Lift weights? Then Men’s Health Fitness Director B.J. Gaddour wants you to start praying.
In yoga, the prayer stretch is done with your hands on the floor, and it opens up your hips, lower back, and shoulders. But if you place your hands on an elevated surface—like a bench or couch—you’ll feel an even deeper stretch in your lats and triceps, he explains.
Do the stretch a couple times a week, and you’ll begin to see improvement in your overhead range of motion. The better your overhead mobility, the better your performance during movements like the pullup, snatch, military press, shoulder press, push press, and overhead squat, Gaddour says.
Related: THE 21-DAY METASHRED—an All-New Body Transformation Program From the Men’s Health Fitness Director
Plus, it feels really good.
Gaddour demonstrates the elevated prayer in the video above. Sink into the stretch whenever you exhale, and slightly rotate your chest side-to-side to release tightness on both sides.
Perform it for 2 to 5 minutes total. You can do the stretch before or after your workout, or even between sets.
