Stretching arms and shoulders after training from the Kalutskys

We have prepared for you the most effective exercises for stretching the muscles of the arms, forearms and shoulder girdle. Remember that the main thing in stretching is not to do the exercise until pain occurs. You always need to know when to stop and progress gradually.

For the front of the shoulders

Stretch the front deltoid:

1. Standing, feet shoulder-width apart. Hands behind your back, one clasping the other's wrist.
2. Raise your wrists as high as possible and bend your elbows. The chest needs to be arched forward. Shoulders tense. You will feel the front of your shoulder stretch.

How to pump up your shoulders on the horizontal bar?

Pull-up by the head with a wide grip. To perform this type of exercise, you will need to take the bar with the widest grip possible. Then begin the process of pulling up, but not as in the classic style (when the chin goes over the bar). Here you need the bar to touch your neck and go behind your head, and your legs to be straight and not intertwined, as many athletes often do.

Close grip pull-up. It is performed like a regular pull-up on a horizontal bar, but the grip is made as narrow as possible. The legs should remain straight. Close-grip pull-ups are best done slowly without jerking.

Performing “exit” on one and two hands. The exercise is not easy, but it helps to pump up your shoulders well. Success in this exercise largely depends on muscle strength and general physical condition.

But it is also important to know the technique of execution, thanks to which the exercise will bring maximum effect.

You need to grab the bar with an overhand grip. The distance between the hands is slightly more than shoulder width

Do a pull-up. But in this case, the pull-up should be very sharp, with a jerk: this will help to overcome the obstacle (crossbar) and rise higher. Using maximum effort, push yourself up (do it with a jerk).

For the middle part of the shoulders

This exercise allows you to stretch your middle deltoids:

1. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Press one hand to the body in a position as in the photo below. With the fingers of your other hand, grab your elbow and pull it to the side and down. Do not move the shoulder itself to the side; it should be fixed in one place.
3. Repeat with the other hand.

How to get the most benefit

• Don't forget about the preliminary warm-up. Be sure to include exercises with bending and rotating your arms. Read about warming up before stretching here →
• Don’t try to complete all the difficult exercises the first time, work towards the result gradually.
• After completing a set of exercises, lie on the mat on your back and relax, hold in this position for a couple of minutes. This will relieve tension and promote speedy recovery and muscle tone.

For the back of the shoulders

The exercise is aimed at stretching the posterior delta and rotator cuff:

• The body position is the same.
• Raise one arm until it is parallel to the floor and, without bending, reach across your chest to the other shoulder. Use your other hand to help at the elbow at the end of the movement. The body remains motionless.
• Repeat the movement for the other hand.

© Jacob Lund — stock.adobe.com

How to help a sprained shoulder?

With any sprain, assistance to the affected ligaments should be provided at three levels.

1. Urgent action. Immediately after a painful “shot”, the shoulder joint must be immobilized (if necessary, an improvised sling must be built so that the arm is adjacent to the body). Then apply ice to the stretch area (for 20 minutes). Cold procedures with the shoulder joint should be continued for 2 days (3-4 times).
2. Therapy. Anesthetics are prescribed for pain relief, and NSAIDs are prescribed to prevent joint inflammation. A sling or support brace is applied to prevent progression of the shoulder “hinge” injury.
3. Support. If ligaments are damaged, vitamin therapy (A + B + C) and a balanced diet with the addition of hyaluronic acid, chondroitin, and glucosamine are recommended.

Thermal manipulation begins on the 3rd day after the sprain. For children, the use of warming medications is not necessary - the question of prescribing such therapy in case of damage to a child’s joint should be decided only by a doctor.

Physiotherapy and shoulder ligament exercises are used only after the pain has completely disappeared. This is usually 7-10 days after the sprain. Complete restoration of the ligaments, provided there are no tears, is possible in 3–5 weeks.

Triceps stretch

You can stretch the triceps brachii muscle in the following way:

1. Stand straight, bend your knees slightly.
2. Place your arm bent at the elbow behind your head. The shoulder should be perpendicular to the floor.
3. With your other hand, grab your working elbow and press, trying to bring it even further behind your head. The elbow of the hand you are pulling should be bent as much as possible, the palm reaching towards the shoulder blades (towards the spine). The torso remains straight.
4. Switch hands.

© ikostudio — stock.adobe.com

How to do the exercises

To achieve maximum effect and get the desired result, all exercises must be done according to established rules.

All physical training should be done at a slow pace, this is the only way to avoid any injury to the spine. This type of gymnastics is suitable for people of any age. Stretching on the back has a positive effect on the health of the whole body, as well as:

• is the prevention of diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
• relieves back pain;
• increases the flexibility of the spine.

