Foam Roller Exercises and Stretches for Your Pectoral Muscles that focus on Opening Your Chest

'Man is the sole animal whose nudity offends his own companions, and the only one who, in his natural actions, withdraws and hides himself from his own kind.' ~ Montaigne

The next foam roller exercises that we will learn involve the pectoral muscles. In fact, this foam rolling article is more about stretches to open the chest. The chest is the seat of the heart, and symbolically carries great significance in our lives. I will discuss the body metaphors for the chest as you read on. However, if you desire, scroll down the page to jump straight to the exercise video and yoga stretches.

Hopefully you have first read Foam Rolling for an overview of body rolling on a foam roller. A simple technique for self myofascial release is accomplished by foam roller exercises. Self myofascial release is a great way to keep your muscles supple, elongated and free of stress knots. If you read Foam Rolling, I describe the body-mind-soul benefits of this activity. Foam roller exercises are a great way for Self-Love ~ Caring for Your Body is Caring for Your Soul.

Foam roller exercises help you stretch, elongate and treat your muscles. Athletes rely on the foam roller to roll out muscle knots and get them back into the game. This self myofascial release technique helps you avoid more expensive treatments provided by massage therapists and physical therapists. You can now be your own therapist when you do your foam roller exercises!

The release of muscular tension often brings about emotional release as well, as you learn to focus on the areas of soreness and make the process of the foam roller exercises and stretches more meditative. It is another way for you to learn how to ‘feel it and heal it’ as I like to call it. Emotions do affect our bodies, so please see How Emotions Affect Our Body if you desire to learn more about this very important issue regarding body-mind-soul healing.

If you haven't yet obtained a foam roller, I strongly urge you to consider its benefits. You can purchase one from an array of choices at Power Systems - Foam Rollers. I never, ever leave home without mine. I have used a lot of different types of foam rollers and I am particularly fond of their premium textured EVA foam roller.

The Function and Dysfunction of the Pectoral Muscles

The pectoral muscles are the large muscles of the chest that are most visible. This muscle group is one of the most well-known muscles areas. Most men strive to achieve big, beautiful chest muscles. Men and women alike admire beautifully developed pectoral muscles. The pectoral muscles move the arms in many ways, and are instrumental in the stabilization of the shoulder.

Because of the vanity factor of the pectoral muscles, many men overwork this area and have tight chest muscles. They forget the importance of the body balance and forget about chest stretches to rectify this potential problem. To learn more about the function and anatomy of the pectoral muscles, and how to properly train your chest muscles I recommend reading ’Pecs’, from Charles Inness, Doctor of Physical Therapy, and personal trainer.

Tight chest muscles pull in the shoulders and are a set-up for shoulder injuries. This slumping forward of the shoulders also creates poor posture, a set-up for even more problems in the neck and back. Understanding Your Body and how tight pectoral muscles effect the posture and balance are imperative if you are to have total body health.

Women often have modesty issues surrounding the breast/chest, if their culture teaches them to be embarrassed of their shape. Other women are uncomfortable with their flat chests in cultures that worship the female breast and will slump forward to hide their features. They lack self-love. Yet other women who are large-breasted may slump forward as a result of the physical weight of their breasts.

People who ‘carry the weight of the world on their shoulders’ also have body-mind-soul issues and slump forward. If you have the ‘humpback’ due to stress and the weight of the world, your chest muscles may also tighten and pull you forward. This also pulls the head and neck forward. This is the classic forward neck position I discuss in Understanding Your Body ~ What Your Posture Says about You. All of the body is inter-related and one small problem like tight chest muscles can lead to a cascade of additional problems.

No matter how your pectoral muscles become shortened, tight and overly-contracted, it is up to you to do exercise stretches to open the chest. This article is intended to help you, so read on.

Meditate on the Meaning of the Chest/Breast and Pectoral Muscles in Your Life

The body metaphor (See Developing Intuition by Using Your Body) for the chest, breast, or pecs centers around Love or most often the lack of Love. It’s not so hard to understand, seeing that the heart is in the center of the chest. In our culture, the word ‘heart’ is synonymous with ‘love.’

There is no other body part for which we use more symbols and metaphors, than the heart. We have a ‘heartache,’ suffer from ‘broken hearts,’ ‘eat our hearts out,’ have a ‘heart of stone,’ are ‘lion-hearted,’ have ‘hearts bursting with happiness’ and ‘know things by heart.’ When you have a heartache, you actually feel a physical aching in your chest, don’t you? This is your Body Window speaking to you of your true, inner state.

If you love yourself too much, you ‘puff-up’ your chest in vanity. In this case, your heart is closed to true self-love. It is actually love turned inward, a closed love that does not flow out to the Universe. It is love that only moves in an inward direction, towards the self.

Or you may not love yourself enough and display a false sense of vanity by puffing up your chest. It is a forced, outwardly moving love, that does not allow one's self to receive Love!

If Love is given and received and flows in both directions, the chest is open, the shoulders neutral, not too far forward or back.

Your self-love may be insufficient, due to poor self-esteem or poor self-image and you slump forward, in an attempt to protect yourself from more hurt. Because you believe you are unworthy of Love, you close your chest and close yourself to Love. You may have this belief because love brought you pain, you were abused, or you were never given sufficient, caring and nuturing love.

You may unconsciously close yourself to love, or ‘close your heart’ when you cross your arms across your chest. You may be closing yourself to others and their input as you cross your arms across your chest in defiance.

The pectoral muscles are often accessory muscles of breathing, so a guarded chest may be closed to deep breathing and the relaxation response that entails. The slumped forward chest and shoulders also put pressure on the diaphragm, further reducing the ability to deep breathe. This is significant because when we close our hearts/chests to love we close them to the very essence of life, the breath. We also close ourselves to God because God is Love.

