Shoulder Stretches

Shoulder stretches should be utilized before injury. The mass of muscles connected around your shoulders will not only appreciate stretches, they will benefit from them as well. Another nice thing about shoulder stretches is they are simple to do yet give you the same incredibly satisfying release as a massage. Since most of us are not exactly triathletes, the shoulder stretches below are designed for the celebrated workers of a great capitalistic society...or office drones if you will.

1. The turtle hunch. This is probably the most glorious shoulder stretch. It is quite easy to do from a languid, sitting position. Start by letting your shoulders drop to their natural position. As a stressed out office worker, this may feel abnormal yet good. Now, take a deep breath while lifting your shoulders up and aim for the ears. Hold this pose for three to five seconds and then slowly release your shoulders back to the natural position. Awesome.
2. The easy shoulder grab. Take one hand, reach across your chest and rest your fingers across your shoulder blade. Now take your other hand, cup your elbow and gently push the elbow towards your chest. Hold this pose for a few seconds and release. Repeat with the other arm. These shoulder exercises work your deltoid and triceps muscles.
3. The shoulder grab. This is one of the shoulder exercises you must approach with caution if you are unused to stretching. Sit or stand and crook your elbow behind your head. With your other hand, reach across your face, grab your elbow and pull it gently towards your ear. This one feels great when you have sore muscles but if you barely ever move it can a bit strenuous.
4. Open the gates. Most shoulder exercises concentrate on one area at a time but this one opens up both shoulders at the same time and feels awesome. It is a mellow stretch as well that can be enjoyed by all but you must get off your fleshy buttocks in order to achieve this. So stand up. Now lock your fingers behind your back. Slowly straighten out your arms while moving your shoulders forward. Hold, release and repeat.
5. For all. Some shoulder exercises can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of how shameful they feel while riding electric shopping carts to select which type of cake batter goes best with mayonnaise. This is one of those exercises. Simply hold an arm out and bend it slightly towards your head. Depending upon your woes, you can tweak the angle of this stretch to best suit your needs. Now with your free hand, grasp your elbow and pull the arm closer towards your face. Hold for ten seconds, release and repeat with the other arm.