When you hear and think of foam rolling, it’s the lower body and back that come to mind immediately, however let’s not forget to use our foam roller for chest too. Why should I foam roll my chest you might ask? Well if you experience muscle soreness or tightness, rolling your chest could reduce your pains. Also if you work your chest regularly doing bench press, dumbbell presses, dips, or other exercises, you can use these foam roller chest exercises to warm up, and for recovery.
Foam rolling your chest
Here’s a really great video from Work The Funk Out where he goes step-by-step to show you one of the easiest and best chest foam roller exercises you can do. Perform this regularly to reduce pain and tightness, and to increase your recovery time.
- Lay on your stomach.
- Reach your arm out with your palm down.
- Place your farm on the inside of your armpit and shoulder.
- Roll outwards.
- Stop at tender areas for a minimum of 30 seconds
- Keep rolling until you have covered your entire chest and all of your sensitive points.
Doorway stretch
As an added bonus, here is a simple stretch that you can perform in any doorway to warm your chest up, or stretch it to achieve similar reduction in tightness and pain as the foam rolling.
- Stand in the doorway with a staggered stance
- Place your forearm against the door frame, keeping your elbow at 90 degrees.
- Using the doorframe for resistance, try to rotate your body away from the door frame until you feel a stretch in your chest.
- Perform the same exercise for the other side.
There you have it, two easy exercises for you to do at home with your foam roller to work on your chest tightness, reduce pain, and increase mobility. Use these exercises pre and post-workout to stay warm, injury free, and reduce recovery time.
I’ve found great success in adding this roller exercise into my regular routine. After a heavy benching session, I’m able to loosen up my chest muscles and reduce recovery time. I also am able to get better chest and shoulder mobility after periods where I roll regularly.
If you need a foam roller, check out our best foam roller reviews page to pick the best roller for your needs. Or click here to buy The Grid – the best foam roller by our standards.
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