Behind Head Chest Stretch
Also works: Shoulders
A partner-assisted contract-relax stretch: hands laced behind the head, elbows driven back, a training partner holding them there while you push against the resistance for ten seconds and then let go. The push-then-release cycle is what buys range a passive hold cannot.
Own the movement
Set up first, then execute. Every cue below is something you can check on your next set.
Before the first rep
- Sit upright on the floor, legs crossed or extended, with your partner kneeling directly behind you.
- Lace your fingers behind your head, elbows wide and pointing out to the sides.
- Have your partner cup the front of each elbow, not the wrists or the shoulders.
- Sit tall and brace your midsection so your ribs do not flare forward as the elbows go back.
- Agree a stop word before you start. Your partner cannot feel where your end range is.
Every rep
Breathing & tempo — Inhale before the contraction, hold through the 10-second push, then release the breath fully as you relax — that exhale is what lets the muscle actually let go. Breathe normally through the passive hold.
Before you load it
- This needs a partner who can be trusted to stop on command. Without one, use a doorway or a stability ball version where you control the depth yourself.
- Skip it if you have a history of shoulder dislocation or instability at the front of the joint. End-range abduction with external rotation is exactly the position the shoulder comes out in.
How much, how often
Where to start, and what to change when it stops being hard.
No load — your partner's resistance is the only external force, and it should be just enough to hold you still. Two or three cycles of 10 seconds contract and 15 seconds hold. Twice a week is plenty; PNF is potent enough that daily repetition mostly leaves the shoulder irritated.
What goes wrong
The errors that show up most often, and the cue that fixes each one.
Push at roughly 50% for 10 seconds. A maximal isometric with the shoulder near end range strains the front of the joint capsule and gives no extra range in return.
Brace the trunk and tuck the ribs down toward the hips. Have your partner watch the ribcage, not the elbows, and call it when the arch appears.
The partner moves slowly and stops the moment the person in the stretch says so. Set the rule that the stretcher calls depth and the partner only holds position.
Bring the elbows slightly forward and down toward the ears until the sensation moves to the pecs. Front-of-joint pinching is impingement, and no amount of pushing through it helps.
Why bother
This is proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, not a static hold. You contract the pecs isometrically against a partner who lets nothing move, hold ten seconds, then relax completely. For a few seconds after that contraction the muscle tolerates more length than it did before, and your partner takes the elbows into the new range.
Hands behind the head fixes the shoulders in external rotation and abduction, which is the position that puts the pectoralis major's clavicular fibres and the front of the deltoid on the longest line. It is a far more specific angle than a doorway stretch, and it is also why the whole thing depends on a partner who will stop when you say stop.
Where it fits
After pressing work, or on a dedicated mobility day. Two or three contract-relax cycles is the whole dose; more does not add range and does make the shoulder feel beaten up. Do not run this before a bench session — a PNF stretch on the prime mover blunts force output for a good twenty minutes.
If this one isn't it
No kit, too hard, or too easy — here's where to go instead.
Same job, different kit
Start here instead
Asked and answered
Is PNF stretching actually better than just holding a stretch?
For an immediate gain in range, yes — the contract-relax cycle reliably produces more range in one session than a passive hold of the same duration. Whether that translates into a larger long-term change is much less clear. The practical case for it is that it gets you into a useful position quickly, with a partner controlling the depth.
Can I do this on my own?
Not this version — the whole method depends on something immovable holding your elbows while you push. The nearest solo substitute is a doorway or a corner: forearms on the frame, press into it for 10 seconds, relax, and step through slightly. Same principle, less range, but you control the stop.
Will this fix rounded shoulders from desk work?
It will make the position more comfortable to get into, but posture is mostly a habit and a strength issue rather than a length issue. Pair the stretch with rowing and face pulls so the muscles that hold you upright can actually do it. Stretching alone changes how you feel, not how you stand.
How much should it hurt?
It should not. A broad, firm pull across the front of the chest is the target. Sharp pain, anything nervy running down the arm, or a pinch at the front of the shoulder joint all mean the elbows are too far back or too high, and your partner should ease off immediately.