Stretching Guide Part I: Upper Body Stretches

By | July 1, 2004

This illustrated guide to stretching focuses on the upper body. This guide covers the following stretches: Neck or Trap stretch, Shoulder stretch, Triceps stretch, Chest stretch, Upper Back, and Wrist stretch and avoid problems with muscle tension and soreness before and after a workout. Also, check out these 7 great ways to recover from muscle tension onĀ basicinvert78.com

See Also: The lower body stretch guide which covers: Back, Ankle stretch, Hamstring stretch, Glute stretch, Quad stretch, and Hip Flexor stretches.

Upper Body Stretches

Neck / Trap Stretch

Neck or Trap StretchThis stretch should be performed any time you are working with your shoulders or traps. It stretches the traps and side of the neck. Take one arm and hang it by your side, then twist so the palm is facing out, away from your body. With the other, grasp your head and pull your ear towards your shoulder. Do this slowly and gently and stop when you start to feel discomfort. Repeat with the other side.

Anterior Shoulder Stretch

Anterior Shoulder StretchThis stretch will mainly affect the front of the shoulder, or deltoid. Place one arm across the front of your body. With the opposite hand, grasp your elbow. Now, pull your arm across your body without twisting your torso. You should feel the tension in the front of your shoulder, and possibly in the chest area.

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Posterior Shoulder Stretch

Posterior Shoulder StretchThis stretch is best done with a towel, rope, or other item that you can grasp and pull. For this example, we’ll use a towel. Take one arm and dangle the towel over your back. Reaching behind you, grasp the other end of the towel with your opposite hand. Now, pull the towel upwards as if you were trying to touch the back of your neck with the lower hand.

Triceps Stretch

Triceps StretchFor this stretch, you will also use a towel. Take one arm and dangle the towel over your back. Reach behind yourself with the other arm and grab the lower end. This time, instead of pulling up, pull down with the towel. Try to keep your upper arm perpendicular to the ground and parallel with your torso, and pull down and back so you feel the stretch in your triceps (the back of your upper arm).

Chest Complex

Chest Stretch Position 1The chest complex involves several stretches for the chest. The first stretch involves standing next to a wall or frame. Extend one arm and bend at the elbow, so that your arm forms a right angle (upper arm is parallel to the ground, and upper arm is sticking straight up). Place your forearm against the wall or frame. Now, twist away from the wall with a special emphasis on pushing your chest through the turn, so that you feel the stretch in your chest.

Chest Stretch Position 2For the next stretch, you step away from the wall so that instead of your forearm, only your hand is on the wall. The arm still forms a right angle, but this time it is dropped so that your hand and shoulder are at the same level, with your elbow beneath. You’ll make the same twist, pushing your chest into the turn, to stretch the chest in the new position.

Chest Stretch Position 3The third and final variation for stretching the chest involves stepping further from the wall and extending your arm straight so that the entire arm is parallel to the ground. Again, twist into the stretch and feel the tension on your chest.

Back Pair

Unilateral Lat StretchThe back is stretched in two planes because it can function in both the vertical and horizontal plane. I prefer a unilateral stretch from the vertical, by simply hanging with one arm – don’t support yourself with your legs, but let your arm that is hanging extend to stretch the lat (the part of your back that extends under your armpit) muscle.

Bilateral Lat StretchFor the horizontal (rowing) plane, I use a bilateral stretch. Simply grasp a bar or pole, then bend down and sink back so that both sides are stretched as if you were at the extended portion of a cable row.

Wrist Complex

Wrist Stretch Start PositionThe wrist complex involves three different stretches – one for flexion, one for extension, and one for rotation. All of the stretches begin with one arm extended and palm up, as if you were a crossing guard asking someone to stop. The three variations then include:

Wrist Extension StretchThe first stretch involves simply grasping your fingers and pulling them towards you. This is an extension stretch. You should feel it pulling in the wrist area and possibly on your upper forearm.

Wrist Flexion StretchFor the wrist flexion stretch, start with hand and palm out, then drop the fingers to point to the floor (so your palm is now facing you). With the other hand, grasp the fingers and pull them towards your body. You will feel most of the tension on your upper forearm/the top of your lower arm. You should be able to increase your range of flexion so that your fingers can touch your arm in this stretch.

Wrist Rotation StretchThis stretch is a little more complex. Begin with the typical “crossing guard” position. This time, rotate the hand away from the center of your body. In other words, your right hand will twist like the hands on a clock (from your perspective) so the fingers swing out (pointing right) and down. Use the opposite hand to pull through the rotation. The left hand would rotate counter-clockwise (again, from your perspective) to point left and then down with your right hand pulling through the rotation.

Give it a Shot!
There are other upper body stretches, but these basics can help get you started. If you are skeptical about whether or not stretching may be beneficial, instead of reading yourself to death, why not try it out? Incorporate these stretches into your upper body workouts for a period of four to twelve weeks, and keep a detailed journal to decide for yourself if you receive a noticeable benefit from stretching.

See also lower body stretches

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