3 Chest Stretches For Better Posture

Chest muscles (Your pecs) often get very tight on individuals. Tightness in chest muscles is usually caused by sitting slouched in front of a computer, and can lead to rounded shoulders and forward head posture.

In this article, we’re going to go over three different ways to stretch your pecs.

It’s important to note that tightness in chest can also contribute to neck pain, upper back pain, and headaches.

You can strengthen the muscles in your back all you want, but if you don’t open up the chest muscles in the front, your posture may not improve.

To check the tightness, you can simply palpate around your chest muscles and see how tense and tight the area is. If you find some knots, you can do some self massage on your chest with a lacrosse ball, tennis ball, or Theracane.

Besides self massage, stretching can also loosen up tight pec muscles, so let’s take a look at some different ways you can stretch your chest.

3 Chest Stretches (Open Up Your Pecs)

Stretch #1: Doorway Stretch

You can do this stretch on a doorway, a corner wall, or anywhere you have a space.

• Place your arm up at about a 45 degree angle, at a door frame
• Step forward, slightly in front of the frame
• Twist body away from the door frame
• Breathe as you feel the stretch
• Hold for 30 seconds and breathe
• Switch to the other side

** This stretch should not cause any pain in your shoulder.

Stretch #2: The Wall Stretch Variation

This will stretch your pec muscle as well as your shoulder and arm.

• Place your arm palm down, against a wall, and extend it straight
• Twist your body away from the extended ar
• Hold for 30 seconds and breathe
• Switch to the other side

Stretch #3: Using a Foam Roller

This stretch is Dr.Oliver’s favorite, and he has most of his patients doing it at the end of the day, especially if they work at a computer.

You will need a foam roller that is long enough to support your head and your butt.

• Lay on the foam roller with your head on one end and your butt at the other
• Put your feet on the floor and bend your knees
• Open your arms out to your sides, palms up towards the ceiling
• Move your arms up slowly until you find the point where you feel the initial stretch of your pec and stop there
• Hold and breathe until the muscles release – Hold 1-5 min
• Increase the stretch by raising your arms further then hold and breathe

** The last minute should always be relaxed and enjoyable. Don’t make this stretch aggressive initially.

** If you feel like reaching up does not increase the stretch, then bend your elbows and you’ll notice that it actually increases the stretch in your pec again. Find a point where it’s tight and then just start breathing.

You never want your arms to hover above the ground. If you’re extremely tight, bring your arms down until they rest on the floor. Over time, you should find that you’re able to raise your arms higher.

In conclusion, try these three chest stretches and see which one works best for you at opening up the chest and see how that does at helping to eliminate or deal with some of your neck pain, back pain, headaches.

To learn how to do each of these stretches more in depth, check out the video below:

Related:

A Better Door Frame Stretch – Open Up Your Chest
Upper Crossed Syndrome Exercises
Rhomboid Muscle Pain Relief Exercises
Self Massage Techniques – For 9 Body Parts
4 Office Posture Exercises