Hi All and WELCOME to the next installment of 'Stretch of the Week'. So it's starting to warm up, the footy and netball seasons are coming to a close and summer is definetly on its way. Recently was the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and I couldn't help but notice the stretches done by our Aussie swimmers. In light of that, this weeks stretches are the Bent Arm Chest Stretch and the Bent-Over Chest Stretch.
Now I know we're not all Olympic swimmers and are not keen to get up at 5:30 to swim laps of the pool but these stretches will help with flexibilty and like all stretches do relieve tension in your chest. By focusing on the pectoralis major and minor and the deltiod muscle these stretches relieve strees in the front area of your shoulders, decreasing overall tension.
These stretches are easy to do, trust me, all you need is a wall and about five minutes of your time. The Bent Arm Chest Stretch focuses on the pectoralia major and minor pulling them from the sternum, it also tagets the anterior deltiod and you should feel even pressure between your pecs and detoid. The Bent-Over Chest Stretch also involves the same muscle but instead of it feeling like their being pulled from your sternum it feels as though your pulling them from the bottom upwards.
Don't ever under estimate the importance of stretching and the benefits it holds.
Now I know we're not all Olympic swimmers and are not keen to get up at 5:30 to swim laps of the pool but these stretches will help with flexibilty and like all stretches do relieve tension in your chest. By focusing on the pectoralis major and minor and the deltiod muscle these stretches relieve strees in the front area of your shoulders, decreasing overall tension.
These stretches are easy to do, trust me, all you need is a wall and about five minutes of your time. The Bent Arm Chest Stretch focuses on the pectoralia major and minor pulling them from the sternum, it also tagets the anterior deltiod and you should feel even pressure between your pecs and detoid. The Bent-Over Chest Stretch also involves the same muscle but instead of it feeling like their being pulled from your sternum it feels as though your pulling them from the bottom upwards.
Don't ever under estimate the importance of stretching and the benefits it holds.
When attepmting the Bent Arm Chest Stretch remember to keep your arm verticle most people tend to push their hand further away from their body than their elbow. Both stretches are pretty easy but if it feels wrong it probably is, so if it feels like your pulling on one little bit re-adjust and try again.
The Bent Arm Chest Stretch is useful for dislocation, sublaxation, acromioclavicular separation, frozen shoulder, chest strain.
The Bent-Over Chest Stretch is used for the same issues
Always rememberthat while stretching may be recommended to aid recovery out of injury, you should always be very careful when stretching through rehabilitation. Your soft tissues are likely to be more vulnerable to re-injury if you stretch too much or too hard during this time. Always check with your Health Care Professional who is guiding you through your recovery to make sure it is appropriate to start stretching, and please - ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RULES FOR SAFE STRETCHING (The first posting on this stretching blog).
Image taken from "Lower Body Stretches" wall chart by B. Walker.
The Bent Arm Chest Stretch is useful for dislocation, sublaxation, acromioclavicular separation, frozen shoulder, chest strain.
The Bent-Over Chest Stretch is used for the same issues
Always rememberthat while stretching may be recommended to aid recovery out of injury, you should always be very careful when stretching through rehabilitation. Your soft tissues are likely to be more vulnerable to re-injury if you stretch too much or too hard during this time. Always check with your Health Care Professional who is guiding you through your recovery to make sure it is appropriate to start stretching, and please - ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RULES FOR SAFE STRETCHING (The first posting on this stretching blog).
Image taken from "Lower Body Stretches" wall chart by B. Walker.
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