Upper Body Stretches

Since weight training for the upper body can tighten muscles, it is important to perform upper body stretches to maintain the proper length of the muscles.

During an upper body weight training workout, the muscles contract repeatedly.  After the workout the muscles will be slightly shorter than they were at rest.

If you constantly shorten the muscles and never stretch them to lengthen them back to how they originally were, you will develop chronic muscle tightness.

This chronic muscle tightness could lead to muscle imbalances and then posture problems.

This whole process is called the cumulative injury cycle which you can see in the graphic below.

If you do not have any current posture problems due to muscle imbalances your muscles are the proper length.  Your muscle groups have the proper length-tension relationships

After a weight training workout your muscles have micro trauma which is tiny little tears in the muscle fibers.

If you do not stretch you may not recovery properly.  You could enter the cumulative injury cycle which will eventually lead to injury.

After a Weight Training Workout is the Best Time to do the Upper Body Stretches

After any exercise in which your heart rate is elevated for at least 5 minutes is a good time to stretch.  Your muscles will be warmed up and more flexible.

After a weight training workout is the best time to stretch because your upper body stretches will have the most benefits.  You will prevent the development of muscle imbalances as well as start your recovery process off right.

It is important to remember that recovery is just as important as training and nutrition.  If you want a balanced, healthy body, you should always stretch muscles after you repeatedly contract them.

Here are a Few Upper Body Stretches to Perform After You Train Each Body Part

Before you Stretch there are a few General Guidelines to Consider

As mentioned previously, do not stretch your muscles while you are cold.  Always perform a general warm up before you stretch or else you may be wasting your time.

Hold static stretches for around 30-45 seconds.  The reason to hold all upper body stretches for 30-45 seconds is because it takes that long for your proprioceptors to relax.  Proprioceptors are little sensors in your muscles.

Without getting into too much boring detail, the little sensors you in your muscles are Golgi tendon organs and muscle spindles.  Golgi tendon organs send information back to your brain about muscle tension.

Muscle spindles send information back to your brain about muscle length.  Around 30 seconds into a stretch the muscle spindles stop limiting the length of the muscle.

In a nutshell, if you don't hold a minimum of 30 seconds your lower and upper body stretches could be all for nothing.  Take a stop watch and make sure you hold the stretch for long enough.

When you perform static stretching you are not trying to rip your limbs out of the socket and tear your muscles.  Hold at the point of "mild discomfort" for the duration of the stretch so you don't cause more harm than good.

Stability Ball Single Arm Lat Stretch

This stretches your latissimus dorsi and the long head of your triceps.

It is good to perform this single arm version of the stability ball lat stretch following SMFR on each side.

Start:  Kneel on the floor and put a stability ball in front of you.  Put the bottom of your fists on the ball.

Begin the stretch:  Push the ball away from you.  When your arms are about parallel to the flow and the bottom of your fists are touching the ball hold the position.

To get the best stretch, isometrically contract (flex) your arm muscles and draw in your core tightly.  This will allow your lats to get the best stretch.

The triceps long head is also stretched in this upper body stretch.

Stability Ball Single Arm Chest Stretch

This stretches your chest and anterior deltoids.  It is a very good stretch to perform after you have a chest workout.

If you perform these upper body stretches after your chest workout you may decrease DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) and speed up your recovery.

Start:  Kneel on the floor and place a stability ball on one side of you.  Put your arm on the stability ball.

Begin the stretch:  Lean forward and place one arm on the floor.  Your arm should be in an angle of about 90 degrees.

Draw in your core and lex your arms isometrically and slightly push your shoulders down towards the floor.  Your torso should be parallel with the floor.

Variations:  To stretch your upper chest and anterior deltoids more you can move the ball further forward.  If you don't have a stability ball handy you can use a weight bench or any elevated surface.

Stability Ball Dual Arm Lat Stretch

This is one of the all purpose upper body stretches.

The best time to perform these upper body stretches is after your back workout.  Especially if you did a lot of pulls such as pull ups.

Start:  Kneel on the floor and have a stability bal in front of you.  Put both fists on the ball with your palms facing each other.

Begin the stretch:  Lean forward and roll the ball away from you.

Push the ball away from you to where your arms are completely straight and your torso is parallel with the floor.

Flex your arms and draw in your core while you hold the stretch.

Variations:  If you don't have a stability ball you can use a counter top or any elevated surface.

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Posture Problems

A very important page to read.  The longer you are sedentary the more muscle imbalances will create posture problems.  Certain upper body stretches may prevent some of these chronic problems.