The spine cannot stretch on its own; this will require some effort.

In the morning, after waking up, many people immediately get out of bed and run about their business. This is wrong; it will take some time for the body to awaken. The best option would be to wake up a little earlier, arch your back, and stretch. This will be beneficial for the whole body. Then perform several physical exercises that will help bring the body back to normal and energize it.

Before starting classes, you should take a hot bath, this way your muscles will warm up and relax.

In order for back stretching to be highly effective, the following rules must be followed:

• during physical exercise you need to breathe evenly, without interruption;
• if you hear a crunch in the bones, then you should do everything more smoothly and carefully;
• It is advisable to carry out a full stretch of the spine in the evening, but if you have a sedentary lifestyle, it is better to do this during the day;
• While performing gymnastics, you need to completely relax.

A set of classes will not give results immediately; it will take at least a month. But you need to do the training regularly, without weekends or holidays.

An important factor in physical activity is proper breathing: inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. The delay between inhalation and exhalation in the initial stages should be 15 seconds, and gradually you need to bring it up to a minute. How to breathe correctly during training can be seen in the following video:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=n3CflBhEm-o

If your back hurts after stretching, you should stop exercising and consult a doctor for advice about the need for this type of physical exercise.

Biceps stretch

Exercise for the biceps brachii muscle:

1. Hook your fingers on a doorframe or other similar surface with your elbow facing up and your thumb pointing down. The hand is parallel to the floor.
2. Move your body forward a little.
3. Repeat for the other hand.

How to stretch correctly

Take your time. Remember, the main thing is to take things slowly. Stretch your muscles with static or springy movements, this will help you avoid discomfort and micro-tears of tissue.

Avoid severe pain. Of course, it is important to try to stretch properly after a workout and not be lazy, but you should not let the sensations lead to severe pain and injury. You can feel discomfort, but do not exercise through severe pain

Listen to your body, everything has its time.

Inhale and exhale. It is important to breathe throughout your workout. Consciously and deeply

Breathing helps saturate the muscles with blood and oxygen, increasing the effectiveness of stretching.

Do not “spring” intensely. You need to spring it carefully. Usually in stretch marks the springs have a small amplitude and are not sharp. But when intensity is needed, be careful not to get injured.

Choose sportswear. Sports uniform for stretching should be comfortable, not restrict movement, and not impede breathing.

Choose a room that is comfortable. Stretching workouts take place on the floor

It is important to be warm. Remember that it will be more comfortable if you use a special mat

It's good to keep the room quiet so you can focus on yourself.

Exercise regularly. Muscles need regular training. They lose elasticity and stretchability much faster than volume and tone. Effective, proper stretching of the body is achieved through systematicity, rather than force, of performing exercises.

Focus on the part of your body that you are stretching. When doing the exercise, focus your attention on the part of your body that you are stretching. Get a greater effect - your muscles work more intensely

And the nervous system relaxes.

Triceps and Shoulder Stretch

This is a complex exercise that allows you to stretch both the triceps and shoulders at once:

1. Feet shoulder-width apart, slightly bent.
2. The hand of one hand is placed behind the back from below. The palm turned outward is pressed to the back.
3. The other hand also goes back, but over the top. The elbow looks up, with our fingers we reach the tips of the fingers of the second hand. Try to close your fingers into a lock. This may not work at first; a simple touch will be enough. If this doesn’t work, use a rope and “crawl” along it with your fingers towards each other. Over time you will be able to touch them.
4. Switch hands and repeat the movement.

© bnenin — stock.adobe.com

Shoulders

To stretch the shoulder muscles, there are special exercises that relieve tension in this area in a short period of time.

You can perform the complex described above. You can also combine it with other activities. It is important that only regular training will allow you to achieve the desired result.

You can also stretch your shoulders in the following way. To do this, you will need a small piece of fabric or a long towel. You should take it from both sides with both hands and try to move it behind your back with straight arms, then return it forward. This should be repeated up to 10 times in one session.

Wrist Extensor Stretch

This exercise stretches the muscles on the front of the forearms:

1. Sit on the floor on your knees. Place your hands forward so that the backs of your palms rest on the floor and your fingers point toward each other. Hands shoulder width apart.
2. Strive, clenching your fists and leaning forward with your whole body, to transfer the weight of your torso to your hands.

How to relax muscles and relieve discomfort

There are many ways to relax muscles. If a person has problems with the spine, they should regularly stretch it by doing spinal exercises. For people who work with their hands and have tension in the shoulder girdle, there are also special exercises that can relax the muscles in this area.

