Solo pec. minor stick stretch

Partner exercises are a feature of the Stretch Therapy system, though there are solo versions of all exercises. The partner stick pec. stretch is absolutely marvellous, but until recently we did not have a solo analogue. Here is the solo version done using two different set-ups. One is a fixed straight bar – we filmed this at a school play area; if you are in a gym with a Smith machine that would work perfectly. The second is Roman rings plus a dowel. The fixed bar is preferable because it is completely controllable and this allows you to relax completely. A key aspect of this exercise, solo or partner, is to feel that your shoulders are being drawn back whilst keeping your arms externally rotated in the shoulder joints – thus, this is a true chest opening exercise.

In addition to the muscles (and, arguably, of more importance), getting in to the final position stretches the entire fascia superficial and deep front arm line – this extends from the mid-line of the chest through to the palmar side of the forearm, down to the tips of the fingers. The large-scale effects on the body are 1) the shoulders sit further back on the rib cage, so more under the ears; 2) the thoracic spine is straightened dynamically, and under load, and 3) standing and sitting posture is improved.

The partner version is available at https://stretchtherapy.net/partner-pec-minor-stick-stretch/.