Partner-Assisted Chest Opener Stretch
This opener counters the rounded, hunched posture that builds up from desk work and heavy pressing. With the trainee's hands behind the head, the partner gently guides the elbows back to stretch the pecs and anterior delts across both heads. It is a great reset before upper-body training or at the end of a long day.
- Equipment
- Body Weight
- Type
- Stretching
- Browse by muscle
- Pectoralis Major Clavicular, Pectoralis Major Sternocostal
- Target
- Pectoralis Major Clavicular, Pectoralis Major Sternocostal
- Secondary
- Deltoid Anterior
- Tertiary
- Biceps Brachii Short Head
How to do it
- 1
Have the trainee sit tall on the floor or a bench and clasp their hands lightly behind their head with elbows wide.
- 2
Stand behind the trainee and cup the front of their elbows with your hands.
- 3
Ask the trainee to exhale and relax the shoulders down away from the ears.
- 4
Slowly draw the elbows backward and outward until the trainee feels a broad stretch across the chest.
- 5
Hold for 20 to 30 seconds with steady tension, then ease the elbows forward to release.
- 6
Keep talking with the trainee and never force the arms past a comfortable open position.
Tips
- Cue the ribs down and the chin level so the stretch stays in the chest and not the low back.
- Apply slow, symmetrical pressure to both arms so neither shoulder gets torqued.
- Stop if the trainee reports any pinch at the front of the shoulder joint.
- Avoid yanking the elbows; think of gently widening the collarbones.
Variations
Common mistakes
- Clasped hands tend to turn into a grip on the skull, and the head gets pulled forward as the elbows travel back; have the trainee rest the fingertips lightly together so the neck stays out of it.
- A grip on the wrists or the backs of the elbows pulls the arms rather than guiding them; cup the front of the elbows, where you can feel resistance arrive and stop at it.
- Drawing the elbows straight backward with no width jams the shoulders into plain extension, which is where the front of the joint starts to complain; take them back and out together.
- A partner standing tall over a seated trainee ends up lifting the elbows as well as pulling them back, and that diagonal closes the front of the shoulder; drop your stance to elbow height.
- A chair with a backrest leaves the elbows nowhere to travel; put the trainee on a flat bench, a stool, or the floor so the arms can move freely behind them.
Frequently asked
- How long should the partner-assisted chest opener stretch be held?
- Twenty to thirty seconds, two or three passes, with steady tension rather than a build toward the end of each one. It fits before upper-body training or at the close of a session, and two or three times a week is plenty. Progress by holding the same position for a third pass, or by the elbows sitting a little wider each week, not by pulling further within one hold. Agree on a stop word before the first pass so nobody has to explain themselves mid-stretch.
- What can I do instead of the partner-assisted chest opener stretch with no partner?
- A doorway does the job: set a forearm on each side of the frame at shoulder height and step through slowly. A rack upright or a wall corner covers one side at a time. Lying face-up along a foam roller set under the spine with the hands behind the head reproduces the elbows-wide position and lets gravity do what the partner's hands were doing. Lying on the floor with the arms out in a T is the gentlest solo version of all.
- What is the partner-assisted chest opener stretch good for, and when is it a poor choice?
- Pressing volume and desk hours shorten the pecs and the front of the shoulders, and a partner can open both heads of the chest evenly while the trainee does nothing at all, which is hard to arrange alone. It suits coached settings before upper-body work or at the end of a long day. It is a poor choice for anyone whose shoulder pinches at the front as the elbows go back, for a shoulder that has dislocated before, and with a partner who does not watch the trainee's face.
Related exercises
Other movements among FitRay's 2,000+ exercises that load the same target muscle — same equipment and level first.