Chest Stretches
How to do the best chest stretches to decrease pec and shoulder pain, fast! Simple at-home mobility stretching exercises to improve flexibility! Plus, keep your shoulders working properly and increase your Bench Press.
Do one stretch before and after your upper body workouts, but NOT during, as this can decrease strength.
Basic Chest Stretch
Purpose:
- Improve Shoulder Horizontal Abduction
- Open Chest Cavity
Focus:
- Shoulder Horizontal Abduction (Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoids)
- With your arms extended out horizontally, grasp a stable object with each hand.
- Pull your shoulder blades back and down as you push your chest forward until you feel a slight stretch in your chest.
- Breathe calmly as you relax into the stretch before starting to move through the tension under control.
- Maintain tension in your back as you pull your shoulders back actively.
Doorway Stretch
Purpose:
- Open Anterior Chest
- Free Breathing Muscles of Tension
- Increase Scapular Elevation/ Depression Function
- Increase Shoulder External Rotation
Focus:
- Scapular Elevation/ Depression Function (Pectoralis Minor)
- Stand in front of a doorway with your arms raised so that your elbows form a 90-degree angle out to your sides with your palms facing forward.
- Place your forearms and palms against the sides of the doorway as you step halfway through the structure.
- Pull your shoulder blades together, back and down as you push your torso forward until you feel a stretch in your chest.
- To increase the stretch, lean forward while turning from one side to the other.
- Take deep, relaxing breathes throughout this stretch as it will open your breathing pathways and improve deep breathing function.
Single Arm Doorway Stretch
Purpose:
- Open Anterior Chest
- Free Breathing Muscles of Tension
- Increase Scapular Elevation/ Depression Function
- Increase Shoulder External Rotation
Focus:
- Shoulder External Rotation (Subscapularis)
- Shoulder Horizontal Abduction (Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid)
- Stand in front of a doorway with one arm raised so that your elbow forms a 90-degree angle out to your side with your palm facing forward.
- Place your forearm and palm against one side of the doorway as you step halfway through the structure.
- Pull your shoulder blades together, back and down as you push your torso forward until you feel a stretch in your chest.
- To increase the stretch, lean forward while turning away from your stretched shoulder.
- Take deep, relaxing breathes throughout this stretch as it will open your breathing pathways and improve deep breathing function.
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Rear Delt Shoulder Stretch
How to do the best back of the shoulder, rear delt stretch to decrease shoulder pain, fast! Simple at-home mobility stretching exercise to improve flexibility!
Purpose:
- Improve Scapular Function
- Increase Shoulder Range of Motion
Focus:
- Scapular Protraction (Rhomboids, Trapezius)
- To start the rear delt shoulder stretch, grab a band, or stable object, anchored at shoulder height with one hand.
- Turn inward so that your arm begins to wrap around your body and walk sideways away from the place of pull until your scapula begins to be pulled forward.
- Move through different ranges while maintaining tension to find different tight spots.
- To increase the shoulder stretch, move farther away from the anchor point or reach your opposite hand across the front side of your body.
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The Pigeon Piriformis Stretch
How to do the Pigeon Piriformis stretch to decrease knee and hip pain, fast! A simple at-home mobility stretching exercise to improve glute flexibility!
Decrease Hip Pain and Improve Your Glute Function!
The Piriformis Muscle is a small, but powerful muscle that assists with all of your glute muscle functions. When your Glute Muscles (the prime hip movers) are in a weak position the Piriformis assists to keep things working.
This muscle is very useful, but becomes tight when overworked, such as with athletes, or in those who sit often, as most of us do.
Use one of the following variations of this Pigeon stretch to decrease pain and improve hip function.
There are 2 Variations to the Pigeon Stretch:
- The Raised Half Pigeon Stretch – For beginners or those with very tight hips.
- The Full Pigeon Stretch – For those with proper hip function that want to maintain it.
Raised Half Pigeon Stretch
Purpose:
- Increase Hip External Rotation
- Increase Hip Flexion
- Improved Hip Function
Focus:
- Hip External Rotation (Glutes)
- Hip Flexion (Glutes)
- Find a flat raised surface, between the knee and hip height.
