Mobility · Baseline Mobility
Lying Thoracic Rotations
Thoracic spine rotation, desk worker deficit correction
Minimum Effective Dose
1 min
The shortest time that still creates real, measurable change. Hit the dose and the benefit starts. Everything after is bonus.
Why it works
The thoracic spine is designed to rotate, but sitting all day locks it up. Lost thoracic rotation forces the lower back and neck to compensate, leading to pain. Controlled rotation restores range that most desk workers lose by midday.
How to do it
Rotate through the ribcage.
Hips stay still. Follow your hand with your eyes. If the hips are moving, the rotation isn't coming from the thoracic.
- Lie on your side with knees stacked and bent to 90 degrees. Arms extended in front
- Open your top arm across your body, rotating through the ribcage. Follow your hand with your eyes
- Bring the arm back slowly. Keep your hips completely still throughout
- If the hips are moving, reduce the range — the rotation should come from the thoracic
Variants
Easier
Seated rotation.
Sit in a chair. Rotate upper body only. Hands on shoulders.
Harder
Open-book from side-lying.
Full rotation with a pause at end-range. Control the return.
Related exercises
Pair with breathwork
Wind down after your session with a Shift breathwork protocol.
Baseline builds this into your session automatically.
The system decides what you need, sequences the exercises, and runs the timers. All you do is press start.
Launching May 2026 · Free to try
