Upper Body Stretches to Avoid Injury and Setbacks

We have seen before that the shoulders are a very delicate muscle group and an injury to the rotator cuff can be very debilitating to athletes and anyone interested in fitness. It is very important to protect this area, as well as the supporting muscle groups.

You may not realize that the chest, as well as the arms, offer very important support to the shoulders.

The chest is made up mostly of the pectoralis major muscle. Two very important muscles in the arms are the biceps and triceps.

The biceps brachii is a two-headed, two joint muscle that crosses both the shoulder and the elbow. So does the triceps, which is a three headed, two joint muscle.

The pectoralis major gives shape to the chest but is also a strong source of movement to the arm. It has two heads.

It is quite easy to do a self-stretch on your chest. Stand in a doorway to provide resistance. Raise your arm and place it on the outside of the door frame and lean forward through the door. Raise or lower your arm to create different stretches. Make sure not to arch your back.

To stretch the bicep, stand with your back facing a table that reaches just below the hip. Rest your forearm on the top of the table and lower yourself to one knee or as far as you can comfortably.

To stretch the triceps, sit in a low-backed chair. Raise one arm straight up and then bend it at the elbow so that your hand comes behind your head. With the other hand, reach over the elbow and pull the arm toward the opposite shoulder. This stretch can also be performed standing if you do not have a proper chair but make sure not to arch the back.

At BOOTCAMP 619, we emphasize a good stretching routine before and after your workout. Come in today and talk with Chris Keith about how to meet your fitness goals in a healthy way in 2010!