You see, our thoracic (rib cage) area of our body is vital for mobility whilst running. By having a relaxed and mobile movement pattern, this enables the body to have better forward momentum from a larger part of the body. It means there is less reliance on the arms to create that counter balancing of the legs. So you’ll find your neck and shoulders hurt less when using better thoracic mobility.

Our lower ribs have muscles between each call intercostals and semispinalis. These are super important for allowing the rib cage to open up to allow better oxygen intake, as well as for rotation through the region. By these muscles activating nicely, it means that our lumbar muscles do not have to do what is called “reverse origin” activation. This happens when there is rigidity coming from higher up and another muscle has to activate to achieve a desired movement. Obviously this then leaves the lumbar muscles free to do their real job, which means less force (and potentially pain) through that region.

The following exercises are important for all runners to incorporate into their regime to ensure the lower rib cage area activates nicely to improve running technique and efficiency.