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Physiorun
The Classroom
Your Weekly Running Strength Class
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This Week’s Class
Twist and Shout
A full thoracic rotation and mobility circuit — twist, reach and unlock the upper back.
3 rounds throughout · 9 exercises
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Ask most runners what their upper back has to do with their stride and you’ll get a blank look. But every step involves a quiet counter-rotation between your pelvis and your thoracic spine — as one hip drives forward, the opposite shoulder and ribcage rotate the other way to balance it out.
If that upper back can’t rotate freely, the body has to find the movement somewhere else — usually the lower back, which was never built to twist as much as it’s suddenly being asked to. This week’s class gives the thoracic spine its range back, from every angle: rotation, side flexion and extension.
Nine exercises, three rounds, one circuit — twist it loose, then put it to work.
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The Circuit · 3 rounds
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Twist & Unlock
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1
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Lizard Stretch (“The Greatest Stretch in the World”) × 30 seconds each side × 3
From a deep lunge position, drop onto the forearms and rotate the chest open towards the front leg. A full-body mobiliser that opens the hip, hamstring and thoracic spine together — exactly why it’s earned its nickname.
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2
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Side Lying Shoulder Press × 30 seconds each side × 3
Lying on your side, press a light weight overhead while keeping the ribs stacked and stable. Trains shoulder mobility and control in a position that demands the thoracic spine stay still while the arm moves freely around it.
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3
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DB Seesaw (Paddle/Peddley Row, Alternate Arms) × 1 minute × 3
Kneeling or standing tall, row one arm back as the other reaches forward, like paddling a canoe. The alternating rhythm asks the thoracic spine to rotate smoothly between each stroke rather than staying locked in place.
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4
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Bow and Arrow Stretch × 30 seconds each side × 3
Standing tall, pull one arm back as if drawing a bowstring while the other reaches forward, rotating through the upper back. A classic thoracic rotation stretch that opens the chest on one side while loading rotation on the other.
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5
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Sumo Squat with Rotations × 1 minute × 3
Holding a wide sumo squat stance, rotate the torso and reach one arm towards the ceiling, then the other. Combines lower body strength with upper body rotation, training the two to move independently of each other.
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6
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Towel Rotation in Sitting (with Foam Roller Between Knees) × 1 minute × 3
Seated with a foam roller clamped between the knees to lock the hips still, hold a towel across the chest and rotate side to side. The roller takes the hips out of the equation, so every degree of rotation has to come from the thoracic spine alone.
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7
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Towel Side Flexion (Sitting, Towel Overhead) × 1 minute × 3
Seated tall, hold a towel overhead with both hands and side bend from one side to the other. Trains lateral flexion through the thoracic spine, a direction of movement that’s easy to neglect once rotation gets all the attention.
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8
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Prone Towel Overhead Lift × 1 minute × 3
Lying face down, hold a towel overhead with both hands and lift it off the floor, driving through the upper back. Builds thoracic extension strength — the posture-holding capacity that keeps your chest up and your form tall when you’re tired late in a run.
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9
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Thread the Needle with DB × 30 seconds each side × 3
On all fours holding a light dumbbell, thread one arm underneath your body and rotate, then reverse the movement and reach that arm up towards the ceiling. Takes the thoracic spine through its full rotational range, from fully closed to fully open, under control.
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Watch the full class
Follow Along on YouTube
▶ Watch the Class on YouTube
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Weekly Blog
The Twist Your Running Stride Is Missing: Why Thoracic Rotation Matters
Ask most runners what their upper back has to do with running and you’ll get a blank look. But every stride involves a subtle counter-rotation between your pelvis and your thoracic spine — as one hip drives forward, the opposite shoulder and ribcage rotate the other way to balance it out.
If the thoracic spine is stiff, that counter-rotation can’t happen smoothly, and the body finds the rotation somewhere else — often the lower back, which isn’t built to rotate as freely and can end up taking the strain instead.
Thoracic rotation is also tied to arm swing and breathing. A ribcage that can rotate and expand freely gives your diaphragm more room to work, while an efficient arm swing relies on the shoulders and upper back moving independently from a stable core.
That’s why today’s circuit works thoracic rotation from every angle — open and closed rotation, side flexion, and extension — rather than just one direction. Locking the hips still with the foam roller in one drill makes sure the rotation you’re training is actually coming from the right place.
Twist and Shout is built around giving your upper back the range it needs, so your lower back doesn’t have to borrow it.
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Top Tip of the Week
Rotate From the Ribs, Not the Hips
On the seated towel rotations especially, it’s easy to let the hips swivel along with the twist, which just moves the problem rather than training the thoracic spine to do the work. Keep your hips facing forward and let the movement come from the ribs up.
If you’re not using the roller between your knees, imagine someone’s holding your hips still from behind. That one cue does more to isolate the thoracic spine than almost anything else in this circuit.
Get that separation right on the floor, and it carries straight through to the counter-rotation your upper back needs to find on every run.
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Nine exercises, three rounds, every direction your upper back is built to move in — rotation, side flexion and extension, all given the range they rarely get. Twist it loose this week, and let your lower back off the hook.
James
Physiorun
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Runner’s Injury Guides
Dealing With Something Specific?
If you’re carrying a niggle right now, these dedicated guides walk through what’s going on and how to work through it:
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