fitness stretching

Shoulder, Back, and Chest Stretches:

Method:
Stand in a squatting position while facing a doorway with the right shoulder lined up with the left side of the doorjamb. Stick the right arm through the doorway. Grab the inside of the doorjamb at shoulder level with the right hand. While keeping the right arm straight and the feet firmly planted, lower the buttocks toward the floor.

Affected Body Part:
Most-stretched muscles: Right posterior deltoid, right middle trapezius, right triceps brachii, right teres major, right rhomboids, right infraspinatus.
Lesser-stretched muscles: Right latissimus dorsi, right teres minor, right supraspinatus, right serratus anterior.

A lower squat yields a greater stretch, but be careful not to squat so low that you feel pain in the legs or knees. To reduce strain on the knees, change where you grab the doorjamb. Changing the position of the grasp, however, influences the amount of stretch placed on the various muscles (see variation). Regardless of where you grasp, keep the back straight or arched. Do not bend forward at the waist. To get an even greater stretch, inwardly rotate the trunk.

Shoulder, Back, and Chest Stretches: Changing the hand position on the doorjamb changes the muscles that you stretch.

Method:
Stand in a squatting position while facing a doorway; line up the right shoulder with the left side of the doorjamb. Stick the right arm through the doorway. With the right hand, grab the inside of the doorjamb above head level. While keeping the right arm straight and the feet firmly planted, lower the buttocks toward the floor.

Affected Body Part:
Most-stretched muscles: Right posterior deltoid, right latissimus dorsi, right triceps brachii, right teres major, right infraspinatus.
Lesser-stretched muscles: Right teres minor, right supraspinatus, right middle trapezius.

Shoulder, Back, and Chest Stretches:

Method:
Sit on the floor with the legs straight. While keeping the arms straight, place the palms (with the fingers pointed backward) on the floor about one foot (30 cm) behind the hips. While keeping the arms straight, lean backward toward the floor.

Affected Body Part:
Most-stretched muscles: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, coracobrachialis, biceps brachii, pectoralis minor.
Lesser-stretched muscles: Latissimus dorsi, lower trapezius, subclavius, rhomboids.

To maximize the stretch, keep the arms straight. If it is difficult to refrain from bending the arms, place the hands closer to the hips. Moving the hands farther from the hips can increase the stretch. To keep the body from sliding along the floor, you may need to brace the soles of the feet against a wall. Sitting on a mat with the hands placed on a hard surface will increase the stretch as well as add comfort.

Arm, Wrist, and Hand Stretches:

Method:
Stand in a doorway. While keeping the arm straight, raise the left arm to shoulder level. Place the arm and palm against the wall with the thumb pointing up. Rotate the trunk backward toward the wall.

Affected Body Part:
Most-stretched muscles: Left brachialis, left brachioradialis, left biceps brachii.
Lesser-stretched muscles: Left supinator, left pronator teres, left flexor carpi radialis, left flexor carpi ulnaris, left palmaris longus.

This stretch is easier to do by grasping a solidly fixed vertical pole. A tight grasp, however, virtually eliminates the stretch effect on the lesser-stretched muscles. Also, it is more difficult to keep the elbow straight, and a straight elbow is necessary for this stretch to be effective. Although it is preferable to lift the arm to shoulder level, the stretch will be effective at whatever height the arm is raised.

Arm, Wrist, and Hand Stretches:

Method:
Sit or stand upright with the left arm flexed at the elbow. Raise the left arm until the elbow is next to the left ear and the left hand is near the right shoulder blade. Grasp the left elbow with the right hand and pull or push the left elbow behind the head and toward the floor.

Affected Body Part:
Most-stretched muscle: Left triceps brachii.
Lesser-stretched muscles: Left latissimus dorsi, left teres major, left teres minor, left posterior deltoid.

Doing this stretch while seated in a chair with a back allows better control of balance. A greater stretching force can be applied to the muscles when the body is balanced.

Arm, Wrist, and Hand Stretches:

Method:
Stand or sit upright while facing a table. Flex the elbows and rest the forearms on the table with the palms up. Lean forward, bringing the chest toward the table.

Affected Body Part:
Most-stretched muscle: Left anconeus.
Lesser-stretched muscle: Left triceps brachii.

For the greatest stretch, keep the forearms and elbows flat on the table.

Arm, Wrist, and Hand Stretches:

Method:
Stand with the back toward the inside of the doorframe. While keeping the arm straight, hyperextend the left arm above the midpoint between the hip and shoulder. Grasp the doorframe with the left hand with the thumb pointing down. Externally rotate the arm (roll the biceps toward the top).

Affected Body Part:
Most-stretched muscle: Left pronator teres.
Lesser-stretched muscles: Left brachialis, left brachioradialis, left pronator quadratus, left subscapularis, left teres major.

You can also do this exercise with a firmly planted vertical pole. To maximize the stretch, keep the elbow straight. After rolling the biceps upward, you can enhance the stretch by inwardly rotating the back toward the hyperextended arm (see figure).

Arm, Wrist, and Hand Stretches:

Method:
Stand with the back toward the inside of the doorframe. While keeping the arm straight, hyperextend the right arm above the midpoint between the hip and shoulder. Grasp the doorframe with the right hand with the thumb pointing up. Internally rotate the arm (roll the biceps down).

Affected Body Part:
Most-stretched muscles: Right biceps brachii, right supinator.
Lesser-stretched muscles: Right brachialis, right brachioradialis, right infraspinatus, right teres minor.

You can also do this exercise with a firmly planted vertical pole. To maximize the stretch, keep the elbow straight. After rolling the biceps downward, you can enhance the stretch by inwardly rotating the back toward the hyperextended arm (see figure).

Arm, Wrist, and Hand Stretches:

Method:
Kneel on the floor. Flex both wrists and place the back of each hand on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Point the fingers toward the knees. While keeping the elbows straight, lean backward (buttocks to the heels), keeping the backs of the hands on the floor.

Affected Body Part:
Most-stretched muscles: Brachioradialis, extensor carpi radialis brevis, extensor carpi radialis longus, extensor carpi ulnaris.
Lesser-stretched muscles: Supinator, brachialis, biceps brachii, extensor digitorum communis.

The closer the hands are to the knees, the easier it is to keep the backs of the hands touching the floor. The farther the hands are in front of the knees, however, the greater the applied stretch.

Arm, Wrist, and Hand Stretches:

Method:
Kneel on the floor. Flex both wrists and place the back of each hand on the floor. Point the fingers laterally on a line perpendicular to the midline of the body (the fingertips of the opposing hands pointing away from each other). While keeping the elbows straight, lean backward (buttocks to the heels), keeping the backs of the hands on the floor.

Affected Body Part:
Most-stretched muscles: Extensor digitorum communis, extensor pollicis brevis, extensor carpi ulnaris.
Lesser-stretched muscles: Extensor carpi radialis brevis, extensor carpi radialis longus, extensor pollicis longus, flexor carpi ulnaris, brachioradialis, supinator, brachialis, biceps brachii.

The closer the hands are to the knees, the easier it is to keep the backs of the hands touching the floor. The farther the hands are in front of the knees, however, the greater the applied stretch. The distance each hand is away from the body’s midline also influences stretch intensity. The farther away from the midline, the greater the stretch.