Stretching helps ease stiff, sore muscles and is crucial for improving your flexibility. Flexibility is an important part of any balanced fitness program, but often goes neglected in favor of cardiovascular exercise and strength-training, both of which are also critical components of fitness. You can sneak in a few quick upper-arm stretches almost anywhere, but ideally you should do them when your muscles are already warm, such as after a brisk walk where you pumped or swung your arms.
General Technique
Follow the same basic technique for stretching your upper arms as you'd follow for any muscles. Breathe normally as you stretch; don't hold your breath. Hold each stretch at the point of muscular tension, not pain, for at least 15 to 30 seconds and repeat three to five times. And don't forget to stretch both arms.
Triceps
Your triceps, the large muscle in the back of your upper arm, activates primarily during pushing movements. It acts strongly to extend your arm at the elbow, but also assists with shoulder extension and adduction. To stretch your triceps, extend your right arm straight up, palm facing forward. Bend your right elbow, letting your hand hinge down behind your head as if you were patting yourself on your back. With your left hand, gently pull straight across on your right upper arm until you feel a stretch down the back of your upper arm. Note: don't allow your bent right arm to press your neck forward out of neutral position.
Biceps
Your biceps, the large pulling muscle in the front of your upper arm, flexes your arm at the elbow and supinates your forearm, or turns your hand palm-up. The biceps also acts weakly to flex your shoulder. One of the simplest ways of stretching your biceps is to clasp both hands behind you, palms together. Keep your arms straight as you rotate both arms to spread both hands palm-down. You should feel a stretch in your biceps.
Brachioradialis
Your brachioradialis crosses the elbow from your upper arm to your forearm. This muscle assists with elbow flexion, acting most powerfully when your thumb is oriented forward or up. The brachioradialis also acts to twist your forearm palm-up or palm-down, depending on which position it starts in. This combination of movements means that you must assume a fairly bizarre position to stretch the brachioradialis. Make a fist with your right hand. Turn your hand so your fisted thumb points straight toward you. Keep your right arm straight and use your left hand to gently flex your right fist until you feel a stretch in your brachioradialis.
Member Comments