Stretching Guide Part I: Upper Body Stretches
by Jeremy Likness

This guide covers the following stretches: Neck or Trap stretch, Shoulder stretch, Triceps stretch, Chest stretch, Upper Back, and Wrist stretch.

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

This 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

This 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.

Posterior Shoulder Stretch

This 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

For 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

The 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.


For 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.

The 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.