Most men suffer from tight shoulders and chests.
Sometimes we have jobs that require us to hunch over patients, or we develop poor posture from slouching over our computer desks. Weightlifters tighten their chests and shoulders as they grow in size and strength, while runners hold their shoulders up to their ears as they try to make that last kilometre. And let’s face it—this is Canada; all winter we are scrunching while we shiver in the cold. Our shoulders, constantly rolled forward, never allow opening in the chest and eventually cause tightness and increased posture problems.
The following Jock Yoga routine can help you relieve any tightness in the upper body.
Standing Shoulder Stretch with Strap (Belt)
Step 1: Grab yourself a yoga strap, or even a belt from your dresser. Stand upright, feet together or hip width, and hold the strap in front of you with your hand grip about ¾ of your arm span (the grip is relative to your own mobility, and can be adjusted as you need).
Step 2: With a long inhale through your nose, slowly begin to lift the strap upward over your head and pause. Then, as you exhale through your nose, slowly continue to bring the strap behind your head while keeping the grip steady on the strap (this is where you’ll find out if the grip is too narrow or wide). Once behind you, as far as you can bring it, you’ll feel a stretch across the front of the shoulders and chest (which can be pretty intense).
* Widening the grip on the strap will decrease the intensity, and narrowing it will increase it
Step 3: Inhale through your nose and lift the strap over the head again, and exhale to bring it forward.
* Repeat as many times as you’d like, and pause to take as many deep breaths (through your nose) as you’d like while in the stretching phase.
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Check back every other week for a new Jock Yoga tutorial by fitness expert Michael DeCorte.
