5 easy exercises for your shoulders and chest to alleviate desk job aches and pains

Prolonged desk work can lead to musculoskeletal problems ranging from continual pain to injuries. This month, we launched a six-part series showing you how to stretch and strengthen your body to prepare them for marathon sitting sessions at your desk. We’ll roll out a new exercise routine that focuses on alleviating desk job-related woes for a different area of the body each week.

Last week we published exercises for the head and the neck. This week we’re tackling the shoulders and chest.

To learn more about how sitting affects the body, and why these exercises are important, read our first piece in the series.

A routine for your shoulders and chest

When you sit at a desk all day, it’s common for your shoulders and chest to round forward. As we type, the shoulders pull in and together. Consequently, the front of the body — the pecs — tighten up and the back of the shoulders get over-stretched. All of this can lead to pain in the back of the shoulder and shoulder blades, as well as tightness and sensitivity in the chest, among other issues.

Do these exercises to help stretch and strengthen the muscles in your shoulders and chest. They’re demonstrated by trainer Melissa Gunn, of Pure Strength LA, whose team trains desk workers on how to protect their bodies through exercise.

1. Roll your shoulders forward 10 times, then backward 10 times, to relieve tension.

2. Place your palms at a 90-degree angle on both sides of a doorway and step forward with one foot. Hold for 30 seconds, feeling a pec stretch. Incrementally move your arms up slightly and lean in to deepen the stretch.

3. Do these push-up exercises in stages, as you get stronger: first against a wall, then against a bench or a desk and, finally, on the floor. Face a wall and place your hands on the wall at chest height. Step back about 2-3 feet so you are at an angle. Do a push-up against the wall, keeping your arms and elbows straight and drawing your shoulder blades together as you drop your chest. Perform 8-12 repetitions.

4. Stand straight with your right arm hanging next to your right leg. Move your arm up and to the side, stopping at shoulder height, as if half of the letter “T.” Then slide it forward, keeping it straight and at shoulder height. Then slide it all the way to the left, and grab your right elbow with the crook of your left arm to pull it in even further. Hold for 1-2 seconds. Repeat on the other side. Do 5-10 times on each side.

4. Start in a seated or standing position. Lace your fingers together and stretch your arms up toward the ceiling. Take a deep breath as you reach up as high as you can (keeping your neck relaxed). Lean to the left, then the right, to stretch your sides. Return to center and exhale, opening your arms and sweeping them back down. Repeat 5-10 reps on each side of your body.

(Exercises came from Dr. Joshua T. Goldman, UCLA sports medicine; Melissa Gunn, Pure Strength LA; Tom Hendrickx, Pivot Physical Therapy; Vanessa Martinez Kercher, Indiana University-Bloomington, School of Public Health; Nico Pronk, Health Partners Institute; Niki Saccareccia, Light Inside Yoga.)