Chest mobility is essential for anyone exercising their chest. Mobility exercises before working out your chest will help you increase range of motion, prevent injury, reduce soreness, and prepare you for your workout by connecting your mind with the muscle. Visit my page What is Mobility? to learn more about what mobility is, how it helps, and why you absolutely should be incorporating mobility exercises into your workout routine.

With all of these chest mobility exercises, I recommend doing a few sets of 10-15 reps for maximum efficacy.

1. Chest Openers

First off we have the classic chest opener stretch. A relatively simple movement, this stretch will help you open your chest and shoulders. As with many mobility exercises, this is active. You will use your muscles to pull against themselves. Here’s how you do it:

Begin by standing straight and clasping your hands behind your back. I like to interlock my fingers.
Without bending at the waist, slowly lift your arms upward.
Hold the position at the top for a few seconds, and return to the starting position

2. Arm Circles

Although arm circles are primarily a mobility exercise for the shoulder joint, they actually target the chest and lats as well. This is a must-do for most of my workouts personally, especially chest exercises, as it loosens up and activates the shoulders, chest, and lats all at once.

Start with your arms horizontal straight out to the sides.
Make small circles with your arms slowly. Move in a controlled way.
Slowly begin to make the circles bigger and bigger as you warm up.
Start again, this time going the opposite direction with your circles.

3. Cat-Cow Pose

One example of many stretches and mobility exercises that come from yoga traditions, cat-cow is a versatile warm-up movement that supports your upper body. It helps to mobilize the spine, active the muscles in the core, and give the chest and abdomen a good stretch. I include this mobility exercise in a lot of sessions with my students.

Begin on all fours, hands and knees.
Slowly arch your back toward the ceiling to do the cat pose, allowing your head and neck to gently fall toward the floor. Keep pressure through your arms and into your hands, pushing you shoulders toward the ground.
Slowly transition to the cow pose, dipping your back down toward the floor and lifting your head.

4. Behind the Head Active Chest Stretch

Another active chest stretch, this is a simple movement where we use our traps to pull our chests open. It’s fairly simple, and super beginner-friendly if you’re new to stretching and mobility. As it’s an active stretch, I recommend doing this before your workout.

Start by standing up straight and placing the hands behind your head.
Slowly move your elbows backward.
Hold your tension for a few seconds, and slowly release to return to the start.

5. T-Spine Rotations

Finally, we have t-spine rotations. The t-spine is the thoratic spine, part of the upper back. This stretch helps stretch your spine and chest, and activates your upper back muscles.

Position yourself on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders and knees directly under the hips.
Place one hand gently on the back of your head.
Slowly rotate your upper body and lift your elbow toward the ceiling.
Rotate back down, bringing your elbow toward the ground and opposite elbow.
Switch sides after 10-15 repetitions.

For more mobility exercises and routines, check out my Stretching and Mobility Programs.

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