Bench Prayer Stretch
oec:bench-prayer-stretch
A kneeling mobility stretch performed with elbows elevated on a bench to increase shoulder flexion, thoracic extension, and lat flexibility.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: Elevated prayer stretch, Bench thoracic spine stretch, Kneeling lat stretch on bench, Child's pose on bench
How to do it
Setup
- Kneel on the floor facing a flat bench, placing a mat under your knees if needed for comfort.
- Place your elbows shoulder-width apart on the edge of the bench with your palms pressed together in a prayer position.
- Sit your hips back toward your heels so your torso is angled forward.
Movement
- Exhale and gently sink your chest toward the floor between your shoulders.
- Bend your elbows deeper to bring your hands back toward the nape of your neck.
- Maintain a slight abdominal brace to avoid excessive arching in your lower back.
- Hold the stretch at the point of mild tension for the desired duration before releasing.
Breathing
Breathe deeply and rhythmically through your nose, using each exhalation to sink slightly deeper into thoracic extension.
Cues
- Chest toward the floor
- Thumbs to the nape of the neck
- Keep your ribs pulled in
Common faults
- Hyperextending the lumbar spine instead of extending the mid-back.
- Brace the abdominals and tuck the pelvis slightly to isolate movement to the thoracic spine and shoulders.
- Elbows flaring excessively wide on the bench.
- Keep the elbows kept approximately shoulder-width apart to maximize the stretch through the lats and triceps.
Safety
- Ease into shoulder flexion gradually if you have an active shoulder impingement or pain.
Muscles
Joints
- Shoulder: Flexion
- Thoracic spine: Extension
- Elbow: Flexion
- Shoulder blade: Upward rotation
Details
- Movement
- Stretch, Mobility drill
- Modality
- Flexibility, Mobility
- Mechanics
- compound
- Force
- static
- Laterality
- bilateral
- Kinetic chain
- closed
- Level
- beginner
- Equipment
- Flat bench or Box or Chair
- Record
- Duration
- Load
- none
Sources
- wger: Elevated prayer stretch, by tinman (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.