mobility
Standing Upper-Body Stretch
chest · shoulders · lats · triceps
bodyweight · beginner
How to do it
- 1Doorway stretch: forearm on a door frame at shoulder height, then step through. 30 seconds each side.
- 2Cross-body shoulder: pull one arm across your chest. 30 seconds each.
- 3Overhead triceps: reach one hand down your back and ease the elbow back. 30 seconds each.
- 4Standing lat stretch: hands on a counter or chair back, legs straight, walk back and let your chest sink until you feel it under the arms. 30 seconds.
What to think about
- Settle into each one and breathe out slowly.
- Hold still. A mild pull is the right amount.
What usually goes wrong
- Bouncing to get further.
- Shrugging the shoulders up towards the ears.
Worth knowing
- A stretch should pull in the muscle, never hurt in a joint. Ease off to where it is mild.
What the cautions rest on
The safety points above come from these, not from house opinion.
- Before lifting, warm-ups that move through range are preferred to long held stretches; held stretches belong after the session.
- Stretching improves range of motion; it does not meaningfully reduce muscle soreness in the days after training.
Who checked this
Nobody qualified has. These are standard coaching points and ordinary gym safety, written down: how to set the thing up, what to control, and when to stop a set. They are not a clinical opinion and no physiotherapist or strength coach has read them back. If they disagree with somebody who can actually see you lift, believe that person.