Cobra 1: Breathing

Print Exercise*

LOAD	SETS	REPS	TEMPO	REST
Breathing	2	10	Inhale to rise: Exhale to lower	30 sec

LOAD	Breathing
SETS	2
REPS	10
TEMPO	Inhale to rise: Exhale to lower
REST	30 sec

Objectives

Targeted Muscles

How to Perform

Lying face down with arms to the side of your body and head facing down.
Keeping your feet on the floor, inhale and slowly begin to lift your upper body off the floor as you extend through the crown of your head and externally rotate your arms and hands.
Keep your collar bones wide, your chin tucked, extended and your head back towards the ceiling.
Exhale and slowly lower to the floor.
Repeat.

Common Challenges

Many lift the head to look up, compressing the cervical spine. Ensure you look only slightly in front of you on the floor.
It's common to want to turn the hands and shoulders inward. Externally rotate your hands (thumbs out) and shoulders to feel an opening across the chest.
When the mid back muscles tire the shoulder blades tend to move away from each other and sometimes towards the ears. Be conscious to pinch them together and away from the shoulders.

Alternative Exercise Suggestions for Patients with an ICD

Be careful not to add heavy pressure on the chest when descending to the floor.
Arms should stay 25 degrees away from body.