By relaxing the muscle tissue of the arms and shoulders, you can quickly get rid of pain, stooping, and other unpleasant diseases. It is necessary to strictly follow the rules so as not to injure unprepared joints and ligaments, and also exercise regularly, at least two to three times a week.

Lateral shoulder lift[edit | edit code]

Lateral Shoulder Raise
What are you stretching:

Shoulder muscles (teres major, latissimus dorsi, anterior and posterior pectineus)

What are you abbreviating:

Shoulder muscles (rotator cuff and deltoids) and trapezius

How many times to repeat:

10 on each side

How long to hold:

2 seconds

Stand with your feet slightly apart, hands at your sides. Bend your knees and tighten your abdominal muscles. Without bending your elbow, with your palm facing forward, raise your arm up and behind your head. With your other hand, grab between your elbow and forearm. Help the stretch a little until you feel a stretch on the shoulder blade.

One head it's good, but two better…

Assistant, stand behind the athlete. Let him do everything himself, but at the end help him a little. Take his hand slightly above the elbow. With your other hand, press down on the shoulder blade. Push a little and hold for 2 seconds.

Note

. Right side: 0° = 9.00. Left side: 0° = 3.00.

Large pectoral muscles[edit | edit code]

Pectoralis major stretch
What are you stretching:

Muscles of the chest and shoulders (pectoralis major, teres major, anterior deltoid)

What are you abbreviating:

Back of the shoulders and the area between the shoulder blades (trapezius, rhomboid major and rhomboid minor)

How many times to repeat:

10 per side

How long to hold:

2 seconds

This stretch is done in three stages, one after another. In the first position, the hands are below the waist, in the second position, the hands are almost at shoulder level. In the last position, the arms are raised above the shoulders.

Stand with your feet slightly apart. Straighten your arms without bending your elbows. Turn your palms forward so that your little finger rests on your thigh. Move your hands forward until they touch your fingers, and sharply move them back behind your back, starting from the bottom position and raising them higher with each repetition. On the tenth repetition, reach the highest level.

A modification of this stretch is to place your hands behind your head and bring your elbows together in front of you. Spread your elbows as far apart as possible. Return to the position where your elbows touch each other. This stretch isolates the outer portion of the pectoralis major muscle just below the collarbone.

One head it's good, but two better…

Assistant, stand behind the athlete. Let him do everything himself, but at the end help him a little. Grab your wrists and pull slightly, holding for 2 seconds.

Note

. 0° = 6.00. The back of the head is at 12.00.

Hand grab behind back[edit | edit code]

Hand grab behind your back
What are you stretching:

Shoulder muscles (all)

What are you abbreviating:

Shoulder muscles (all)

How many times to repeat:

10 per side

How long to hold:

2 seconds

This is not active-isolated stretching as such. This is a “test” that allows you to determine how successfully you can open your shoulder. Stand with your feet slightly apart, hands at your sides. Bend your knees slightly. Raise your arm and bend it, lowering it behind your back until your palm is between your shoulder blades. Move your second hand, also bent at the elbow, from bottom to top until you touch the fingers of your first hand. If possible, hook your fingers and pull a little. You can use a rope to connect your fingers behind your back. “Crawl” up or down the rope to help with the stretch and slightly increase your range of motion. It's interesting that some people are more flexible on one side than the other. How do you know if you succeeded? If you can't touch your fingers, then there is something to work on. If you can touch your fingers, there is progress, but the range of motion is not full. If you can hold hands, shake your own hand. You are well done.

One head it's good, but two better…

Assistant, stand behind the athlete. Let him do everything himself, and you help him a little at the end. Grab his wrists. Pull slightly, holding for 2 seconds.

Dietary recommendations

To train your shoulders, you need not only to do exercises, but also to eat right:

In addition to cereals, vegetables, fruits and foods rich in protein, the diet should contain meat. It is best to use lean varieties such as chicken

But special attention should be paid to preparation.

Under no circumstances should you eat fried food, which not only loses its beneficial properties, but also acquires many harmful properties. Therefore, it is best to cook either steamed or boiled

In this case, neither meat nor other food will become “harmful”, but the beneficial properties will remain.

As for liquid, you need to drink at least two liters per day. And if the training process is quite labor-intensive, then the amount of water you drink needs to be increased in order to replenish the body’s water reserves. If you limit yourself to water, your health will begin to deteriorate, fatigue will appear, and the training process will become ineffective.

Alexandrova Anastasia

Nutrition and healthy lifestyle specialist and author of myfitnesblog.com. For many years, she has successfully helped women and men lose weight and maintain a beautiful figure.