Exercise Profile
- Target Muscle Group
- Exercise TypeWarmup
- Equipment RequiredBodyweight
- MechanicsCompound
- Force TypeDynamic Stretching
- Experience LevelBeginner
- Secondary Muscles
Shoulders, Upper Back
Target Muscle Group
Chest
Cross Body Arm Swings Overview
The cross body arm swing drill is a dynamic stretching exercise and mobility drill used to warm up the muscles of the chest and shoulders.
This is one of the more common warm up drills you’ll see lifters do at the gym, especially before a chest workout.
The exercise both stretches and activates the chest as you go through the range of motion. It can also warm up the deltoids, which is necessary on any day you plan to perform a lot of heavy pressing exercises.
Cross Body Arm Swings Instructions
- In an upright position, reach forward with your arms.
- Swing your arms open and allow your shoulder blades to retract while getting a stretch in your pecs.
- When the arms are fully stretched, return to the starting position by flexing the pecs and allow the arms to cross.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Cross Body Arm Swings Tips
- Alternate which arm is on top with each rep to help promote a symmetrical stretch.
- These can be performed dynamically once you have some blood flow in the muscle or you can incorporate slower versions to work on positional awareness.
- To improve the stretch even further, allow the palms to rotate open (supinate) as the arms open. Let the palms follow the arms - open (supinated)/close (pronate).
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