Stability Ball Back Stretch

The stability ball back stretch is a mobility drill where you sit on an exercise ball, walk your feet out, and let your head, shoulders and upper back drape over it so the spine extends under nothing heavier than your own body weight. The ball supports each vertebra as it opens, which is what keeps the position feeling supported rather than forced. Why bother? Hours at a desk lock the thoracic spine into flexion, and the chest and front of the shoulders shorten along with it. Draping backward over the ball reverses that shape and lets the rib cage expand fully on every breath. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds and breathe slowly: the stretch deepens on the exhale, not by pushing harder. Two or three rounds fit naturally at the end of a session, or as part of a warm-up before pressing and pulling work.