Upper back and chest · Standing
Doorway chest stretch
A standing chest stretch using a door frame or the edge of a wall. Useful when you want to get up from the desk as well as stretch.
- Hold 15 to 30 s each side
- Held stretch
How to do it
- Stand side-on to a door frame or the corner of a wall.
- Raise your right arm so the elbow is at shoulder height and bent to a right angle, and rest the forearm against the frame.
- Step forward gently with the right foot until you feel a stretch across the front of the right shoulder and chest.
- Hold, step back, and repeat with the left arm.
How long
Hold for 15 to 30 seconds on each side.
What you should feel
A stretch across the front of the shoulder and the chest on the side of the raised arm.
Stop if…
- Pain, numbness, tingling or pins and needles, or dizziness: stop and do not push through it.
- Pain deep in the shoulder joint, or a feeling that the shoulder might slip: lower the arm or skip this one.
Variations
- Lower arm. Place the forearm lower on the frame, below shoulder height, for a gentler stretch.
- Seated instead. Use the seated chest opener if there is no door frame nearby.
Common mistakes
- Lunging forward too far.
- Arching the lower back.
- Letting the shoulder ride up.
Use it in a routine
The stretch routine builder can play this with other upper back and chest stretches, with a countdown for each side and a chime at every change. The stretch break timer adds stretches like it to a break after each work interval.
Sources
Written from published guidance by health services, physiotherapy and ergonomics bodies. Last reviewed .
- Standing stretches for the workplace (video), Mayo Clinic
- Desk-based exercises, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (UK)
- Stretching at the workstation (PDF), New Mexico State University Environmental Health and Safety (general stretching guidance)