How to Stretch Your Chest

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Les Whitley, here today to talk to you about stretching out muscles of the chest and upper body. To begin each of these stretches it's always good to warm the muscle up first. Nice, easy full range of motion exercises like arm hugs; crossing over each arm, alternating as you go, will help improve blood flow to that muscle, and allow it to stretch more completely. Then, begin by finding a nice stable object. If you're in the gym, you know, a piece of gym equipment works great. If not, a doorframe or a nice stable post will do. Couple of different ways. You can stretch with arm extended, elbow pointed back, so that you would be bending in kind of like a hinge on a door. Turn your body away from the stretch; again, till you feel tightness. You'll feel this beginning in the shoulder, and across the chest; holding these stretches each fifteen to thirty seconds. Again, doing things on both sides to improve and promote balance. The other way is to bend the elbow; keeping it slightly below shoulder level; same thing; turning the body away. The different feel, maybe more in the inner part of the chest as you take the bicep out of the movement. Where your arm is extended in the first stretch, this is more just a shoulder and chest stretch to feel a little bit different position. Again, keeping the elbow below shoulder level, to minimize the impact and stress on the shoulder joint itself. These stretches can be added to a part of your normal daily routine as part of either your warm-up or cool down before you begin exercise."