Chest Stretch
This includes the Pectoral muscles, and the intercostals muscles (the muscles situated between the ribs). The main actions of the Pectoral muscles are to move the arms back towards the body, even from the raised position above your head, and to medially rotate them. They are a very powerful muscle group and are often well developed in most sportsmen.
This muscle group can also act as an accessory muscle during inspiration if the arm is for example fixed in an 'elbows bent hands on hip' posture. The intercostals muscles act as primary inspiratory muscles.
Easy Doorway
1. Stand in a doorway, placing your forearms and palms in contact with the door frame.
2. Exhale, slowly pushing your chest through the doorway, keeping your arms firmly on the frame.
3. You can adjust the position of your hands to work different muscle fibers of the chest (pectoral) muscles.
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Easy Office Seated
1. Sit on a chair, feet firmly on the floor under your knees.
2. Lock your hands behind your head, keeping your elbows high and extended back.
3. Inhale, pushing your chest forward and upward while arching the spine, taking your elbows further back.
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Easy Elbows Back
1. Stand or sit up right, keeping your back straight, head looking forward.
2. Place both hands on your lower back, fingers pointing downward, elbows out to your side.
3. Exhale slowly while gently pulling the elbows back, aiming to get them to touch.
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Moderate One Arm Against the Wall
1. Place your forearm and biceps against a wall, keeping the arm at right angles.
2. Exhale, slowly turning your opposite shoulder backward, keeping the other arm firmly in contact with the wall.
3. Repeat this stretch both raising and lowering the walled arm, in order to work the different pectoral muscles.
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Moderate Partner Crucifix
1. Sit with your arms either extended out to your sides, or with your hands grasped behind your head.
2. Communicate with your partner as they pull your arms back at the elbow joint.
3. Remember to exhale as you apply the stretch.
4. You can also perform this stretch with one arm, using the other arm to fix yourself into the chair, to avoid twisting.
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Moderate-Hard Chest-Swiss Ball
1. Relax on either a bench or large Swiss ball, placing your feet wide and firmly on the ground to give you good balance.
2. Holding a light dumb-bell in each hand, slowly lower the weights from above your chest, out to your sides at shoulder level.
3. Breathe comfortably while in the downward phase, holding the weights in this position to feel the stretch.
4. Aim to keep a slight bend in the arm in the elbow.
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