The strech stuff:
1.- i feel that the best way to strech the pecs is doing the chest strech in the paralel bars using a close grip, itīs not a simple strech because every single variation on your positioning can put all the tension in your shoulders but once you master it you can "move" the tension from the lower to the upper chest with just small adjustments in your positioning (i have some positioning variations but they are difficult to explain)
2.- If you can perform this stretch as your bicep stretch it will help you stretch your chest
Quote:
Originally Posted by betito
Look at the bicep stretch http://server6.theimagehosting.com/i...tretches66.jpg
Now imagine that you are doing this an the floor "disapears", you would be hanging, thatīs it. How to do it? Put a chair or bench under a chining bar (not exactly under, a little forward is better) do what in-human does in the picture and lift your feet. Once you are used to it start adding weight. First time you try it itīs going to be very hard and painful and you maybe last like 10-20 seconds.Believe me, when you are done you canīt even bent your arms forr a while and veins start to appear everywhere, thereīs no pump like this... First time you do it can be a good idea to warm your shoulders doing a couple reps of the shoulder saver stretch descrived on the sticky, specialy if you are not very flexible |
The first time you try it donīt forget to do a good warm up of your shoulders with the stretch exercise descrived by Dante in the stickies, you will need well warmed an flexible shoulders to do it safe
There are a couple things you can do to change the part of the chest that gets the biggest stretching:
-Raise your legs making your body concave while looking to the front (this way i feel it more in my upper chest
-Keep your body straight and just try to lower it lower and lower while your lower chest stretches like hell.
-If you vary the height at which your shoulder blades touch it will also make the tension "move"
3.- Another strech:
In the shoulder strech-dislocate exercise described by Dante there is a point where your shoulder blades touch and you feel something like a dislocation, in that point you also feel a deep stretch in your pecs. I use a towel for this. If you warm up with 5 revolutions, then another 5 with closer grip and then use a grip so close that is not easy to bring the towel to the point of maximun chest stretch (doing several reps with such a close grip would be imposible), with this close grip try to do a rep and stop in the poin when your chest is streched at it max, now just keep your chest up and hold it (i usualy sit down and look to the roof to make sure my back is arched and my chest is up).
The problem with this one is that is not easy to add more resistance. What i do is:
-I count deep breaths, every day i try to hold it for another two breaths and once i reach a certain number i use a closer grip.
-Place yourself near a wall, do the stretch, put yourself in a position where you are holding the stretch and touchingthe wall with one hand and lean into that side to give that pec and extra stretch (this is realy painful and made me feel nauseaus a couple times). I hold it for 10 breaths each pec and another 10 both pecs just with the towell (You never leave the towell during the whole process)