use your arms to get your upper back muscles working.

(Don’t worry, you won’t be hanging from your hands today—that’s for a future video 😉.)

After you check it out and give it a try, I’d love to know how it goes. You can tell me in the comments below.

With positive upper back tension,

Sydney

P.S. If you want more simple and effective ways to fine-tune how you move so you can keep doing the things in your life you love with more freedom and ease, make sure to check out the Pilates Tonic Online (PTO) membership.

I have packed PTO with strategies to help you feel stronger, more flexible, and free—no matter how old you are.

NEW: We’ve just completed a slew of upgrades to Pilates Tonic Online, and it’s now even more powerful, effective, and easy to use.

The PTO membership currently costs $79 a month.

(The price will increase soon, but you can lock in the current rate by signing up now. As long as you maintain your membership, your rate will remain unchanged, even when the price rises for others!)

Every month, PTO members receive the following:

• Two live Zoom classes + the class recording (so you never have to worry about missing a class)
• Two new movement videos
• PTO Foundation Videos: a roadmap for alignment success so you get more out of every other exercise you do
• Unlimited access to the PTO video library
• Weekly emails