Stretching for Athletic Performance: The Upper Body
This series on how to incorporate static stretching to improve athletic performance was begun a couple of months ago. The reasons behind this series are simply that, over the last few years, static stretching has gotten a bad rap in strength and conditioning circles and to show how we can use static stretching to enhance performance rather than detract from it. The first two parts of this series looked at the basic guidelines of a static stretching routine and stretches for the lower body. In this final installment, we will cover static stretching for the upper body.
Just to recap, the purpose of static stretching is not to warm-up for athletic activity; it is to lengthen those muscles that were shown to be overly short at the conclusion of our initial assessment at SST. It is important to note that we do not incorporate a shotgun approach and static stretch every single muscle group. Depending on the areas of tightness of the individual, stretches for only a single muscle group might be prescribed.
With our recap complete, let’s get into the common trends and then the actual stretches!
Common Trends:
- Tight pectoralis major – PART 1
- Tight latissimus dorsi – Part 2
- Tight upper traps/levator scapulae
Tight Latissimus Dorsi
Tight lats are a common problem area for much of the same reason as the pecs: they’re internal rotators of the upper arm. Yes, they also produce other movements such as shoulder extension, adduction, and scapular downward rotation, however their role as internal rotators is the main issue because of typical “computer guy” posture. Notice your posture right now as you’re reading this. There’s a good chance that you are both internally rotated (this is due to the nature of typing/using a mouse) and protracted (shoulders rounded forward). When you add to this the fact that you spend hours of each day in this position at school or playing video games, the result is that your pecs and lats will become shortened. To stretch the latissimus dorsi, bend over at the waist and grab onto a vertical pillar structure with one or both hands. Then simply shift your weight right back to your heels and lean back a little (push your butt back). You will feel the stretch in the muscle belly. Again 10-15 second holds, relax, and go back into the stretch again but lean back a little farther. Do a total of 2-3 reps depending on how tight you are.
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