Groiner with T-Spine Rotation (How To & Alternatives)

Groiners with T-Spine Rotation combine hip mobility and thoracic spine (T-spine) mobility in a single, ground-based movement. Starting from a high plank, you step one foot outside your hand, then rotate through the upper back to reach toward the ceiling.

This movement opens up the hips, stretches the groin, and improves spinal rotation—making it a powerful warm-up drill for both lower- and upper-body training days.

Primary Muscles Worked: Hip Flexors, Adductors, Thoracic Spine, Glutes
Secondary Muscles Worked: Core, Shoulders, Obliques
Equipment Needed: None

How To Do Groiners with T-Spine Rotation

Step-by-Step Instructions

Set-Up:
- Begin in a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and feet hip-width apart.
- Brace your core and keep your body in a straight line.
Execution:
- Step your right foot outside your right hand, planting it flat on the floor.
- Keeping your back leg straight and core engaged, lift your right arm and rotate your torso to the right, reaching toward the ceiling.
- Pause briefly at the top of the rotation, then bring your hand back down.
- Step your right foot back to plank and repeat on the left side.
Tips for Proper Form:
- Keep your hips low and your spine long—don’t let your back sag or round.
- Focus on rotating through the upper back, not just swinging the arm.
- Exhale as you reach up to deepen the rotation.

Key Benefits

Improves hip mobility and groin flexibility.
Enhances thoracic spine rotation—critical for posture, pressing, and rotational sports.
Engages the core and shoulders while reinforcing movement control.

Modifications and Variations

Easier Option:
- Rest the back knee on the ground for added stability.
- Keep the rotation smaller—just reach the hand up without turning your chest fully.
Harder Option:
- Hold the end range of the rotation for 2–3 seconds.
- Add a light pause in the groiner position before rotating.
- Perform in a flow sequence with other mobility drills like the World’s Greatest Stretch.

Common Mistakes

Rotating Just the Arm: Focus on opening the chest and rotating through the spine, not just lifting your arm.
Rushing the Movement: Move slowly and with intention to get the full benefit.
Letting the Front Foot Lift: Keep the entire foot flat to ensure proper hip engagement.

Reps and Sets Recommendations

For Warm-Up/Mobility: 2–3 sets of 5–6 reps per side.
As Part of a Dynamic Flow: 30–60 seconds alternating sides with control.
For T-Spine Focus: 3 sets of 4–5 slow, deliberate reps per side with a 2-second pause at the top.

Groiners with T-Spine Rotation Variations

Groiners

Groiners with T-Spine Rotation are technically a variation themselves. The base variation is Groiners which are a great warm-up exercise all by themselves.

Groiners with Rotation Alternatives

If you want to mix up your routine a bit, here are a few alternatives to groiners that you can try out.

Reach Thru and Rotate

Reach Thru and Rotate is one of my favorite exercises for working on improving mobility through the Thoracic and Lumbar Spine (mid and low-back).

Start on all fours (hands and knees). Brace on one hand and take the other arm and reach it through the gap between the braced arm and the leg. Hold that stretch for a moment and then rotate and open as far as possible, taking the eyes and fingertips straight up to the sky.

Repeat back and forth and then switch to the other side.

Catcher Squat

The Catcher Squat is another great lower-body warmup exercise that targets the groin.

To perform a Catcher Squat, drop down into a full squat (like a baseball catcher). The main difference to an actual catcher is that you want your feet flat on the ground with your torso as tall as possible. From this position, you can use your elbows to push your knees out and deepen the stretch.

Mountain Climbers

Another dynamic lower-body warmup movement is Mountain Climbers. They are very similar to Groiners in the starting position and the actual movement itself. However, Mountain Climbers only require lifting the knee up toward the chest.

This makes them a good substitution if you want something that is less challenging mobility-wise.