If you’re trying to correct rounded shoulders, you’ll be making life hard for yourself working against tight chest muscles. This exercise stretches the pectoral muscles, which shorten if your shoulders are always forwards.
Standing in a door frame (or next to a sturdy bookshelf or alcove), bring your hand up to above head height, and place the palm against the door frame. At this point you want to be aligned with the door frame; you shouldn’t be twisted. Take a step forwards with either leg and you should feel the stretch in the front of your arm pit. If you feel it in your back, go back to standing squarely in the door frame and try again. If this persists, stop the exercise and we will review it at your next appointment.
If the stretch doesn’t feel particularly strong, you can play around with angles. You might find that putting your hand higher up the door frame gives you a stronger stretch, but make sure that everything you do for this exercise is within a comfortable range.
Main muscles targeted: pectoralis major.
