Chest · Bodyweight
Dynamic Chest Opener
How to do the dynamic chest opener, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Timed hold
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Mobility
How to do it
Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and extend your arms out to your sides at shoulder height. Gently swing your arms forward, crossing them in front of your chest, then open them back out wide, squeezing your shoulder blades together to stretch your chest. Continue this forward and back motion in a smooth, controlled manner for the specified reps. Keep your posture upright and avoid bouncing.
- 1Feel the stretch across your chest and shoulders as you open your arms wide
- 2Engage your scapular stabilizers to control the swinging motion
- 3Breathe into the stretch and gradually increase the range as you warm up
Common mistakes
- Avoid snapping or jerking your arms; keep the movement smooth
- Don't arch your back excessively; maintain a neutral spine
- Avoid letting your shoulders creep up toward your ears
Muscles worked
The dynamic chest opener mainly works the mid chest and upper chest, with the triceps, lower chest, and front delts assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- Upper ChestPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
Kovo programs the dynamic chest opener for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed April 2026.