Don’t let your 9-5 put a damper on the hard work you’ve been putting in at the gym or on the running trail. Keep your body limber by giving these at work stretches a try!
Head/Shoulder Stretch:
Chin Tucks
Keep chin level with floor, pull chin back towards spine. Hold for 5 count.
Shoulders/Thoracic Spine Stretches:
Standing Lat Stretch
Stand wall with feet hip width apart with one hand on your hip. Take your other hand to reach up and over your head creating a stretch down your side.
Seated Tricep Stretch
Place hand on base of neck, with elbow pointing high. With other hand reach across and pull on opposite elbow creating a stretch in the bending arms triceps.
Seated Tricep/Oblique Stretch
Intertwine hands, reach for ceiling while pushing shoulders up to ears, lean to the left, then to the right.
Cat-Cows
Crawling position; push the ground away with arms and round your back (cat), then squeeze shoulder blades and stick your buttocks out (cow).
Seated T-Spine Rotations
Start by sitting in a tall seated position with upright posture. Cross hands to opposite shoulders. Staying upright, twist as if you trying to look behind on one side, then repeat for other side.
Seated Child’s Pose (L/R/M)
Place hands on desk and extend arms fully. Push head through arms, hold for 10 count, repeat w/ hands walked to the left and right.
Seated Child’s Pose with Side Reach
Same as previous position, reach one arm to opposite side underneath body, repeat on opposite side, both for 10 count.
Seated Backburn
Fully extend arms and reach hands to ceiling. Push shoulders into ears, make big circle going downwards towards hips, then flip hands over and stack on one another, pull hands away from hips while squeezing shoulders.
Low Back/Hips Stretches:
Seated Piriformis Stretch
Place one ankle on top of opposite knee. Keep top leg parallel with the floor, bend at the hips and bring your chest to leg.
World’s Greatest Stretch
Split lunge position, left foot in front, right leg back. Fully extend right leg and bring left elbow to inseam of left foot, rotate left arm up and reach for ceiling. Place left hand on floor outside of left foot, lift left toes and extend left leg for hamstring stretch. Repeat on both sides.
Stretching is a habit that’s easy to build, so we recommend giving these a try around the lunch-hour—or even add a daily reminder on your calendar! If you’re still feeling ongoing aches and pains from your sitting all day, contact Foothills Sports Medicine Physical Therapy to schedule a FREE Rapid Recovery Injury Assessment.
Foothills Acceleration and Sports Training (FAST) is empowered by Foothills Therapy Partners (FTP).