Name: Prone Cobra on Foam Roll (Activation for muscles of the scapula, thorax & deep cervical flexors)
Uploaded: 2023-04-26T01:02:54.000Z
Duration: 5 min 23 s

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https://stream.mux.com/FgCXYOgQD6EYmLARV4TjOx3mZOQgWZ9WaljXeX8adVk.m3u8

Learn how to properly perform the prone cobra on foam roll in this comprehensive step-by-step instructional video from the Brookbush Institute. This evidence-based video provides expert coaching on setup, positioning, alignment, and exercise modifications to improve scapular muscle activation, thoracic extension, and deep cervical flexor activation. Enhance scapular retraction and postural stability while supporting optimal spinal alignment with this targeted activation exercise. Perfect for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and rehabilitation clients seeking to improve posture, increase stability, and restore optimal movement mechanics while reducing the risk of injury.

Introduction to the Modified Cobra Exercise

Setting Up the Foam Roll Position

Cues for Proper Alignment and Execution

Tempo and Progression Variations

Integrating the Modified Cobra into Exercise Programs

Prone Cobra on Foam Roll (Activation for muscles of the scapula, thorax & deep cervical flexors)

This is Brent coming at you with another one of our collaboration videos. I got my friend Rob, PT for many years, certified orthopedic manual therapist and faculty for the Maitland courses, to come out show me a few new exercises which i love. He came out to my advancements in exercise selection course for upper-body dysfunction and all of a sudden I got inundated with all sorts of stuff. This is one of those exercises, this is a modified cobra. I know I showed you that cobra kind of prone on ball, we're going to do one on a foam roll, and Rob showed me a bunch of cues where this nice flat stable surface ends up becoming perfect for reinforcing optimal alignment of our spine. I'm going to have my friend Rob come out he's going to model for us, figures his punishment for showing me this exercises, that he actually has to do the exercise now. So set up being first, how you set up on the foam roll is you are going to be face-down, and then actually let me have you sit up real quick Rob. Rob's going to end the foam roll right here, alright so just below his clavicles, just below this notch here. This is where the foam roll is going to end and he'll be face down. Great now I'm going to make sure he's in a nice straight line. I got this towel here so his face doesn't end up in the floor, his feet are tucked in. I like to try to get those the balls of somebody's feet as close to the floor as i can, and we'll show you guys a progression here with straight legs. But then what i want to be able to do is he's going to have to kind of, you're gonna see we're going to need some extension here, and some drawing in here, which now we have to do against gravity. Alright this is going to take a little bit of cueing, So Rob go ahead and draw in, and you want to make sure when they draw in that they're lifting that abdominal wall off your fingers but we don't see any increase in flexion here, we don't see any increase in movement here, and then I'm going to have Rob go ahead and tuck his chin, bring his head back to the point of neutral, which for Rob seems to be a point where his clavicles come just off the foam roll, but the rest of his sternum is on the foam roll. We want to be very careful that we get thoracic extension, and not thoracolumbar extension and an increase in a lordosis. So Rob go ahead and show me the extreme here. I see a lot of this in the gym in a lot of different variations of the Cobra, but this variation in particular we don't want this because we don't want to over stimulate some short overactive muscles. Alright so Rob's going to go back down into his neutral position but he's tough, he looks good he's drawn in. Notice that his hands are already externally rotated, so as he goes down and back with his shoulder blades alright, we're reinforcing that that posterior tipping, good that retraction. And then he can bring his hands up and into extension and external rotation, and we have a pretty good looking Cobra. Now there's a couple of tempo markings we can use, we can either use a 4-2-2 so that would be a two-second up, two second hold and then four second eccentric on the way down. I've also seen a 2-4-2 count which would be up for two, hold this end position for four, three, two, one, and then back down for two. And then Rob brought up a really great point, sometimes if he really wants to focus on this more than anything else they'll have somebody go all the way down in between reps, and the he'll cue them back into that position. In that case if you're cueing through all of the different cues involved, you might have to kind of toss your tempo markings away for a little bit, and just work on slow and controlled. So I would be draw in go ahead and draw in, head back come up just a little bit, shoulder blades down and back up, and thumbs towards the ceiling. Great, good back down, nice and slow Rob. Rob did that really well so maybe I could progress him, add even more cues in. So I'm going to have you draw in all right, I want you to go ahead and straighten out your knees, quads tight, glutes tight, like you're holding a dollar bill. Try to drive the balls of your feet into the floor. Let's go for that cervical retraction good, draw down and back, up with the arms, thumbs towards the ceiling, good. Hold, three, two, one, down nice and slow. Alright guys as you can see this is a very cue heavy exercise. It may take you a few sessions before you can actually put it into somebody's home exercise program or trust them to do it effectively on their own, but I think what you guys will find as an integrated postural exercise for all of those individuals with upper body dysfunction, this is an incredibly effective exercise. You can go ahead and get up Rob, thank you big thank you to Rob guys for showing me this variation. I hope you guys have a lot of fun with this exercise.

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 with Standing Cobra may also be used as a combined progression.

Lie prone on a 3' foam roller (half or full depending on the patient/client's stability). The top of the foam roll should end below the clavicle and manubrium. A towel may be placed in front of the face for hygiene.

Dorsiflex the ankles so that the toes, and potentially the balls of the feet, make contact with the floor. The knees can remain on the floor for added stability, or triple extension mechanics can be reinforced by extending the hip (contracting the 

 ) and knees (contracting the quadriceps), and plantar flexing the maximally dorsiflexed ankles to push the toes and balls of the feet into the floor.

Draw the chin away from the floor (activating the deep cervical flexors), be careful to retract, and not simply extend the neck. The nose should remain pointed toward the floor through the entirety of the movement.

Initially, with the hands still on the floor, retract and depress the scapula. (This may result in some thoracic extension, adding the additional benefit of strengthening these commonly under-active muscles. Try to avoid lumbar extension which may activation of the commonly over-active 

With scapula depressed and retracted extend and externally rotate the arms reaching for the heels. Do not cue arms toward the ceiling as this could result in anterior tipping of the scapula when terminal extension of the shoulder is reached. (Note: the range of motion is fairly small)

Hold the top position for 2-4 seconds reinforcing cues for cervical retraction, scapular depression and retraction, and triple extension mechanics in the lower extremities.

Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

This same position can be used for prone abduction with external rotation, and/or scaption by cueing the appropriate arm position from step 5.

Abduction with external rotation: With elbows extended (arms straight), start with thumbs pointing up and arms abducted to roughly 80°. In this position cue reaching the hands toward the ceiling while maintaining scapular retractions and depression.

Scaption: With elbows extended (arms straight), start with thumbs pointing up and arms abducted to roughly 130°. In this position cue reaching the hands toward the ceiling while maintaining scapular retractions and depression.

Prone Cobra on Foam Roll (Activation for muscles of the scapula, thorax & deep cervical flexors)

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