Triceps stretch
Suggestions, not prescriptions. Exercises here pass automated checks. They have not been clinically reviewed, and no exercise is right for everyone. Adjust to your comfort and ability.
Reach one hand behind your head to stretch the back of the upper arm. It helps with reaching up and behind you.
- Main focus
- Flexibility
- Level
- Starting
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Load
- Your body weight
- Stability
- Free: you control the whole movement
Before you start
- Warm up first with a minute or two of easy walking or marching in place, and cool down the same way after.
- Wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip, or go barefoot on a non-slip floor if that feels steady to you.
- Clear the floor around you. Keep a sturdy chair, counter or wall within reach for any move you do standing.
- Build up slowly. Add repetitions or minutes over weeks, not days. If you take a break, work back up gradually.
Talk with a doctor or physical therapist before you start if you have not been active for some time, if you have a health condition or a worry about exercise, if you have fallen or fear falling, or if a clinician has told you to limit activity. This library is general information, not medical advice.
What you need
None. Sit or stand.
How to do it
- Sit or stand tall. Lift one arm and bend the elbow so your hand rests behind your head or neck, as far as is comfortable.
- With your other hand, gently hold that elbow.
- Hold, breathing normally, without pulling hard.
- Release and switch arms.
How much
To start: Hold 10 seconds. 2 times each arm.
As it gets easier: Hold 10 to 20 seconds. 3 times each arm.
How it should feel: A mild stretch in the back of the arm. Never a pinch.
Make it easier
- Reach only part way behind your head.
- Skip the hand on the elbow.
Make it harder
- Hold a few seconds longer.
Safety
- Do not pull the elbow hard.
- Keep your neck long and your back straight.
When to stop
- Stop and rest if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or unusually short of breath.
- Stop if you feel sharp, sudden or joint pain. Muscles working hard is expected. Pain is a signal to stop.
- Stop and sit down if you feel unsteady and cannot settle yourself right away.
- Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden weakness, numbness or trouble speaking.
- After any of these, do not repeat the exercise until you have talked with a doctor or physical therapist.
- You feel pinching or sharp pain at the top of the shoulder.
- You feel tingling or numbness in your arm.
Other ways to do this movement
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Where this comes from
NIA: stretch warm muscles, keep breathing, do not stretch so far that it hurts. Name and movement from the screened catalog entry; the text and hold times are original.
- Three Types of Exercise Can Improve Your Health and Physical Ability, National Institute on Aging, NIH (Content reviewed Jan. 14, 2025).
This is general information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose anything or tell you whether an exercise is right for you. Adjust to your comfort and ability.