7 Best Arm Stretches You Can Do before Your Arm Workout

Arm stretches are probably the most ignored part of a workout. While performing all the body stretches, they seem to get left out.

However, performing arm stretches is as important as stretching your legs, back, hips, and other parts of your body. Arms play an essential role in most workouts and, as such, must be adequately stretched to avoid injury.

Dynamic arm stretches are great to improve your mobility and prep your muscles for exercise, whether for an upper-body workout or a game of tennis or golf.

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Best Arm Stretches to Do before Your Arm Workout

Warm-up with these dynamic arm stretches to maintain strong and safe arms.

1) Arm Circles

Arm circles. (Image credits: Pexels/ Marta Wave)

Arm circles are one of the simplest stretches you can perform before a workout to open up your arm muscles. Here's how you can do this stretch:

• Standing upright, hold your arms out to your sides at shoulder height.
• Trace small circles in the air with your hands moving forward to backward. Maintain the size of the circle, and after 10 reps, continue the circles in the opposite direction, i.e., backward to forwards.
• Now increase the size of the circles and continue for 10 reps in each direction.
• For the third time, make the biggest circles that you can and again perform 10 circles in each direction.
• Rest for 30 seconds before moving to the next stretch.

2) Scissor Stretch

Scissor stretch. (Image credits: Pexels/ Mikhail Nilov)

The scissor stretch relieves tension in the front deltoids, pecs, upper back, biceps, and triceps. Hence, it is considered one of the best tennis stretches out there.

Here's how you can do a scissor stretch.

• Standing upright, hold both your arms out to your sides at shoulder height.
• Keeping your elbows straight, move your arms straight ahead in front of your chest, crossing your left arm above your right arm.
• Now move your arms back behind your shoulders as far as possible.
• Switch sides and repeat the same motion, crossing your right arm over your left.
• Alternate the motion, switching your top arm with each rep.
• Perform the stretch for 30 seconds.

3) Dynamic Cross Body Shoulder Stretch

Cross-body shoulder stretch. (Image credits: Pexels/ Ketut Subinyato)

This excellent arm stretch will primarily engage the trapezius, posterior deltoids, the rhomboids, and the latissimus dorsi. It will extend the arm stretch to the back of your shoulders. Here's how you can do it:

• Raise your left arm to shoulder height and move it across your body toward your right shoulder.
• Hook your left arm around your right elbow, then gently pull your right arm against your chest to release the left shoulder.
• Pause briefly, then release and switch to your other arm.
• Perform the required number of stretches alternating your arms.

4) Overhead Dynamic Tricep Stretch

Tricep stretch. (Image credits: Pexels/ Andrea Piacquadio)

This arm stretch will target your triceps, deltoids, and latissimus dorsi. Here's how you can do this arm stretch.

• Raise your right arm above your head and bend your elbow, lowering your palm to the middle of your back.
• Place your left hand near your raised elbow and gently push it towards your body and down.
• Feel the stretch in your arms and back, pause, then release.
• Switch sides and repeat the motion for as many reps as you want.

5) Forward Overhead Swing

Overhead swing. (Image credits: Pexels/ Andrea Piacquadio)

Here's how you can perform this arm stretch.

• Stand upright with your arms to your side and your feet about shoulder-width apart.
• Taking a small step forward on your left leg, swing both your arms overhead.
• Stepping back, swing your arms back down.
• Repeat the process while stepping forward with the opposite foot, and alternate back and forth between your feet.
• Repeat for as many reps as required.

6) Wrist Flexion and Extension Drill

Wrist flexion. (Image credits: Pexels/ Andrea Piacquadio)

The wrist flexion and extension drill will allow you to stretch and release the tension in your hands and wrists, a much-used and vital body part. Here's how you can perform this arm stretch:

• Raise your left arm and hold it straight in front of your body at shoulder height, with your palm facing outside.
• With your right hand, gently pull back on your fingers to feel a good stretch in your forearm.
• Pause, then raise your palm upwards so that it is now facing your forearm, and gently pull the fingers back toward you.
• Alternate with the other arm here, then switch sides.

7) Lateral Overhead Reach

Lateral overhead reach. (Image credits: Pexels/ Mart Production)

Here is how you can perform this arm stretch.

• Stand upright with your arms at your sides, feet about shoulder-width apart.
• Take a small step forward, simultaneously crossing your right foot over your left foot.
• Reach overhead with your left arm and stretch your upper body to your right side, keeping your lower body rooted.
• Lower your arm as you return to the starting position.
• Repeat the entire process on the opposite side.

These 7 stretches as arm warm-up exercises combine to stretch most of the muscle groups and greatly reduce injury chances.