Chest Stretch (Chest and Arm Stretches)

One of the major benefits of Stretching is that it increases your flexibility. While Stretching may appear a bit bland as compared with resistance exercises such as Training with Free Weights and Weight Training Exercises, without a good stretch, you will not be able to minimize the risk of injury.

The chest is made up of pectoral muscles - major and minor. The pectoralis major covers the front of the upper chest and is attached to the upper arm. This muscle is responsible for major arm movements such as flexion, rotation, and adduction towards the body. Strengthen your pectoral muscles by doing exercises that target those muscles. The Chest Stretch is one of those exercises.

	STEP 1: Stand (with legs slightly bent and feet hip-width apart). Hold your abdominals tight. Your head, neck, and shoulders should stay relaxed. With your back straight, clasp your hands behind your back.
	STEP 2: Lift your arms behind you until you feel the stretch across your chest. Hold for about 10 seconds.

Triceps Stretch (Chest and Arm Stretches)

One of the major benefits of Stretching is that it improves your flexibility. Regular Stretching can help retain your flexibility and a good range of motion when you grow old, not only for exercising but for your daily activities as well. While Stretching may appear a bit bland as compared with resistance exercises such as Training with Free Weights and Weight Training Exercises, without a good stretch, all your hard work at the gym will be in vain.

Like the shoulders, the triceps brachii muscles, commonly known as triceps, are also a three-headed muscle complex. The triceps are the muscles that run on the backside of your upper arm from your shoulder to your elbow. They constitute two-thirds of your upper arm. These muscles straighten your elbows and allow you to push your arms forward.

Strengthen your triceps by doing the Triceps Stretch regularly. Learn how to do this exercise in this section:

	STEP 1: Stand (with legs slightly bent and feet hip-width apart) or sit and raise your left arm over your head with your elbow bent.
	STEP 2: Place your left hand over your back as if you were reaching down your spine. With your right hand, gently push your left arm back to extend the stretch. This will stretch down the back of the arm. Hold for about 10 seconds and then change sides.

It would be relaxing to get into a really good Stretching session to release all of that accumulated tension our bodies take each day.

Hammer Curls

Prime movers/Muscles worked:

* This exercise can be performed with free weights or as an alternative water bottles can be used.

Beginning Phase:


* Grasp the dumbbells with a closed, neutral grip with the palm of the hand facing the outer thighs. Stand erect with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent.
* Arms should be fully extended with dumbbells hanging at the sides.

Upward Phase:

* Raise one dumbbell at a time by slowly bending at the elbow, bring the dumbbell to the front of the shoulder.
* Alternate arms.

Downward Phase:

* Lower the dumbbell in a slow, controlled movement until the arm is fully extended.