3 simple partner shoulder stretches

It seems like everywhere you look you can see people rubbing their shoulders.

There are many things that could cause shoulder pain, but repetitive actions, like working over a computer, driving for long periods of time or even a bad posture are most often to blame.

That’s because these actions cause our shoulders to rotate inward, our heads to lean forward and our chest muscles to tighten. In response, our shoulder and neck muscles contract to keep us upright. Pain, stiffness, and inflammation are the culprits that derail our range of motion and put a huge damper on life.

In today’s video, Wendy Krauss Talis and Kellie Bach will show you a series of three really simple, and fun, partner shoulder stretches. These will warm you up, stretch those tight chest muscles and open up the shoulders for improved range of motion, flexibility and make you feel great again. Let’s have a look.

Shoulder Stretches: #1 – Warm up

When working with tight or stiff shoulders it’s always best to warm them up first.

Stand with feel shoulder’s width and hands by your side.

Raise your right arm up and across your chest. Place your left forearm behind the right elbow or triceps area, and pull your right arm toward your left shoulder.

Lower your arms and shake them out then stretch the left arm across to the right shoulder, and release.

Shoulder Stretches: #2 – Arms behind back

Stand facing your partner’s back, whose arms are behind with wrists crossed.

Hold on to her hands, engage your core, and lift your chest. You will pull back gently as your partner (who is being stretched) will lean forward.

Allow bodyweight to pull you forward and, if you can, keep your head up and allow your shoulders to roll back for a deeper stretch.

With each exhale, try to relax deeper into the stretch.

Hold for about 20-30 seconds then slowly release.

Cross the other wrist on top and repeat again. Repeat a few times as needed.

Shoulder Stretches: #3 – Hands behind head

Again, begin by facing your partner’s back. This time the person being stretched will place their hands behind their neck.

Step close to your partner, placing your forearms in front of their forearms.

Slowly, and gently, pull your forearms back toward you.

Hold for 20 seconds and slowly release.

Warm down and shake it out

Finish this series of shoulder stretches with a warm down. This is a repeat of the warm-up exercise #1 from above. Shake it out, relax and enjoy your day! Repeat as needed, at least once a day.