Chest & Shoulder Stretch

  • Do you work at a computer?
  • Do you drive?
  • Do you walk?

Of course you do all of the above! All 3 of the above activities and many more can cause the chest and shoulder muscles to get tight.  This may cause forward head syndrome, rolled in shoulders and neck problems.  Do you have any of these?  There are a few easy tests you can take to see if you do.

  • Stand the way you normally stand.  Now look down at your hands.  Are your palms facing the front of your legs or the side of your legs?  If they are facing the front of your legs, that means your chest / shoulder muscles are tight and pulling your arms forward.
  • Another test to try.  Hands Up the Wall:  Stand with your back against the wall.  Place your arms so that your elbows are in line with your shoulders and the back of your arms are against the wall.  Can you get your arms, including your elbow and wrists flat on the wall?

 

laura arms

 

  • If you can’t do this then your shoulders / chest are very tight.  Step 2 is to raise your arms up over your head keeping everything against the wall.  My niece could only get this far….

 

laura arms up

 

so I shared with her the following stretches so that she could loosen her shoulders and chest muscles.  These will help with your posture as well.

  • Lay on a foam roller lengthwise. If you don’t have a foam roller, you can purchase one at most sporting good stores or online.  Make sure you get the 36″ one so that you can lay on it.
  • With a flat back and knees bent, bring your arms out to the side and let gravity bring the elbows toward the floor.  The looser your shoulders, the closer to the floor they will go.

 

foam roller

 

If you don’t have a foam roller, another stretch that you can do is the Corner Stretch.

  • Find a corner in your house or office.  Face the corner and put your elbows up on the wall with your forearms up the wall.  Lean in.  You will feel a stretch in the front of your shoulders.

 

corner stretch

 

Many people suffer from “forward head syndrome”. This puts a lot of tension on your upper back muscles and will cause tension, headaches and neck issues.

Doing these simple stretches including the hands up the wall one will really help.

Let us know how you do!

On October 5, 2015   /   Exercise of the Week