Stretch of the Week: Wall Clock Arm Stretch

For the month of March we are stretching our biceps muscles. The bicep has two “heads” that form into one single muscle belly, which lays between the elbow and shoulder joint. The biceps flexes the arm (bringing wrist to shoulder), helps abduct the shoulder (lift it away from your side) and rotates the forearm outward. It’s a muscle we commonly use and thus it can become tight. In fact, the biceps can be so tight that extending the arm fully straight is restricted. Our March stretches will help to loosen the arms.

For the first week in March we will be performing the Wall Clock Arm Stretch. In addition to the biceps, this stretch will also get into the chest and side muscles of the trunk. You will need a bit of wall space for this stretch. If you have a shoulder injury, please skip this week.

How to perform:

1. As this stretch states we will move through the positions of a clock arm with our own arm. Stand next to the wall with the right hip up against the wall. Raise the right arm up over your head, palm on the wall, arm straight. The arm will be at the “12:00” position as on a clock (shown in left top photo marked 12).

2. Make sure to not slouch or bend the arm as shown in the right bottom “NO” photo. Keep your feet together. Stand tall by pulling your belly in toward your spine and up. Make sure your other arm stays at your side. Keep your chest facing forward and maybe even slightly away from the wall as you move through the different positions. From 12:00, take the arm to roughly 1:00, as shown in the “1” photo.

3. Continue following these muscle engagements moving through the 3:00, 4:00 and 6:00 positions as shown in the photos below. Hold each position for a minimum of 30 seconds. You can move from 6 back up to 12 and then turn around to do the other side. Enjoy!

Interested in learning more? Email me at rachel.lackowski@athletico.com

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