After a Grueling Upper-Body Workout, Do These 13 Stretches to Relieve Soreness

Updated on 9/6/2019 at 12:55 PM

My husband and I just celebrated our 11-year anniversary (love you, babes!), and although I appreciated the bouquet of gorgeous Gerber daisies and the kid-free dinner out, I wanted to commemorate our relationship by doing something a little adventurous and out of our comfort zone. So I signed us up for an intro to rock climbing class. Even though I do CrossFit, my upper body was sore in a completely new way, and these are the upper-body stretches that helped relieve muscle soreness.

Wide Tip-Over Tuck

While this is mostly a move you'll feel in your chest and shoulders, you'll also feel this stretch in your hamstrings and lower back.

Begin standing with your feet in a wide straddle.
Bring your arms behind you and interlace your fingers right below your sacrum (back of your pelvis). If you can, press the heels of your palms together in a double fist. Actively pull your hands away from your shoulders to increase the stretch in your chest.
Lean your chest forward and lift your hands up overhead as you fold your torso toward your thighs. Keep both legs straight. Make sure you're lengthening through your spine by reaching the top of your head toward the floor.
Stay like this for five breaths.

Goddess Eagle

This stretch allows you to stretch the upper back and shoulders while also targeting the inner thighs.

From a standing straddle, cross the left elbow over the right, bringing the right fingers to the heel of your left palm.
Gaze past the wrists for five breaths, staying low in your wide squat.
Uncross the arms and switch sides for another five breaths.

Reverse Triangle

You'll feel this stretch all the way from your fingertips to your toes. It's a great stretch for the lats and the side of the torso.

From a standing straddle position, turn the right toes out 90 degrees and the left toes in 45 degrees.
Gently arch back and lower your left hand down, resting it on the back of your left leg.
Raise your right arm overhead, feeling the stretch through the right side of the body. Continue to lower your hips, pressing your front knee forward so it's directly over your right ankle.
Remain here for five complete breaths, then repeat on the other side.

Twisting Extended Side Angle

It feels so good to open one shoulder at a time in this twist.

Work your way into Downward Facing Dog. Step your right foot forward between your hands and rise up into Warrior 1. Open your hips, arms, and chest into Warrior 2.
Lower your right forearm so it's resting on your right thigh. Reach your left arm around your lower back, and if you can, wrap your fingers around the front of your right inner thigh.
Stay for five breaths, gazing over your left shoulder, then repeat on the other side.

Triceps Stretch

Target the triceps with this common stretch.

Reach your right arm overhead to lengthen the right side of your body. Maintain the length as you bend your right elbow, bringing your fingers to the middle of your upper back.
Grab your right elbow with your left hand and gently pull the right elbow toward the left.
Increase the stretch by lengthening the right side of your torso even more by bending sideways to the left.
Hold for five breaths then switch sides.

Shoulder Stretch

Target one shoulder at a time with this simple stretch.

Reach your left arm across your body at chest height. Support the left arm with your right elbow.
Use your right arm to pull the left arm closer to your chest to increase the stretch.
Hold this stretch for 20 seconds then switch sides.

Shoulder-Opening Spinal Twist

Get on the floor and try this stretch that targets tight shoulders and increases side-to-side mobility in your lower back. Admittedly, it looks very pretzel-like, even tortuous, but I promise that it feels amazing. There are three stretches in this series, so pause as long as you'd like in each and move to the next stretch as you're ready to increase the intensity.

Part 1

Begin lying on your belly with your arms out wide, palms facing down and in line with the shoulders.
Place your left palm underneath your left shoulder and push into the floor to roll onto the right side of the body.

Part 2

If it feels OK on your shoulder, turn this into a spinal twist by bending your left knee and placing it on the floor behind you.
Lean back into your left foot and right hand as much as you can, gently pressing your left hand into the floor for support.

Part 3

To intensify this shoulder-opening spinal twist, bend your right knee.
Press into the feet, lift your hips up, move them to the right a few inches, and then lower them back down.
Stay like this, or for an even deeper stretch, place your left hand on the outside of your right knee and press both knees away from you.
Breathe deeply for five breaths.
Lower the knees back the the floor, straighten the legs, and repeat this series on the other side.

Wrist Stretch

This is just one of the wrist stretches I love that also targets the forearms.

Sit on your heels and place your hands on the floor with your fingertips facing your knees.
If this feels too intense, lift your hips off your heels a little and lean forward for five breaths.
If you want to deepen the stretch, lean backward into your heels. For even more variety, repeat this stretch with your fingers pointed out to the side, parallel to the top of the mat (and then inward toward themselves), leaning from left to right to increase and decrease pressure.

Seated Heart-Opener

This simple and relaxing backbend will open your chest, neck, shoulders, and abs.

Come to sit on your shins in Hero Pose.
Interlace your hands behind you in a double fist, pressing the heels of your palms together. Pull your pressed palms toward the floor, opening through the chest and shoulders. To deepen the stretch, rest your palms on the floor behind you.
Hold for five breaths.

Bow Pose

This offers such an amazing shoulder and chest stretch.

From Seated Straddle, come onto your belly. Bend your knees, and hold onto the inside or outside edges of your ankles.
Once you have a firm hold of each ankle, try to keep your toes together, either pointing or flexing your feet.
Lift your feet as high as you can, and shift your weight forward so you're resting on your navel instead of on the pubic bone.
Hold for five deep breaths.

Reverse Planks

This yoga pose has several names, including Intense East, Upward Plank, and Reverse Plank. Whatever you call it, this move is a great strength builder for your wrists as well as a chest-opener.

Begin sitting with your legs straight in front of you and place your hands several inches behind your hips, fingers facing in toward your hips.
Press into your feet and hands and lift your hips until your back is in a straight line from your shoulders to your heels. If this is too hard, bend your knees so you're in a tabletop position.
If it feels comfortable in your neck, you can let your head fall backward.
Hold for five breaths and release back down, tucking your chin in as you lower to protect your neck and upper spine.

Half Wheel

This will stretch through the chest as well as the upper back and neck. This stretch feels especially good after I've been belaying someone, and having to look up for 20 minutes straight.

From Head to Knee, roll onto the back. Bend both knees and plant the soles of the feet on the mat directly under the knees. Try to keep the feet parallel.
Interlace the hands in a double fist, and gently rock the upper torso from side to side to bring the shoulder blades closer together.
Actively press into the feet and head to lift the pelvis, holding here for five breaths.

Child's Pose With Reach

I love to end my upper-body stretching session with Child's Pose; it's not only a great way to relax and take a few deep breaths, but it feels great on my lower back and shoulders.

Kneel on your mat on your knees and lie your torso down onto your thighs and your forehead on the ground. Reach your arms forward. Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds.
Walk your hands over to the left to lengthen the right side of your spine. Focus on breathing into your right rib cage. Hold for 15 to 20 seconds, then walk your hands to the right to stretch the left side of your back.