As THON’s 592 dancers continue their 46-hour journeys, they’re advised to stay stretched and loose through a number of moves and stretches about every 30 minutes. THON’s line dance helps with that, too.

Although I am not a THON dancer, I thought I’d wake up with a good morning stretch and test my limited flexibility so I can dish out my takes on the THON stretches. Here we go!

Shoulder Stretch

Bring your right arm across your chest and bend your left arm over your straightened right arm. Make sure your fingers are pointing up like you’re pointing at the ceiling of the Bryce Jordan Center. Roll your shoulders back to keep your chest open. Repeat with opposite arms.

This was a good stretch — not too strenuous but enough to loosen up the shoulders. And admittedly, while I was trying to learn the line dance, I couldn’t figure out how to do this move for the life of me.

Triceps Stretch

Reach both arms up towards the sky, keeping your arms parallel. Bend one arm over your head and press down on your elbow with your other arm. Try to roll your shoulders back as much as possible. Hold the stretch for 10-15 seconds and repeat with your other arm.

The triceps stretch is my go-to stretch whenever I feel like I need to loosen up. It’s a great stretch for dancers, but it’s also is amazing for when you’ve been sitting all day on Zoom calls.

Side Stretch

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, keeping a slight bend in your knees. Reach one arm up to the sky, exhale, and lean your arm over the midline of your body to stretch the side of your body. Hold for 10-15 seconds and repeat on the other side.

I look like a banana. I feel like a banana. I am a banana. This is a great stretch surface level, but it makes it even better that the stretch turns you into a banana. I think the THON spectator guide could’ve explained the stretch a little bit better, though.

Chest Stretch — Shoulders Back

Reach both arms behind your back and interlock your fingers. As you exhale, press your palms further behind you and push your chest forward. Hold for 10-15 seconds.

The shoulders-back chest stretch hit. It got the job done. I have nothing more to say about this one.

Chest Stretch – Wide

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees slightly. Make a field goal with your arms bent at a 90-degree angle. Exhale and press your arms back.

I will say this chest stretch wasn’t as satisfying as the last one, but it did make me feel like I needed to break out the MC Hammer “Can’t Touch This” shuffle.

Upper Back Stretch

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees. Interlace your fingers and reach your arms out in front of you to make an “O” shape parallel to the floor. Round out your back, exhale, and hold for 10-15 seconds.

Maybe I was doing this last one wrong, but it just felt awkward. I guess I just need to work on my form.

---

To the THON dancers, I hope my comprehensive stretch reporting is valuable and can enhance your stretching experiences. Keep on dancing, City of THON!