![person with a beard doing upper body stretch at home to ease muscle soreness from 30-day push-up challenge](https://img.livestrong.com/375/cme-data/2/16/2f4306bc0d38453e96946728a989e867.jpg)
The 30-Day Push-Up Challenge helps you perfect your form, discover new variations and build up to doing 60 push-ups in one day. Click here for all the details on the challenge.
Biceps and triceps, high-intensity and recovery, warmup and cooldown: You need opposites for a balanced workout. If you've been doing a bunch of reps for our 30-Day Push-Up Challenge (or doing a lot of upper-body work on your own), you need to stretch the muscles you've been strengthening.
To give your arms, shoulders and/or chest muscles a little relief, below, Maillard Howell, personal trainer, CrossFit level 2 coach and owner of Dean CrossFit in Brooklyn, NY, demonstrates some of the best upper-body stretches you can do to ease muscle soreness after doing daily push-ups.
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1. Wrist Stretch
![1. Wrist Stretch](https://img.livestrong.com/375/cme-data/2/25/2f5fd134ffe1448c8c5d2cea68af3679.jpg)
- Grab the fingers of your right hand with your left hand.
- Extend your right arm straight, palm facing out and fingers pointing down, then gently pull back on your fingers.
- Hold for 15 to 30 seconds.
- Flip your palm to face you.
- Gently pull and hold in this position for another 15 to 30 seconds.
- Repeat on the other wrist.
Tip
You can also do this stretch with your fingers pointing up.
2. Wall Chest Stretch
![2. Wall Chest Stretch](https://img.livestrong.com/375/cme-data/2/25/89f4037639144611a8ef4d63f2e23fd1.jpg)
- Stand about a foot away from a wall, pole or other immovable surface.
- Place your right hand on the wall (or grab the pole) and twist away, keeping your hand in place.
- Keep twisting away from the wall until you feel the stretch through your chest and into your shoulder.
- Hold for 30 seconds.
- Repeat on the other side.
3. Chest and Shoulder Stretch
![3. Chest and Shoulder Stretch](https://img.livestrong.com/375/cme-data/2/25/991a5d7347134d9fa823d3ece9cd8c4d.jpg)
- Grab your hands behind your back.
- Keep your arms straight (but don't lock your elbows) as you lift your hands up until you feel a gentle stretch in your chest and shoulders.
- Play around with the position and height of your hands until you feel the stretch where you feel the soreness.
- Hold for 30 seconds.
4. Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch
![4. Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch](https://img.livestrong.com/375/cme-data/2/25/62b3b0d6e9f84d7d8cb3cb8b09d4bd09.jpg)
- Pull your right arm across your chest and hold it in place with your left hand.
- Use your left hand to gently pull it closer to your chest and further to the left.
- Hold for 30 seconds before switching sides.
5. Triceps Stretch
![5. Triceps Stretch](https://img.livestrong.com/375/cme-data/2/25/73ce0ceeb1de495899210d89cdfa6d2b.jpg)
- Raise your right arm overhead and bend at the elbow so that your right hand touches your back.
- Use your left hand to pull your elbow further to the left so that you feel a stretch in the back of your right upper arm (triceps).
- Hold for 30 seconds before switching sides.
6. Wrist Mobility
![6. Wrist Mobility](https://img.livestrong.com/375/cme-data/2/25/fb285aef60bd4ad6b58477b8c7e90995.jpg)
- Hold your hands out in front of you and roll your wrists in circles that move out to the side.
- Switch to make circles going inward.
- Flex and extend your wrists.
- Keep moving your wrists around in ways that feel good and put them through their full range of motion.
7. Foam Rolling
![7. Foam Rolling](https://img.livestrong.com/375/cme-data/2/25/5b37d4037b0b4bb086e09812fc3dcdbe.jpg)
Though some people may consider the foam roller more of a modern torture device than a recovery tool, as long as you're feeling discomfort and not pain, this humble piece of equipment can help ease muscle soreness and prep you for your next batch of push-ups.
Place the body part where you’re feeling sore — upper back, chest, obliques — on the roller and apply gentle pressure as you roll it out, staying put on any spot that feels particularly tender. (Learn more about proper foam rolling technique here.)