HOW: In a standing position, bring your hands together and reach in front of you as far as you can. Then extend your wrist and fingers so that your palms are facing forward, maintain this position and keep your elbows straight as you spread your arms apart from one another. Once you feel a stretch into your hands/fingers, flex your wrist so that your arms are now facing in. Continue to move your arms back as far as you feel comfortable, return to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in your pecs and a stretch that may go down into your arms, hands, and fingertips. This is neural tension, which is normal. However, you control the tension by how far you reach and how much wrist and finger extension you have. Flex your wrist and fingers to limit the symptoms.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not let your elbows bend, keep the rest of your body still. 

HOW: Get set up seated upright with your hands supported on your thighs. Begin the exercise by rounding your upper body and head/neck forward, letting your spine bend forward as your hands slide down your thighs. Reverse the motion to sit upright nice and tall and let your back/spine arch and extend. Repeat

 

FEEL: This should feel like a global stretch to your upper/lower and mid back depending how far you move. As you round, you should feel a stretch in your back, as you arch and squeeze your shoulder blades back, you may feel a stretch in your chest and shoulders. This should feel like a gentle motion that you’re in control of.

 

COMPENSATION: Limit movement to your upper body, keep your lower body still.

HOW: Begin by lying face up then perform a chin tuck. The chin tuck is created by pushing the small of your neck in towards the floor. Think about creating a double chin to perform the tuck. Pushing your tongue on the roof of your mouth may make it easier for you to activate the neck muscles.

 

FEEL: You will feel the muscle on the front of the neck working with this exercise. You may also feel a stretch in the back of your neck.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid arching or rounding your neck, keep your eyes facing the ceiling throughout this movement.

HOW: Get set-up next to a wall or doorway and place your hand up on the wall to create a 90 degree angle at your elbow, your elbow should be at shoulder height and your hand should be above head height. Perform a pec stretch by leaning your body forward and maybe rotating your chest away from your hand. While holding this position, rotate your head away from your hand as far as you can, return to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in your pecs, the front of your shoulder, and maybe your neck as well as some tension on your nerves in your neck/arm when your head is fully rotated away. You shouldn’t feel any numbness or tingling or pins and needles in your arm/hand or worsening of these symptoms if you have them, if you do back off.

 

COMPENSATION: Try to focus on just rotation, do not side-bend your head and neck. Don’t let your shoulder fall forward, keep your shoulder blade back.

HOW: Begin by lying face down with your arms down at your side and palms down. From this position, squeeze your shoulder blades back and then try to lift your shoulders, head, and neck off of the ground while keeping your arms straight. Return to the starting position and repeat. 

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles in your mid back working. You should also feel some muscles in the back of your neck and shoulders working as you come up off of the ground. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your chin slightly tucked so your head doesn’t go back as you lift your shoulders off of the ground.

HOW: Get set-up standing with a box or object in front of you that you can put one foot up on. The side that remains down on the ground is the one getting the stretch. Put one foot up, perform a posterior pelvic tilt, and shift your weight forward as you simultaneously reach both arms overhead until you feel a stretch. Hold that position for a moment, back out of it and then repeat to make it dynamic. The arm reach is to help shift your weight forward into more hip extension for a greater stretch.

 

FEEL: You will feel a stretch in front of your hip that you are stretching

 

COMPENSATION: It is important to get into the correct position at first by shifting your weight forward while maintaining a posterior pelvic tilt and squeezing your glute on the same side. See video for tips 

HOW: Begin on your hands and knees. Push back into a child’s pose, round your back within your tolerance. Focus on bringing your butt as far back as possible, ideally, your butt will touch your heels while dropping your chest towards the floor. Keep your hands overhead for the entirety of this stretch.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in the low back and the back of your hips.

 

COMPENSATION: Keep this position and sit back on your heels as much as you can, don’t lean forwards.

HOW: Lay flat on the ground or table. Bend your knees and put your feet flat. Contract your core muscles and slowly push into the ground with your feet. Raise your hips first, then lower back, and finally your mid to upper back. Focus on slowly peeling the spine off of the ground. You should reverse that movement and slowly lower your back down to the ground.

 

FEEL: You should feel a combination of your core, low back, hip/glutes, and hamstring muscles working together.

 

COMPENSATION: At the top of the bridge, keep your spine in line with knees, do not arch too much. Make sure your feet aren’t too far in front of you or too far underneath you.