Upper back and chest · Seated or Standing
Seated chest opener
Opening the arms out to the sides with the thumbs up, as in the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy desk exercises. A counter to sitting with rounded shoulders.
- Hold 15 to 30 s
- Held stretch
How to do it
- Sit toward the front of your chair, away from the backrest.
- With your thumbs pointing to the ceiling, open your arms out to the sides until you feel a stretch across the front of the chest.
- Keep your shoulders back and down, and gently draw your shoulder blades together.
- Hold, breathing normally, then relax your arms down.
How long
Hold for about 20 seconds and repeat three times (the CSP version). The NHS version holds 5 to 10 seconds and repeats five times.
What you should feel
A stretch across the front of the chest and shoulders, and the muscles between the shoulder blades working.
Stop if…
- Pain, numbness, tingling or pins and needles, or dizziness: stop and do not push through it.
- Pain or tingling in the arms: the CSP says you should not feel either.
Variations
- Standing. Stand tall and open the arms the same way.
- Hands clasped. Clasp your hands behind your back, or hold the sides of the chair back, and lift the chest.
Common mistakes
- Arching the lower back hard.
- Lifting the chin.
- Letting the shoulders creep 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.
It is part of these ready-made routines: Two-minute reset, Neck and shoulders, 5 minutes and Standing break, 5 minutes.
Sources
Written from published guidance by health services, physiotherapy and ergonomics bodies. Last reviewed .
- Desk-based exercises, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (UK)
- Sitting exercises, NHS (UK)
- Desk-based jobs: desk based exercise, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Standing stretches for the workplace (video), Mayo Clinic (general stretching guidance)
- Stretching at the workstation (PDF), New Mexico State University Environmental Health and Safety (general stretching guidance)