8 Upper Body Stretches to Add in Your Routine

Whether you stretch up as a warm-up for your workout or want to get into a morning stretch routine to wake up your muscles, there are many health benefits to stretching your entire body.

1. 1. Increases your athletic performance. Stretching your body stimulates your muscles and increases blood flow, allowing for a larger range of motion. Releasing bodily tension through stretching can make it easier to use the right muscles during the day, whether you’re strength training with dumbbells, moving boxes or heavy items, sitting in an office chair, or performing strenuous exercise programs like yoga or tennis practice.
2. 2. Increases long-term flexibility. Over time, stretches can increase your long-term flexibility, allowing you to perform deeper stretches and hold stretches longer, both in the morning and during other stretching sessions.
3. 3. Alleviate strain from sleeping positions. It’s not uncommon to wake up with a stiff neck or sore shoulder from an uncomfortable night’s rest in an awkward sleep position. Stretching can help relax aches and pains and send necessary blood flow to pinched areas.
4. 4. Improves your posture. Stretching your muscles can help loosen up your body, making it easier to maintain proper posture throughout the day.
5. 5. Decreases risk of injury. Stretching after a rigorous workout can help improve blood flow to your fatigued muscles and relieve any muscle tension you may have sustained from rigorous athletic activity.

and keep your muscles healthy. You can practice dynamic stretching, which incorporates a bit of physical activity into your stretches (to avoid working cold muscles), or you can perform static stretching, which involves holding a specific position without moving. An upper-body stretching routine can benefit your neck, arms, chest, and upper back. Here are some examples of upper body stretches.

1. 1. Overhead tricep stretch: Tricep stretches are an arm stretch method designed to target the triceps brachii muscles on the backs of your arms. To perform this triceps stretch, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips with a neutral head and neck position. Your pelvis should be slightly tucked and your ribs should be down. While maintaining alignment, reach your right arm toward the ceiling and bend your right elbow to place your right hand in the middle of your back. Use your left hand to gently pull down on your elbow until you feel a stretch on the triceps muscle of your right arm. Hold the stretch for 20–30 seconds before repeating the stretch on your left arm.
2. 2. Bilateral bicep stretch: Bicep stretches are upper body movements that expand and contract the forward-facing muscles of your upper arm, called the biceps brachii. To perform this biceps stretch, stand straight with your legs about shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. Next, interlace your fingers, palms facing away from you, and extend your arms ahead of your body, about shoulder height (or where it’s comfortable without feeling shoulder pain). Hold for several breaths, then raise your interlaced hands to point above your head and hold for several more breaths.
3. 3. Doorway pectoral stretch: A chest stretch (or pec stretch) is an upper-body movement that expands and contracts the muscles in the upper front of your torso, collectively called the pectoralis muscles or pec muscles. To perform this stretch, stand in an open doorway with your arms up and bent at a 90-degree angle, palms facing forward. While resting your palms on the door frame, keep your back straight and take a step forward until you feel the stretching in your chest. Hold for thirty seconds, step back, relax, and repeat.
4. 4. Child’s pose stretch: This low-impact yoga pose is a great upper back stretch that specifically targets the latissimus dorsi. To perform the child’s pose, kneel on your yoga mat, rest your buttocks against your heels, and place your palms on your thighs with your feet close together. Then, lower your upper body onto your thighs on an exhale. Extend your arms out in front of you with your palms face down on the mat, spreading your knees wide enough for your torso to lower between your thighs. Rest your forehead on your yoga mat, relax your neck, and hold for several deep breaths.
5. 5. Neck roll: The trapezius muscle is a major muscle in your upper back that supports your neck. A common trap stretch is the neck roll, which loosens your neck muscles down through your traps. To perform a neck roll, stand upright with your shoulders back and your feet about hip-distance apart. Slowly lower your head forward and begin rolling it in a counterclockwise motion, moving it over your left shoulder, stretching it to look upward, moving it over your right shoulder, and returning it to the forward-tilted position. Repeat this several times, and then perform the roll for the opposite side in a clockwise rotation.
6. 6. Shoulder raises: Shoulder muscle strains can easily occur post-workout, or even just from sitting in front of your computer too long. To perform this simple yet effective shoulder stretch, keep your arms straight at your side. Slowly raise your shoulders to your ears and hold for a few seconds. Release, and lower your shoulders back to their resting position, then repeat.
7. 7. Neck stretch: This simple stretch targets the neck muscles directly. Sitting with your spine aligned, tilt your right ear toward your shoulder on the right side without lifting either shoulder or shifting your back, holding for a few seconds. Return your head to the middle then switch sides, tilting your left ear toward the left shoulder, and holding for a few seconds. To increase the stretch intensity, use your hand on the corresponding side to gently pull your head towards the shoulder.
8. 8. Shoulder blade stretch: The rhomboid muscles connect to your shoulder blades and help support your spine. A common rhomboid stretch is a modified eagle pose, a dynamic yoga pose. To perform a modified eagle pose, stand upright in your starting position, with your shoulders back and feet about hip-distance apart. Bring your right arm under your left, and wrap your arms until your palms touch or simply grab your left-hand fingers with your right hand. Press into the stretch to feel your upper back opening. Hold for several breaths, then switch sides and repeat with the left arm under your right.

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