Seated Upper-Back Stretch
Seated (chair) · Shoulder girdle and back
A self-stretch for the shoulder girdle and back. Support your body and stay within a comfortable range.
How longNew to it: start with 10–20 seconds, once or twice. Used to it: 20–30 seconds, 2–4 times, about 60 seconds in total per stretch.How long and how many →
Position and focus
Seated (chair) · Shoulder girdle and back
Starting position
Sit on a chair, extend both arms forwards and interlace your fingers.
Movement phases
1. Reach the arms forwards
Extend the arms forwards at shoulder height.
2. Round the back
As you reach your hands further away, round your upper back. Lower your head slightly as well.
3. Hold the position
Breathe where you feel a stretch between the shoulder blades.
4. Return
Lengthen your back and lower your arms.
What to check yourself
Check that you are not hunching your shoulders and that you are not rounding a lot from the lower back.
Adjust the stretch
Easier: Rest both hands on the knees instead of clasping them, and round the back.
Deeper: Reach the hands further forwards and tuck the chin slightly as you round the back.
Caution
Stop if you feel sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, shortness of breath or anxiety. If you are receiving treatment, recovering from surgery or pregnant, check with your healthcare professional first.
These English notes describe a prototype model. The stretch, foam roller and resistance band lessons are being produced under the supervision of CoconeRu. Move, reviewed in stages. They are not medical advice or an individual exercise prescription.
References
Each note describes what the whole source covers.
Cambridge University Hospitals — Seated stretches ↗
In a chair: arm across the body, hugging yourself to widen the back, opening the chest, side stretch, back of the thigh, calf, and neck (forwards, sideways and diagonally forwards).
This lesson was put together for this site from the methods for the same area in the sources above. It has not yet been reviewed by an expert.
About this page
It shows a typical way to do the movement. The 3D is a schematic model; it does not decide whether a lesson suits you, prescribe exercise or diagnose anything. Stop if you feel pain or discomfort.
Sources, supervision and revisions