Stretch deltoids to avoid contractures

Stretching is very important, because when we play sports, the body releases lactic acid, and that is why the muscles shrink and we feel those painful stiffness. By stretching slowly and consciously, we are eliminating that shrinkage, granting the flexibility that the muscles enjoy. That’s why it’s so important to stretch after training.

In this case, today’s protagonists are the deltoids. Some muscles that are located in the upper part of the shoulders, and thanks to the fact that they are divided into 3 sections, we are able to move the arms in different directions.

Stretch anterior deltoids

We are going to see a series of exercises with which we will be able to stretch the anterior deltoids and release them from the pressure after physical effort. Let’s remember that they are muscles that are found in the shoulders, so they are in movement all day and more when we train.

Hug your hands behind your back

We cannot deny it, it is a movement that we did a lot when we were little to see how far our arms would reach and if we could intertwine our own fingers behind our backs.

Well, now, in adulthood, it’s a perfect exercise for stretching delts .

• We just have to bring our arms back and hug our hands or grab our wrists, whichever is easier for us.
• We maintain the position for about 15 seconds and release.
• The arms should slowly return to their starting position.

Cross your arms behind your back

It is similar to the one explained above. Instead of intertwining our fingers, what we are going to do is cross our arms, just like doing them across the chest, but this time across the back. It requires a lot of agility and flexibility.

• When crossing our arms we must grab our elbows for the stretch to be effective.

Be very careful, since not all of us can perform this movement. It is best to choose another stretch if this one is complicated or we feel pain.

stretching out the arm

This exercise is usually done regularly when we become aware of the importance of stretching after training. What’s more, we should not only stretch the worked area, but the whole body.

• We stand at the entrance of a door or in front of a column.
• We place our feet at shoulder height.
• We put the palm of the open hand a little below the height of our shoulder and stretch the whole arm. As if we passed by and the hand gets stuck.

inverted frog

A posture that can be performed in many different ways, and that depends on the flexibility of each one. We are referring to the position that appears in the previous image. There are those who put their palms flat on the ground and others who do not, there are also those who arch their back more and there are those who cannot, each one who reaches as far as he can.

• We hide our legs under our body and arch our back backwards.
• At first we can only brush the surface with the tips of our fingers, but when we gain elasticity we will be able to place our elbows on the mat.

The important thing here is to feel that we are stretching the shoulders and chest, while repositioning some vertebrae. It is a very common posture in yoga and pilates.

bridge or arch

We were taught to do the bridge when we were little, and not all of us know how to do it now as adults, so if we do know how to do it, we can use that exercise to stretch the anterior delts. A posture where strength in the arms and good stability of the body in general are required.

• We are curving our body bringing feet and hands closer.
• We place our hands on each side of our head and with a little momentum, we stretch upwards.

In order for your arms to stretch properly in this pose, and your deltoids as well, you need to place your palms flat on the surface and your hands facing away from your body . It is a bit difficult and uncomfortable, but this way we take the opportunity to stretch more muscle groups and also the spine.

Pendulum

It may seem weird, we know, but experts also recommend this move to stretch the anterior delts, even if it doesn’t feel like it.

To perform this stretching exercise, what we have to do is find a stable, flat surface with a certain height, for example, a table.

• We stand on the edge and support one arm, with the palm open and tilt the body down a little.
• The arm that remains free, without a table, is left hanging and we perform the pendulum movement slowly for 30 seconds .

Stretch rear delts

It is a series of exercises with which we will be able to release that tension that accumulates in the deltoids after a hard workout.

arm over arm

It is suitable for everyone, but it needs some practice and technique, otherwise we will only be wasting time. If we don’t feel capable, it’s best to choose another exercise from this compilation and continue stretching.

• We try to create a square between our chest and our arms.
• To stretch we just have to pass one arm over another and stretch with the help of the hand holding the elbow.

lateral head stretch

Yes, by stretching the head, we can also stretch the deltoids. Here we have to be very careful, since we are talking about cervicals and it is a very delicate area. This stretch can free us from possible contractures that form in the neck, reaching the trapezius, even, or the rhomboids.

To do this stretch we just have to:

• Stand or sit straight and with one hand push our head to the opposite side of the shoulder that we are stretching .
• We must maintain the posture for about 30 seconds and help the head to return to its original position slowly.

Roll your shoulders

Very simple, and it is usually used as a warm-up stretch, but we already know that we can also do it after training. It is very simple, and everyone can do it, even children and elderly people with mobility problems.

To perform this simple exercise, we just have to stand or sit with our arms relaxed and down.

• We have to raise our shoulders, then forward, now down and then back. That is, make circles with them clockwise, and counterclockwise .

arms in front

If we see that this is a bit complicated for us, we can choose any other exercise to stretch deltoids among all those in this compilation.

• We interlock our fingers and send our arms in front of our chest, as if we were going to push something, wait a few seconds and slowly recover the original position.
• It is important that the palms of the hands are facing forward so that the stretch is done correctly.