Mobility
Foam Roll Upper Back
Foam Roll Upper Back uses gentle, controlled passes over a roller to massage the muscles around your shoulder blades and work on upper-back mobility.
- Beginner
- Low injury risk
- No rest timer
How to do it
- Sit with your knees bent, feet flat, and the roller crosswise behind you.
- Lean back onto the roller just below your shoulder blades.
- Cradle the back of your head in both hands.
- Lift your hips slightly off the floor.
- Use your feet to move the roller slowly toward the tops of your shoulder blades.
- Reverse the motion to return the roller to its starting position.
- Lower your hips to the floor when finished.
Form cues
- Keep your jaw relaxed.
- Keep your ribs from flaring.
- Breathe slowly through each pass.
Common mistakes
- Pulling on your headLet your hands support your head without tugging your chin toward your chest.
- Rushing over tender spotsMove smoothly rather than bouncing or scrubbing back and forth.
- Using more pressure than you can tolerateKeep more weight through your feet so the pressure stays comfortable.
Safety
Excessive pressure can irritate sensitive tissues or bruise areas over the ribs and spine. Letting the roller travel onto your neck or lower back can strain those areas.
- Keep each pass within the upper and middle back.
- Start with a softer roller rather than a hard or sharply ridged one.
- Avoid lingering on prominent bones or directly painful spots.
- Stop if you feel sharp or radiating pain, tingling, or numbness.
Ask a physiotherapist or doctor before trying this if you have osteoporosis, a recent rib or spinal injury, or persistent unexplained back pain.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Equipment
- Foam Roller
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 1–2
- Target
- 6–10 reps
- Rest
- No rest timer
Count one pass up and back as one rep.