0:02 This is Brent, President of B2C Fitness, and in this video we're doing our active pec 0:07 stretch. So that's an active stretch that's going to concentrate on 0:10 increasing extensibility of both our pectoralis major, and pectoralis minor. 0:14 I'm going to assume at this point that we've already done our release 0:17 techniques, as well as done static stretching to return this muscle to 0:21 optimal length. Now, active stretching we're going to use to help increase end 0:25 range strength of our functional antagonists, which in this case are going 0:29 to be our mid and lower traps, as well as to start returning optimal or normal 0:36 reciprocal inhibition back to our upper body mechanics. I'm going to have my 0:40 friend, Leanne, come out and help demonstrate this technique. Some of 0:46 you have seen protocols for active stretching, and obviously all we need to 0:49 do is take a muscle to its end range and then try to activate the functional 0:53 antagonists. However, it is often helpful to use gravity to create a little bit 0:59 extra overpressure, a little added force, to our active stretches. In this case, to 1:05 increase the amount of force on Leanne's pecs, I'm going to go ahead and use 1:09 gravity while she's in a supine position to help push a little further. So the 1:14 first position we're going to use here, is I have Leanne on a foam roll. You 1:17 could use a half foam roll, or a yoga mat balled up to help 1:22 elevate her off the ground. This is going to help to position her spine so that we 1:28 get a little bit of thoracic extension. That thoracic extension is going to help 1:31 put our scapula in the place they need to be, which is going to be posteriorly 1:36 tilted. So if we end up in thoracic extension of the scapula, 1:40 a little bit posteriorly tilted, she's then going to take her arms and put them 1:44 back behind her head like this. This is going to further posteriorly tilt her 1:50 scapula, as well as upwardly rotate. Now, if you remember your functional 1:54 anatomy, pectoralis minor does downward rotation and anterior tipping. So already 1:59 at this point I have her at a static pectoralis minor stretch. We know her 2:04 pectoralis major, as well, is on stretch because I am horizontally abducted, as 2:09 well as fully externally rotated in this position. Now, from here, all Leanne has to 2:14 do is squeeze her shoulder blades back together trying to 2:20 get her elbows to the floor. She's going to hold that position for 2 to 5 2:24 seconds, and then she's just going to relax, and she's going to do this anywhere from 2:29 8 to 15 times. Now, there are a couple of variations we could do to this 2:35 stretch. If this did not work for Leanne, I can have Leanne put her hands on the 2:40 floor. So she's in the shape of a big T, or maybe a little bit more like a 2:45 Y, we still want a little bit of elbow above the shoulder, we still want to keep 2:50 her hands up just a little bit to ensure upward rotation of the scapula, but she 2:54 can do the same thing here. All she's going to do is, she's going to retract 2:58 her scapula and try to kind of flatten her forearms against the floor. She's 3:05 going to hold for 2, really try to open up, and she's going to relax. 3:12 Make sure you're drawn-in. Be very careful that when you have them put their 3:19 hands out like this they don't start doing this, that anterior tipping. That's 3:24 a sign that their pectoralis minor is very tight ant heir trying to compensate around it. 3:28 Obviously if that's what we're trying to stretch, we want to ensure that she stays 3:32 down and back in her shoulder blades, posteriorly tipped, we want to ensure that 3:36 she is retracting around this foam roll, and that she is in fact lengthening her 3:41 both pectoralis minor and a major by reaching up, out and down towards the floor. So 3:49 there you guys have it, that is your pec active stretch for both pectoralis minor 3:53 and major. The protocols for active stretching are always the same, it's 3:58 going to be 2 to 5 second holds at end range, contracting those functional 4:02 antagonists, which in this case was mid traps and lower traps, and you're going 4:06 to do 8 to 15 reps, or you're going to continue doing reps until you 4:10 see a little bit of an increase in extensibility. I hope you enjoyed 4:13 this video, I hope you enjoyed the technique. Thank you Leanne, and we'll see you 4:17 again soon.
