Rhomboids-SMR

An intermediate mobility exercise that works the upper back, using a foam roller.

Rhomboids-SMR — Starting position Starting position
Rhomboids-SMR — End position End position
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Stretching
Equipment Foam Roller
Primary Muscle Upper Back
Logged As Time held

How to Do Rhomboids-SMR

  1. Lay down with your back on the floor. Place a foam roll underneath your upper back, and cross your arms in front of you, protracting your shoulders. This will be your starting position.
  2. Raise your hips off of the ground, placing your weight onto the foam roll. Shift your weight to one side at a time, rolling over your middle and upper back. Pause at points of tension for 10-30 seconds.

Muscles Worked

Front
Back

Primary

Where Rhomboids-SMR does most of its work.

Secondary

Assisting and stabilising muscles.

Alternatives to Rhomboids-SMR

10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.

  1. 1 Latissimus Dorsi-SMR

    Latissimus Dorsi-SMR

    A beginner isolation mobility exercise that works the upper back, using a foam roller.

    beginner Foam Roller
  2. 2 Spinal Stretch

    Spinal Stretch

    A beginner isolation mobility exercise that works the upper back.

    beginner Not specified
  3. 3 Chair Lower Back Stretch

    Chair Lower Back Stretch

    A beginner isolation mobility exercise that works the upper back.

    beginner Not specified
  4. 4 Dynamic Back Stretch

    Dynamic Back Stretch

    A beginner mobility exercise that works the upper back.

    beginner Not specified
  5. 5 Middle Back Stretch

    Middle Back Stretch

    A beginner isolation mobility exercise that works the upper back.

    beginner Not specified
  6. 6 One Arm Against Wall

    One Arm Against Wall

    A beginner isolation mobility exercise that works the upper back.

    beginner Not specified
  7. 7 One Handed Hang

    One Handed Hang

    A beginner mobility exercise that works the upper back.

    beginner Not specified
  8. 8 Overhead Lat

    Overhead Lat

    An advanced mobility exercise that works the upper back.

    advanced Not specified
  9. 9 Side-Lying Floor Stretch

    Side-Lying Floor Stretch

    A beginner mobility exercise that works the upper back.

    beginner Not specified
  10. 10 Upper Back Stretch

    Upper Back Stretch

    A beginner mobility exercise that works the upper back.

    beginner Not specified

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do rhomboids-smr work?

Rhomboids-SMR primarily works the upper back. The traps assist as secondary muscles.

What equipment do I need for rhomboids-smr?

Rhomboids-SMR uses foam roller.

Rhomboids-SMR: is it suitable for beginners?

Rhomboids-SMR is rated intermediate. Movements that assume you already own the basic pattern and are ready to load it.

What can I do instead of rhomboids-smr?

Latissimus Dorsi-SMR, Spinal Stretch, Chair Lower Back Stretch train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.

How do I log rhomboids-smr in Fitnit?

As time held rather than reps. Fitnit records the seconds and credits them to the upper back on your body map, so you can see which muscles you train hard and never stretch.

Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.

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