I LOVE shoulder stretches.
When we talk about stretching the shoulders, we really mean the muscles in the chest, arms, back and neck. That’s a lot of muscle groups because the shoulder joint is very complex. You can be tight or flexible, strong or weak in some, all or none of those areas. Whichever unique movement pattern you have, affects where you feel tension and how to stretch it.
So it’s not really about the right stretch, it’s about the right position of your shoulder joint (and related muscles) to find the right stretch for you.
Let’s start with one of the most common and simple stretches – clasp your hands or arms behind your back. This will stretch your chest and arms depending on the position of your body.
While standing – interlace your hands behind your back and then try each one of these suggestions to see how it affects the stretch in your body. Move slowly – stop with pain or resistance. Try all these with your elbows bent.
*If it’s not possible to interlace your finger, just grab hold of opposite wrists behind your back.
- Pull the base of your rib cage down and in slightly. Keep your chest there, but now relax your abdomen.
- Try squeezing your hands together without letting your hands touch. At the same time try pulling your hands apart.
- Try squeezing your elbows towards each other, while trying to pull your hands apart.
- While gently squeezing hands and elbows towards each other, slowly and gently let your shoulders move forward.
- Try all the same variations again, but change the position of your fingers so a different index finger is on top.
Notice how the stretch you feel in your body changes as you use different muscles and change the position of your shoulders. Everyone should be able to find a stretch with these variations with the arms bent – even the most flexible person.
Next time your stretching your shoulders in any position – experiment with how you can change the position of your body to change the sensations you feel.
