Open Arm Chest Stretch | Illustrated Exercise Guide

Primary muscles: Chest
Secondary muscles: Middle back
Equipment: No equipment

OPEN ARM CHEST STRETCH INSTRUCTIONS

1. While keeping your arms straight, move them back as far as possible until you feel the stretch in your chest.
2. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds and then relax.

PROPER FORM AND BREATHING PATTERN

When doing the open arm chest stretch release all tension from your body, keep your head up, open your chest and breathe out as you stretch the muscles. Don’t force yourself into any position, let your chest muscles relax before you try to move forward into a deeper stretch.

EXERCISE BENEFITS

The open arm chest stretch loosens the muscles of the chest, improves blood circulation and prevents neck and back pain. This stretch also helps to open up the chest and align the shoulder blades, improving posture and increasing flexibility. If you want a strong and lean upper body it’s important to regularly stretch your chest and upper back.

INTENSITY AND DURATION

Don’t stretch any further than your normal range of motion and warm up the muscles first. You should be able to feel the stretch, but you shouldn’t feel any pain. Hold the open arm chest stretch for about 10 to 20 seconds and then relax. If you still have some tension left in the muscles, you can repeat or deepen the stretch.

CALORIES BURNED

To calculate the number of calories burned doing the open arm chest stretch, enter your weight and the duration of the exercise:

RELATED STATIC STRETCHES

Try these other static stretches to help your body relax and reduce stress and tension in your muscles:
Triceps stretch
Wrist stretch
Glute stretch
Calf stretch