MoPro
TrainersEye · Neck & Upper Back Health
Neck & Upper Back M
Trainer's Eye
Phase 3 · Thoracic and upper back · Session M

Free the ribs.
Spare the neck.
Every reach.

Phase 3 opens at the mid-back — the stiffness there is what the neck has been paying for.

  • Msession
  • P3Upper back
  • 12:00on the clock
  • — donecompleted

Thoracic stiffness costs neck range

A stiff mid-back forces the neck to make up the difference in every reach and turn.

The best posture is the next one

Movement variety beats any single ideal position. Changing position every twenty to thirty minutes is the intervention.

Warm tissue moves further

A warm neck rotates further and tolerates more. That is what the first minutes of every session are for.

Three couplets · two rounds · twelve minutes · a neck that carries the day

A

Extend

Roll extensions + loaded extension reps
A1

Thoracic extension over a roll

60 s · slow reps

Rolled towel across the mid-back on the floor; arch over it and return, ribs down.

Easier thinner roll  ·  Harder arms overhead

R1R2—
A2

Roll extension reps

12 reps · ×2

Hands behind the head over the roll; extend, hold two seconds, return with control.

Easier smaller range  ·  Harder thicker roll

R1R2
B

Rotate

Open book + thread the needle
B1

Open-book rotation — wide

60 s · slow reps

Side-lying, knees stacked; open the top arm all the way and follow with the eyes.

Easier smaller range  ·  Harder hold at the end

R1R2—
B2

Thread the needle

12/side · ×2

On all fours; slide one hand under the body, rotate, then open to the ceiling.

Easier smaller range  ·  Harder pause at each end

R1R2
C

Segment

Segmental cat-cow + prone extension lift
C1

Segmental cat-cow

60 s · slow reps

Move one vertebra at a time from the tail to the neck, then reverse — slow and smooth.

Easier smaller range  ·  Harder slower

R1R2—
C2

Prone thoracic extension lift

12 reps · ×2

Face down, hands at the temples; lift the chest with the neck in line, then lower.

Easier hands by the sides  ·  Harder light weight

R1R2

The clock

Round 1settle in — 70%, perfect tracking
0:00A1 → A2
2:00B1 → B2
4:00C1 → C2
Round 2own it — beat Round 1 by quality
6:00A1 → A2
8:00B1 → B2
10:00C1 → C2

Each couplet: 60 s scored → the loading set → 10 s to move on. Done at 12:00.

How to run it

  1. A stiff mid-back forces the neck to do its work. Free the ribs and the neck gets range for nothing.
  2. Pull at least as much as you push — the upper back is the neck's anchor.
  3. Move from the ribs, not the low back: the arch happens between the shoulder blades.
  4. Two clean sessions at a load earn the next. In doubt, add a rep rather than a kilo.

Tick it off

MovementRound 1Round 2Best
A1Thoracic extension over a rollslow reps in 60 s —
A2Roll extension reps12 reps
B1Open-book rotation — wideslow reps in 60 s —
B2Thread the needle12/side
C1Segmental cat-cowslow reps in 60 s —
C2Prone thoracic extension lift12 reps
Session time
StreakDay —
Client / Patient
Coach / Clinician signature
Date
TE-12-NECK-M