Bench T-Spine Stretch
The Bench T-Spine Stretch is a targeted mobility exercise that uses a flat bench to improve thoracic extension and lat flexibility. It is essential for correcting rounded posture and improving overhead lifting mechanics.
While this is a non-weighted mobility drill, the AI optimizes your recovery by analyzing your sleep quality and HRV to determine if stiffness is neurological or structural. If you report shoulder pain during overhead pressing, the app intelligently schedules this stretch to mobilize the thoracic spine, reducing compensatory strain on the shoulder joint. It also tracks duration and RPE to ensure you are holding the stretch long enough to elicit tissue change without overstressing cold muscles.
Form Cues
- Kneel far enough back so your torso can drop freely between your arms
- Keep your elbows shoulder-width apart on the edge of the bench
- Exhale deeply as you sink your chest toward the floor
- Keep your core slightly braced to isolate the movement to the upper back
- Don't excessively arch your lower back to fake range of motion
- Don't let your elbows slide too wide apart
- Don't bounce at the bottom of the movement
- Don't lift your head up; keep the neck neutral
Common Mistakes
- Hyperextending the lumbar spine
- Holding breath during the stretch
- Placing elbows too wide
- Tensing the neck muscles
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the erector spinae within the thoracic region, encouraging necessary spinal extension often lost due to sitting. It also provides a significant secondary stretch to the latissimus dorsi, triceps, and middle/lower trapezius, facilitating better overhead range of motion.
Primary
Secondary
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