Create Positive Affirmations for Health if you have problems with accepting Love or giving Love, or if you sense you need more Love. Say things like:

• 'I am open to Love.'
• 'God/the Universe surrounds me with Love.'
• 'I deserve to be loved.' and "I am loved.'
• 'I accept Love.'
• 'I choose Love.'
• 'I choose to surround myself with Love.'
• 'I have Joy and Love in my life.'
• 'I am Love.'

When you learn to do stretches to open the chest, you can learn to open your heart as well. When you do your foam roller exercises to open your chest, meditate on opening your heart as well, to all the warmest and most nurturing Love that God/the Universe has to give you. Love is free ~ it is there for the asking. Through Grace we can have Love if we ask for it. Enter the chest stretches with a meditative, open and receiving heart. It will bring you healing of your body-mind-soul!

Personalize and Adjust the Foam Roller Exercises

As with all foam roller exercises you can adjust the amount of time you spend on each area. As you roll, stay as long as you like in one position, if your left side is tighter than your right side. Just make sure you do both sides equally to maintain your balance.

Really notice your body and how it feels when you do the foam roller exercises for the pectoral muscles and the chest stretches. Open you heart to the message your chest area brings.

B-r-e-a-t-h-e as you sink into the sore spot. If it is too painful that you cannot breathe, ease up on the stretch or pressure. The deep breathing is the signal to your body that you are in the relaxed state and eventually the muscle will release as long as you are able to deep breathe. Feel the pull and the chest stretch as you sink into it. Breathe more deeply as you sink farther into the stretch. Let go. Let the tension go, let the stress go and let the muscle release. When the muscle releases, so may your emotions and your need to guard your heart. Let go of your need to close your heart. Open your heart instead to Love. Let Love flow in as your stretch to open your chest and open your heart.

First I will give you a brief description of the movement in writing for those of you who function best with your left, detail-oriented brain.

Second is a short video of the movement. There is no voice-over on the video, so as you watch, I will force you to use your right brain, the sensing, feeling part of your brain. The right brain perceives images and spatial relationships. It is the part of the brain that you most often close down, in our left-brain, detail and language-oriented culture. (See Improving Your Body Balance is Improving Your Life Balance for more explanation of right brain vs. left-brain functions). No voice-over will also aid you in going inward when you do your foam roller exercises.

Feel free to vary the exercise in any way as your intuition moves you!

Foam Roller Exercises to Open the Chest:

• Warm up first with 10 minutes of aerobic activity, or sitting in a hot tub. This is especially important if you are starting your foam roller exercises first thing in the morning.
• For the first exercise, you will need a 36-inch foam roller.
• With the foam roller lengthwise lie down on the foam roller, supporting your entire spine on the foam roller, from your head to your hips.
• Place your arms out to each side for balance, and your legs bent and feet on the floor.
• Slowly roll your entire body from side to side, toward each arm.
• Do not twist your spine, but roll your entire body in one unit, like a log.
• Your head should move in the opposite direction as your body.
• Hold the roll to each side and feel the pull in your pectoral muscles.
• For the second exercise, a smaller 18" roller will be easier to manage.
• Use any table (not just a massage table as depicted) to roll on. You can even sit down next to your table, if it is easier and more comfortable for you.
• Place the foam roller at an angle, so that the roller lands just inside your shoulder joint, on the head of your pectoral muscle.
• Men can roll down the pectoral muscle farther than I have depicted! Women, only make very small movements, avoiding breast tissue. If you wish, just hold the pressure on this spot, without any movements at all.
• For the third exercise, this is exactly the same as the second, only done on the floor.
• Do the third exercise if it is more comfortable for you than using a table. This might be easier to manage and you can apply more pressure, more easily using more of your body weight, if you need a deeper stretch.

You may also continue your stretch to open your chest by doing these Yoga Poses. Hold the poses for as long as you desire as you sink into the stretch. Feel the pull and feel the release. Meditate on opening your heart and receiving Love when you do the Bow Pose, the Camel Pose or the Modified Camel Pose:

Two more yoga poses to assist you in opening your chest are the Cow Face Pose and the Modified Pigeon Pose.

Foam roller exercises and exercise stretches are a great way to stretch your body and 'stretch your mind’ and heal your body-mind-soul. It is the metaphor of creating space in your life, by creating space in your body! Make these exercises a part of your intuitive movement to create health and healing of your body-mind-soul!

May your path to self-discovery be enhanced by these foam roller exercises and chest stretches and may your journey towards body-mind-soul healing through self myofascial release begin!

Foam Roller Exercises for the Lower Body and Lower Back:

• Lower Back (Lumbar Spine).
• Hip Muscles that Focus on Opening Your Hip.
• Iliopsoas (Hip Flexors).
• Piriformis and Gluteus Muscles (Hip Muscles).
• Iliotibial Band (IT Band) and Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) Muscles (Side of the Thigh).
• Adductor Muscles (Groin Muscles of the Inner Thigh).
• Hamstring Muscles and Quadriceps Muscles (Thigh Muscles).
• Gastrocnemius Muscles (Calves) and Anterior Tibialis Muscles (Shins).

Foam Roller Exercises for the Upper Body and Upper Back:

• Upper Back (Thoracic Spine).
• Shoulder Muscles that Focus on Opening the Shoulder.
• Trapezius Muscles.
• Latissimus Dorsi (Muscles in the Side and Back).
• Upper Arms ~ Biceps and Triceps.
• Forearms ~ Brachioradialis, Wrist Flexors and Extensors.

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