- Place the lateral side of your lower leg against the raised surface parallel to your shoulders.
- Extend and internally rotate your opposite leg behind you until you feel a stretch in your glute.
- Move around in this position with control going from one side to the other with both a vertical and leaning torso positions.
Note: If you feel pain in your knee, then you likely have tight perennials (lateral calf muscles) and should free your foot by allowing it to hang off the edge of the flat surface until they are better mobilized.
Full Pigeon Stretch
Purpose:
- Increase Hip External Rotation
- Increase Hip Flexion
- Increase Hip Extension
- Improved Hip Function
Focus:
- Hip External Rotation (Glutes)
- Hip Flexion (Glutes)
- Place the lateral side of your lower leg against the floor, parallel to your shoulders.
- Extend and internally rotate your opposite leg behind you until you feel a stretch in your glute.
- Move around in this position with control going from one side to the other with both a vertical and leaning torso positions.
Note: If you feel pain in your knee, then you likely have tight perennials (lateral calf muscles) and should free your foot by allowing it to be pulled in towards your hips until they are better mobilized.
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Learn how to decrease pain, improve performance and prevent injury with mobility exercises specific to your workout!
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All Mobility Exercises >>
Triceps Stretch
How to do the best triceps stretch to decrease elbow, shoulder, and wrist pain, fast! A simple at-home mobility stretching exercise to improve flexibility!
Purpose:
- Improve Shoulder and Elbow Flexion
Focus:
- Elbow Flexion (Triceps Brachii)
The triceps muscle’s main purpose is to extend the elbow joint. It is a relatively large muscle that makes up about two-thirds of your upper arm’s muscle mass.
If you want big arms and a strong Bench Press, then you need to have a big, strong and healthy triceps.
Use this stretch before and after your upper body workouts to improve your elbow mobility and decrease joint pain forever!
Also, make sure that you are building up your biceps strength at the same time. If one muscle overpowers the other in any joint, then it leads to joint pain and, eventually, injury.
*Only do this stretch after the muscle has had time to heal from injury or tendonitis.
- Loop an elastic band to a solid object near the ground or position a stable object near shoulder height in which you can move under.
- With the band, put your hand through and circle one time to bring the band together before grasping.
- Grasp the band, or object, with your palm up and rotate 180 degrees so that you face away from it and bring you hand just over your same side shoulder.
- Allow your elbow to raise high with your hand just over your shoulder.
- To start the triceps stretch, keep your elbow in line with the band or tension, and take one small step away while leaning forward to bring the tension to your elbow joint.
- Allow the pull to be focused on your elbow more than your shoulder.
- To increase the tension, lean forward more and allow your elbow to flex fully.
Note: do not use a lot of tension unless you have a larger triceps that can handle the pull and if you feel a pinch in your shoulder, reset.
Get our Mobility Warm-Up Guide for more!
Learn how to decrease pain, improve performance and prevent injury with mobility exercises specific to your workout!
Be ready for any workout in 15 minutes or less!
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All Mobility Exercises >>
Bicep Stretch
How to do the best bicep stretch to decrease elbow, shoulder, and wrist pain, fast! A simple at-home mobility stretching exercise to improve flexibility!
Purpose:
- Improve Elbow Extension
- Improve Wrist Extension
- Improve Shoulder External Rotation
Focus:
- Wrist Extension (Wrist Flexors)
- Shoulder Horizontal Abduction (Biceps Brachii-Long Head)
- With your fingers spread, externally rotate your hand and place your palm flat against a wall, shoulder height or below.
- Initiate the bicep stretch by leaning your bodyweight into your hand and slowly lower your body until you feel a stretch in your wrist flexors.
- Next, turn your body away from your hand until you feel a stretch in your biceps brachii or anterior deltoid.
- To further increase the stretch, turn your head away from your hand.
- Move in-and-out of these tense positions under control while maintaining pressure against the wall.
Get our Mobility Warm-Up Guide for more!
Learn how to decrease pain, improve performance and prevent injury with mobility exercises specific to your workout!
Be ready for any workout in 15 minutes or less!
Learn How To Use A Foam Roller!
All Mobility Exercises >>
