Stretches Before Exercise For Seniors And The Elderly



Stretches before exercise for seniors and the elderly are vital in any older adult program.

A good warm up will prepare your body for exercise by increasing your circulation and helping the delivery of oxygen to muscles and the brain.

It will increase your body temperature which makes your muscles more elastic and supportive of elongation.

Below are some excellent stretches before exercise for the upper body like the triceps stretch.

Try some of these stretches during or after your exercise session.

Make sure to visit the flexibility page before starting a stretching program.
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Triceps Stretch

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Purpose of this exercise

  • Stretches the shoulder and tricep
  • Improves the mobility of your upper arm and shoulder.

How to do it:

Tricep stretch end
Tricep stretch start
Tricep stretch middle

Step 1

  • Sit in a chair while extending your left arm with your palm up.

Step 2 

  • Bring your left arm overhead and pat yourself on the back. For doing a great job of course!

Step 3

  • Bring your right hand to your left elbow.
  • Gently press the elbow back until a stretch is felt.
  • Hold for 10 to 15 seconds.
  • Repeat with the other arm.

Breathing:

  • Breathe normally during the stretch, in through the nose and out through the mouth..

Tips:

  • Keep your back straight during the exercise.
  • Tuck your chin, as if to make a "double chin".
  • Tighten your stomach muscles. 

Take it up a notch:

  • While holding your left elbow with your right hand in step 3, increase the stretch by simultaneously raising your right elbow.

Try these other upper body stretches

Watch These Exercise Videos

1. Shoulder And Upper Back Stretch
  • Shoulder stretches to increases your shoulder and scapular range of motion.
  • Stretches your chest and shoulder.
  • Will make it easier to reach to that high shelf in your kitchen.
2. Shoulder Rolls
  • Improve the range of motion in your shoulder and upper back region with these stretching routines.
  • Will assist in keeping your rib muscles flexible.
  • Help in activities like reaching up to a high shelf or across the table at dinner.
3. Neck Side Stretch
  • Improve the range of motion in your neck and upper back with these good stretching exercises.
  • Helps with those everyday movements you need to do like looking under the bed for that other shoe!
4.Neck Rotation
  • Improve the range of motion in our neck with these neck stretches.
  • Help stretch the upper back and scapular muscles.
5. Shoulder Circles
  • Improve the range of motion of your shoulders and upper back with these types of stretching.
  • Helps increase flexibility in your chest and lungs.
6. Shoulder Stretch
  • Helps stretch our shoulder, scapula and supporting muscles and joints.
  • Improves our reaching ability especially across the body for these benefits of stretching.
7. Chest Stretch
  • Stretches the chest and shoulders with these chest exercises.
  • Improves posture and lung functioning.
8. Overhead Reach
  • Increase the range of motion in your shoulder and upper back with these arm stretches.
  • Help improve your ability to reach, as in getting a pan out of the cabinet or ice cream out of the freezer.
9. Reach Back
  • Improve your ability to reach behind as in reaching back to hold on to an armrest before sitting down.
  • Increase the range of motion of your shoulders and stretches your chest muscles with these arm exercises.
10. Triceps Stretch
11. Hand Stretch
  • Increase the flexibility and range of motion of your hand and fingers with these hand exercises.
  • Warms up your hand to prepare for the activity of the day.
12. Arm Raises
  • Improves the range of motion of your shoulders with these muscle stretching exercises.
  • Strengthens your arm for activities that require overhead reach like up to a shelf or pulling the light cord in the basement.

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"The stretching is the best! It relaxes the back and leg muscles and so doing calms down the pain and stabilizes my walking." - Jane

"I feel I am in much better health. I am more relaxed, stable, and my self-confidence is stronger." - Betty

"These gentle senior exercises have given me more flexibility and the discipline to move and try harder." - Doris