How To Increase Arm Flexibility Video

Arm flexibility is important for athletic functioning and overall health. Learn how to do arm flexibility exercises in this stretching and flexibility video.

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Use full range of motion for arms
Use a stretching device like pole or handle
Turn body away from arm to increase stretch
Cross arm over chest and pull elbow for triceps
Hold stretches 15 to 30 seconds

About this Author

Tom Clifford has a degree in physical education, fitness and health from Eastern Michigan University, where he ran track and cross-country. Tom has worked as a personal trainer for two years. He also has a separate business where he coaches runners and triathletes for upcoming events. He currently works at Gold's Gym in Wilmington, North Carolina.

TOM CLIFFORD: Now I'm going to demonstrate to you how to increase arm flexibility. Increasing arm flexibility has similar exercises to the chest complex stretch or how to stretch the chest. A good way to start out is nice and easy, put your elbow at 90 degrees, putting it on a stretching device such as a punching bag or a pole in the gym and leaning out. Okay, that's going to really kind of isolate the chest, stretching the chest out but it's also going to get your--into your delt, the front of the shoulder here and that's going to start leading your way out towards your arm when you extend your elbow a little bit. Now you're starting to get the bicep involved in the stretch, the bicep and the chest and the anterior delt which is the front of your shoulder. So now I'm feeling the stretch all the way through my arm into my forearm, alright? Then when I extend my elbow fully and turn away from my arm, now I'm really getting a full stretch of my arm right here. Okay, and I'm holding these for about 15 to 30 seconds, alright? You can then turn your arm in, okay, and bring it in towards your chest, taking your opposite hand and pulling in your elbow, alright, similar to the posterior deltoid stretch, alright, that's the back of your shoulder. But you're also feeling this in--a little bit in your triceps and your back. And then, I'm going to bring my arm right over my head, okay, I'm going to take my opposite arm and pull back on my elbow, alright? And I'm going to feel this stretch down my triceps which is the back of my arm right here so I'm going to hold that for about 15 to 30 seconds, okay? Another way to increase arm flexibility is to put your arms to their full range of motion when doing upper body exercises. So if you do chest presses, okay, you want to bring your arms all the way down to stretch the chest alright? Or if you're doing a pectoral fly or chest fly, alright, that's an exercise where you have usually a machine or dumbbells. You want to bring your arms as far back as possible and you're going to stretch that chest out, your shoulders and even a little bit of your biceps, alright? So putting your arms to their full range of motion when doing upper body exercises will also help increase your arm flexibility.

How to Increase Arm Flexibility Video

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