Get Your Back Up *
is about s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g the upper back upwards, and of course the chest gets lifted in the process.
Before beginning, engage your transverse abdominis (see BellyUp video) and hold your glutes together in the back.
Keep your body weight distributed evenly throughout both of your feet, being careful not to sink back onto your heels.
Keep relaxing your shoulders, letting them fall down withought pressing them down.
Check yourself in the mirror, or have someone watch you do the exercise.
Tip
Between reps, drop the arms. That is, let the arms fall freely, and as fast as they want to. Do not guide them down, or slow their fall. Let them wind up in the position they want to be in.
Caution
Be gentle with your arms . . . do not over-extend the elbows when your arms are down. There should always be a very tiny bend at the elbow.
I recommend that you study this in the mirror, and practice doing it with your eyes first open, and then closed, until you feel how your back lifts when you press your hands together.
A t first when we practice certain movements, we have to apply extreme deliberation to the process.
But after a while, muscle memory kicks in, and you will be able to do this without over-thinking.
