CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube video.
Running or any other kind of aerobic exercise can cause tightness in your chest and abdominal muscles. Doing some stretching exercises before you start a workout is important to help prevent injury and keep your body flexible. Read on to learn the three upper-body stretches that are effective and easy to do.
Upper-body Stretches
Stretching and maintaining flexibility are important aspects of any exercise regimen. Increasing your upper body flexibility can prevent or relieve pain in the back while keeping the spine aligned.
Upper-body stretches are a great way to maintain healthy upper-body movement. They also help your posture and increase blood flow and oxygenation in the arm muscles. Keep these exercises up regularly for the best results.
Upper-body stretches are designed to:
- Release tension in the chest, bacon neck, and shoulder muscles
- Reduce neck pain, shoulder pain, and back pain
- Increase upper-body mobility (reducing stiffness in the neck and shoulders)
- Improve posture
1. Lats Stretch
All you will need is a band for resistance, like a pull-up band or some exercise band. Tie it above the height of your body, anywhere from 6 to 8 feet. Grab the band, put your hand through it, and then hold onto it. Step back so that you will have some tension. The first stretch will be for the lats and back.
Then, turn your palm up and lean into it. You will feel the stretch right to the lats, lower back, and even into the triceps. You can play around with the angles a little bit to get a deeper stretch and hit various muscle angles.
Lats Stretch
Hold this position for about 45 seconds to a minute. The intensity of this exercise is light to moderate.
2. Triceps Stretch
Keep the band basically at the same height with the same principle. Put your hand through the band. Grab the band and then bend the elbow. Step forward, using another step with the same foot stretching right through. You can step through the opposite foot to create some leverage.
Triceps Stretch
Hold this position for about 45 seconds to 60 seconds on each side. The intensity of this exercise is light to moderate.
3. Shoulder Stretch
This stretch is for the front of the shoulder and the pecs. Hold the band and turn the palm up, extend the arm, step out, turn your body, and open up. You can feel the stretch across the pec and the front of the deltoid muscle.
Shoulder Stretch
Hold this position for about 45 seconds to 60 seconds. The intensity of this exercise is light to moderate.
There you go, guys. These are quick and simple stretches for the lats, triceps, pecs, and shoulders that you can do before and after your workout to keep everything mobile and loose and help with recovery.
I hope you like this video. Until next time.
Isaac Payne
Check out the Bodyweight Blender program here for your equipment-free workout program that will strengthen and tone your entire body!
