How is this different from the Single-Arm Wall Chest Stretch?

The setup is almost the same, but the hand goes somewhere else. In the Single-Arm Wall Chest Stretch the hand sits level with the shoulder and the stretch lands across the chest, while here the hand sits just behind the line of your body and a little lower, so the stretch moves into the front of the upper arm. If you feel it mostly in your chest, lower the hand a few inches before you turn any further.

Does turning the hand change the stretch?

A little. A study of 15 healthy young men that measured biceps stiffness with ultrasound, always with the elbow straight and the palm turned down, found both heads of the biceps stretched most with the arm taken back and turned outward, or taken out to the side and back and turned inward, with the long head favoring the first and the short head the second. On the wall, rolling the thumb from pointing up toward pointing down turns the arm inward, so trying both is a simple way to find where you are tightest.

How long should I hold each arm?

Hold 20 to 30 seconds and repeat two to four times, so each arm gets about 60 seconds in total. Older adults often do better with longer holds of 30 to 60 seconds.

Will stretching after curls stop my biceps from getting sore?

Not reliably. Stretching after hard arm training can feel good and help the elbow straighten more comfortably, but it does little to prevent the soreness that builds over the next day or two.

Wall Biceps Stretch

What Is the Wall Biceps Stretch?

Wall Biceps Stretch is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the biceps, lengthening the biceps brachii and brachialis along with the front of the shoulder. It is a beginner-level movement that needs nothing more than a wall, works one arm at a time, and holds the arm straight behind the body with the palm resting on the wall.

The biceps crosses both the elbow and the shoulder, so it stretches most when the elbow is straight and the arm is taken back behind the body at the same time. The wall fixes the hand in place, and turning the chest away from it draws the arm further back without any load. The stretch is felt along the front of the upper arm and into the crease of the elbow, and often a little at the front of the shoulder and the inside of the forearm.

The setup looks almost the same as the Single-Arm Wall Chest Stretch, and the difference is where the hand goes. In the chest stretch the hand sits level with the shoulder, out to the side, and the stretch lands across the chest. Here the hand sits just behind the line of the body and a little below shoulder height, which moves the stretch out of the chest and into the biceps. If you feel it mostly across your chest, the hand is too high or too far forward.

It suits lifters who do a lot of curling and pulling work, and anyone whose elbows feel stiff to straighten after arm training. It fits well in a cool-down after arm or back training or in a short mobility break during the day. Holds of 20 to 30 seconds, repeated so each arm gets about 60 seconds in total, are a sound target for most adults.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Biceps Brachii: Primary
Brachialis: High
Brachioradialis: Medium
Deltoid: Medium
Pectoralis Major: Medium
Flexor Carpi Radialis: Low
Flexor Carpi Ulnaris: Low

Instructions

Stand side-on to a wall, about an arm's length away, with the arm you want to stretch nearest the wall. Step the foot nearest the wall half a step forward and keep both knees soft.
Reach that arm straight back so the hand sits just behind the line of your body, a little below shoulder height.
Place your palm flat on the wall with your thumb pointing up and your fingers pointing behind you.
Rest your other hand on your hip.
Keep the elbow straight without pressing it into a hard lockout, the shoulder down away from your ear, and the chest tall.
Slowly turn your chest and head away from the wall until you feel a stretch along the front of your upper arm and into the elbow crease. Turn your ribs and hips together rather than twisting from the lower back.
Hold a mild to moderate stretch for 20 to 30 seconds, breathing slowly. If you feel it mostly across your chest, lower the hand a little instead of turning further, and if your hand tingles, bend the elbow slightly.
Turn back to face forward to release, then repeat with the other arm.

Common Mistakes

Placing the hand at shoulder height
With the hand level with the shoulder and beside it, the stretch moves into the chest, so set it just behind your body and a little lower.
Bending the elbow
A bent elbow puts slack back into the biceps and the stretch along the front of the upper arm disappears.
Forcing the elbow past straight
Pressing a straight elbow into a hard lockout loads the elbow joint instead of stretching the muscle.
Shrugging or rolling the shoulder forward
When the shoulder lifts or drifts toward the wall, the front of the joint takes the stretch instead of the biceps.
Turning too far
Twisting hard through the lower back or turning past a mild to moderate stretch strains the shoulder without stretching the biceps any further.
Ignoring tingling in the hand
Tingling or numbness means the arm's nerves are being stretched, so bend the elbow slightly, lower the hand or turn less.

Injuries

Wall Biceps Stretch is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. There is no load, and you set the range by how far you turn, so most problems come from forcing the turn, pushing the elbow hard into a lockout or letting the shoulder slip out of position.

The front of the shoulder takes the strain when the shoulder rolls forward toward the wall or the hand starts too far behind the body. The long biceps tendon runs over the front of the shoulder, so a sore or irritated tendon there can flare in this position. Place the hand only just behind the line of your body, keep the shoulder down and drawn gently back, and turn only until you feel a mild to moderate stretch. Anyone with a history of shoulder dislocation or ongoing pain at the front of the shoulder should keep the turn small or check with a clinician first. If your elbows naturally bend backward past straight, stop at straight rather than pressing the joint further.

With the arm out from the side, the elbow straight and the wrist bent back against the wall, the stretch also tensions the nerves running down the arm. Tingling, numbness or burning in the hand means the nerve rather than the muscle is being stretched: bend the elbow slightly, lower the hand or turn less, and keep your head level rather than tilting it away from the wall. To make the stretch easier, keep a slight bend in the elbow and a smaller turn. To progress, hold longer or roll the thumb slightly downward over a few weeks, never by bouncing.

Stop if you feel sharp or pinching pain at the front of the shoulder or the elbow, or if tingling or numbness lingers after you release the stretch, and have it checked if it keeps happening.

Overview

Primary Focus: Biceps
Equipment: Body weight
Modality: Stretching
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is this different from the Single-Arm Wall Chest Stretch?: The setup is almost the same, but the hand goes somewhere else. In the Single-Arm Wall Chest Stretch the hand sits level with the shoulder and the stretch lands across the chest, while here the hand sits just behind the line of your body and a little lower, so the stretch moves into the front of the upper arm. If you feel it mostly in your chest, lower the hand a few inches before you turn any further.
Q: Does turning the hand change the stretch?: A little. A study of 15 healthy young men that measured biceps stiffness with ultrasound, always with the elbow straight and the palm turned down, found both heads of the biceps stretched most with the arm taken back and turned outward, or taken out to the side and back and turned inward, with the long head favoring the first and the short head the second. On the wall, rolling the thumb from pointing up toward pointing down turns the arm inward, so trying both is a simple way to find where you are tightest.
Q: Should my elbow be locked straight?: Keep it straight, but do not press it into a hard lockout. If your elbows naturally bend backward past straight, stop at straight, and if the hand tingles, a slight bend is fine.
Q: How long should I hold each arm?: Hold 20 to 30 seconds and repeat two to four times, so each arm gets about 60 seconds in total. Older adults often do better with longer holds of 30 to 60 seconds.
Q: Will stretching after curls stop my biceps from getting sore?: Not reliably. Stretching after hard arm training can feel good and help the elbow straighten more comfortably, but it does little to prevent the soreness that builds over the next day or two.