Experts say those of ussittingat our desk for long periods of time should take mini-breaks to save our hands and back. This particular chest stretch gets a really importantposturemuscle called the pectoralis minor.
Either way, when the pec minor muscle gets tight, it pulls the front of the shoulders forward, which in turn either rounds your back into a kyphosis or increases the rounding that’s already there. So, one way you canaddress a “hunch back” is to stretch this all-important muscle.
1Start Positionfizkes / Deposit PhotosStand facing a corner with a relaxed, upright posture. Place your feet so they are parallel with one another, and bend your knees slightly. This should help you stay as relaxed as possible during the movement, and protect your joints, as well.Keep your gaze forward, and your chin slightly tucked toward your neck (but don’t jam the chin down).Inhale, then exhale and gently pull your stomach toward your spine.Somatic Stretching: What It Is and How It Works
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Start Positionfizkes / Deposit PhotosStand facing a corner with a relaxed, upright posture. Place your feet so they are parallel with one another, and bend your knees slightly. This should help you stay as relaxed as possible during the movement, and protect your joints, as well.Keep your gaze forward, and your chin slightly tucked toward your neck (but don’t jam the chin down).Inhale, then exhale and gently pull your stomach toward your spine.Somatic Stretching: What It Is and How It Works
Start Position
fizkes / Deposit Photos
Somatic Stretching: What It Is and How It Works
2Corner Pec StretchA corner pec stretch is much like a push-up at the wall, except that the emphasis is placed on staying in the position that causes your chest muscles to lengthen.Here are the basic moves.Place your forearms and palms over the seam of the wall, where two walls are coming together to connect in a right angle.Inhale.Exhale, and pulling your lower abdominal muscles into your spine, lean toward the wall. You only need to go to the point where it feels challenging but causes no pain or discomfort. It’s more important to move your whole body as a unit, and not bend anywhere along the chain.Hold the position for between 5-30 seconds, then come back to start.
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Corner Pec StretchA corner pec stretch is much like a push-up at the wall, except that the emphasis is placed on staying in the position that causes your chest muscles to lengthen.Here are the basic moves.Place your forearms and palms over the seam of the wall, where two walls are coming together to connect in a right angle.Inhale.Exhale, and pulling your lower abdominal muscles into your spine, lean toward the wall. You only need to go to the point where it feels challenging but causes no pain or discomfort. It’s more important to move your whole body as a unit, and not bend anywhere along the chain.Hold the position for between 5-30 seconds, then come back to start.
Corner Pec Stretch
A corner pec stretch is much like a push-up at the wall, except that the emphasis is placed on staying in the position that causes your chest muscles to lengthen.Here are the basic moves.
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Safety and Effectiveness Tweaks
When you do this exercise, you will benefit from monitoring the posture of your entire body as you go. This is especially true of the hips. The hips should remain straight — they should not flex or bend to help you accomplish the movement. If you need help, just walk your feet in toward the wall a little, instead.
By the way, another great muscle to stretch is the quadriceps. Tight quads get in the way of good posture. There are a few ways a beginner or ultra-tight person can go about this. Choose one and go with it.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Borstad JD, Ludewig PM.Comparison of three stretches for the pectoralis minor muscle. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2006;15(3):324-30. doi:10.1016/j.jse.2005.08.011Yaman O, Dalbayrak S.Kyphosis and review of the literature. Turk Neurosurg. 2014;24(4):455-65. doi:10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.8940-13.0Williams JG, Laudner KG, McLoda T.The acute effects of two passive stretch maneuvers on pectoralis minor length and scapular kinematics among collegiate swimmers.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2013;8(1):25–33.Kim D, Cho M, Park Y, Yang Y.Effect of an exercise program for posture correction on musculoskeletal pain.J Phys Ther Sci. 2015;27(6):1791–1794. doi:10.1589/jpts.27.1791Additional ReadingMoffat, Marilyn, P.T. Ph.D. and Vickery, Steve. The American Physical Therapy Association Book of Body Maintenance and Repair. Owl Books. Henry Holt and Company, LLC. New York, New York, 1999. Stretch and Reach p.236
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Borstad JD, Ludewig PM.Comparison of three stretches for the pectoralis minor muscle. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2006;15(3):324-30. doi:10.1016/j.jse.2005.08.011Yaman O, Dalbayrak S.Kyphosis and review of the literature. Turk Neurosurg. 2014;24(4):455-65. doi:10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.8940-13.0Williams JG, Laudner KG, McLoda T.The acute effects of two passive stretch maneuvers on pectoralis minor length and scapular kinematics among collegiate swimmers.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2013;8(1):25–33.Kim D, Cho M, Park Y, Yang Y.Effect of an exercise program for posture correction on musculoskeletal pain.J Phys Ther Sci. 2015;27(6):1791–1794. doi:10.1589/jpts.27.1791Additional ReadingMoffat, Marilyn, P.T. Ph.D. and Vickery, Steve. The American Physical Therapy Association Book of Body Maintenance and Repair. Owl Books. Henry Holt and Company, LLC. New York, New York, 1999. Stretch and Reach p.236
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Borstad JD, Ludewig PM.Comparison of three stretches for the pectoralis minor muscle. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2006;15(3):324-30. doi:10.1016/j.jse.2005.08.011Yaman O, Dalbayrak S.Kyphosis and review of the literature. Turk Neurosurg. 2014;24(4):455-65. doi:10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.8940-13.0Williams JG, Laudner KG, McLoda T.The acute effects of two passive stretch maneuvers on pectoralis minor length and scapular kinematics among collegiate swimmers.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2013;8(1):25–33.Kim D, Cho M, Park Y, Yang Y.Effect of an exercise program for posture correction on musculoskeletal pain.J Phys Ther Sci. 2015;27(6):1791–1794. doi:10.1589/jpts.27.1791
Borstad JD, Ludewig PM.Comparison of three stretches for the pectoralis minor muscle. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2006;15(3):324-30. doi:10.1016/j.jse.2005.08.011
Yaman O, Dalbayrak S.Kyphosis and review of the literature. Turk Neurosurg. 2014;24(4):455-65. doi:10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.8940-13.0
Williams JG, Laudner KG, McLoda T.The acute effects of two passive stretch maneuvers on pectoralis minor length and scapular kinematics among collegiate swimmers.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2013;8(1):25–33.
Kim D, Cho M, Park Y, Yang Y.Effect of an exercise program for posture correction on musculoskeletal pain.J Phys Ther Sci. 2015;27(6):1791–1794. doi:10.1589/jpts.27.1791
Moffat, Marilyn, P.T. Ph.D. and Vickery, Steve. The American Physical Therapy Association Book of Body Maintenance and Repair. Owl Books. Henry Holt and Company, LLC. New York, New York, 1999. Stretch and Reach p.236
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