Not only is it enjoyable to stretch, but it is IMPORTANT to stretch. Keep your body long, lean and protected against injuries by taking the time to stretch.

Let me start by showing you a few upper body stretches that are easy to do and fairly self- explanatory.

On the bottom left I am stretching my mid and rear shoulder muscle. Actively pull the straight arm as far back as you can. Be sure to switch arms.

On the bottom right I am stretching the front of my shoulders and chest muscles. With both stretches I am consciously breathing into the tension and making sure I can feel a gentle tug in the desired area.

The next 2 stretches I am going to show you will also stretch your shoulders, but mainly your chest muscles.

On the bottom left I am holding on to something stable behind me while I lean my body forward. Notice my feet are placed a bit behind me as well. My chest is pushing forward, in front of everything else. On the right bottom I am isolating my shoulder and chest muscle one side at a time. Notice how I am twisting my torso away from my arm. This allows me to really take the stretch deeper. Be sure to switch sides.

Chest and Shoulder Stretch

Isolated Chest and Shoulder Stretch

The next two stretches are practically impossible to do wrong, just be sure you go slow and ease into them.

On the bottom left I am stretching my tricep muscle. the tricep muscle takes up a huge portion of your arm so you want to make plenty of effort when working it out and therefore, stretching it !

On the bottom right I am stretching my bicep muscle and my forearms. You will be surprised how much tension and tightness you can hold in your forearms. Try to really press your entire hand into the floor, while staying seated on your feet.

Tricep Stretch

Bicep and Forearm Stretch

I already have shown you some stretches for your low back, so now I want to show stretches for your latissimus, rhomboids, and trapezoids.

The first one on the bottom left is for your upper back muscles such as your traps and rhomboids. It can be tricky to get right, but once you do it is tremendously effective. Kneel down, grab your heels, put your forehead as close to your knees as possible. While still holding on to your heels, start to lift your butt up as high as you can while keeping forehead on knees. You should feel the crown of your head resting on the floor. Arms should be straight in full extension.

On the bottom right I am stretching my Latissimus Dorsi muscles. Do this by gripping something stable and leaning your weight back away from it. Keep a slight bend in your knees, but keep your arms straight. Tuck your head down by keeping chin on chest. Really sink your weight back behind you until you feel the pull and tension run up the sides of your back.

Upper Back Stretch

Latissimus Stretch