Office work limbering

Hi, @Alessandro Mainente mentioned a Office routine for every deskpatroller out there. Im very curious how that looks, and probably many Office workers on here are.  

Appreciate the good work Alessandro, Thank you.

HI Jonas due to the nature of the desk work where you tend to bend forward the most horrible and wrong thing it is to bend backward after some hours. my suggestion is what follows:

1a-calf and basic quad stretch: FSSSE6 , 2 minutes

1b-seiza for 2 minutes

2-basic hips flexor stretch: FSSSE21 : 2 minutes each leg

3-hamstring: FSSSE24. do this variation back to the wall. put the feet about 30-35 cm in front of the wall. lean back until you reach the wall with your butt, bend a bit the knees (10-15°) and lean forward. 2' minutes

It is imperative to follow this order.

Very good Alessandro,, I have 2 more questions for you. 

-why is it bad to bend backward after some hours sitting?

-1b seiza, do you mean elevated or squatted? 

Keep up the great work!

On 21/4/2017 at 3:43 PM, Alessandro Mainente said:

HI Jonas due to the nature of the desk work where you tend to bend forward the most horrible and wrong thing it is to bend backward after some hours. my suggestion are what follows:

-calf and basic quad stretch: FSSSE6 , 2 minutes

-basic hips flexor stretch: FSSSE21 : 2 minutes each leg

-hamstring: FSSSE24. do this variation back to the wall. put the feet about 30-35 cm in front of the wall. lean back until you reach the wall with your butt, bend a bit the knees (10-15°) and lean forward. 2' minutes

 

 

 

Elevated Seiza.

The problem it is quite simple. when you bend forward with spine on flexion the vertebral disk it is pushed in the opposite direction of where you are bending (if you bend forward the disk it is pushed backward) and after some hours the condition still persists for 6-8 minutes when you stop to bend forward. if you prematurely bend backward you pinch the disk in between the edges of 2 vertebrae. this is the worst situation.

This it is due to the nature of desk work and also due to the best horrible thing that the man has invented: the chair.

Thank you Alessandro for posting this, exactly what I need.

One question: for FSSSE21 do you think it's OK to do the "sofa" version (see picture)? To do it everyday I don't like the pressure on the knee that the floor version gives.

Also, hope you don't mind if I post a similar thread on the thoracic stretch forum, we poor office workers need something to counteract the slouching of the shoulders as well !

Keeping my eyes on this thread as I've recently begun desk patrol after years as a student/nomad/volunteer in the peace corps where schedule flexibility and free time were in great quantity. Can already feel my traps and ankles shortening...sigh.

Relatedly are there any suggestions or areas of extra focus if one is tight on time for working out? I work a desk job now for about 10-hours a day, and the best workaround I've found is to get to the gym at 6 am (meaning I'm up by 5:30 am). As fresh blood, I can't feasibly install a standing desk or a pull-up bar or what have you in my office. Furthermore, I don't get home from work until after 6:30 at the earliest. This doesn't leave much time for the other side of things: food prep, eating dinner, etc (because while 6 is the earliest, it's also the least frequent time I'm able to get home).

I'm thinking of just doing mobilities for FL from Foundation 1 and the Front Split Series. I feel as though my efforts are somehow a Sisyphean task as doing only 20-30 minutes of limbering when I'm sitting all day long only goes so far (trust me I don't enjoy the sitting, but it is what it is given the length of time I've been on the job hunt, I'm not looking to work elsewhere or cause a commotion in the office). Admittedly, I'm thinking I would possibly pare down the number of areas I focus on, e.g. only parts of Foundation and not all 7 elements or perhaps cutting out Movement. I'm not really sure what a recommended approach would be. Clearly my situation is less than optimal but I'm just looking to mitigate as much of the ills from my situation as possible as it's unlikely to change for quite some time. Maybe @Coach Sommer or @Alessandro Mainente have some suggestions? I can ask this in another forum, if needs be. Thanks.

Yours in soreness,

The sofa variation it is ok.

For you question Daniel, I generally suggest inserting stretch every 1.5/2 hours work of desk, since you are holding the wrong posture for hours you need to balance it more frequently.

Muscles which must be stretched for desk work: quads and hips flexors, hamstring, little pec, lats, chest and traps.

muscles which must be strengthened: erector spinae, middle and lower traps.

Perfect thanks. I'll be certain to give them more attention when training.

I have started a few things to improve my posture. I WFH 1-2 days a week and for that I got a standing desk. More like a laptop stand that i picked up from amazon for around $40   I also switched to a hard chair instead of a highly cushioned one, i notice that naturally makes me sit upright with good posture. And I also sleep whenever I can on a hard floor, after the initial adjustment period I feel its been helping me especially my back.

20 hours ago, Affan Osman said:

I have started a few things to improve my posture. I WFH 1-2 days a week and for that I got a standing desk. More like a laptop stand that i picked up from amazon for around $40   I also switched to a hard chair instead of a highly cushioned one, i notice that naturally makes me sit upright with good posture. And I also sleep whenever I can on a hard floor, after the initial adjustment period I feel its been helping me especially my back.

 

You sleep on the hard floor? That hardly seems practical...do you have a wife or girlfriend?

I sleep on floor sometimes, not always. I understand it is probably not practical for everyone, good thing it is not the only way to fix issues