This is a great stretch for the triceps (back of the upper arm).  Place your hand up and in the middle of your shoulder blades.  Now grab the elbow with your other hand and pull it back slowly.  You can also bend to the side to stretch your lat.

Swimming is a great all around exercise because it utilizes every part of your body.  There are many swimming strokes that you can use including the freestyle, back stroke, breast stroke, combat swimming stroke, side stroke, butterfly stroke, etc.

All Marines must be proficient swimmers.

Stretching increases your flexibility and can help prevent injuries. By not stretching, you will be opening yourself up to possible injuries that could have been avoided with a few simple warm-ups and stretches.

It’s important to note that you should never stretch “cold” muscles. Always warm your muscles up before you stretch by running in place, doing side straddle hope, jumping rope, etc.

Begin this exercise with your hands on your hips and your feet about shoulder width apart. Your feet should be pointing slightly outward.

Now go down into a squatting position without going too far. Your knees should not go out past your toes and your legs should be about 90 degrees to the ground and no less.

Going further could injure your knees. Now push yourself back up to the starting position and you have just completed one squat.

Count 1 – lower yourself into the squat position.
Count 2 – thrust your legs straight back.
Count 3 – pull your legs back into the squat position.
Count 4 – raise yourself back up to attention.

You have just performed one squat thrust.

You will begin the exercise in the squatting position with your hands on your hips.

Your legs should be about shoulder width apart with your toes pointed outward.

From this position, propel yourself upward as hard and as fast as you can. Once you land, repeat.

Proper position and technique

Simply hold your arms straight out to your side as shown in the picuture.

Now rotate your arms in small circles for a set number of reps or time.

Tips

Start out slowly
Don’t overdo it at the beginning! If you’re a beginner, only do what you feel comfortable doing and build on that.

Relax your upper body
Many people run with their fists clinched and their arms stiff. Your arms and hands should be limp as you run so that you are not using much needed oxygenated blood.

Breathe properly
You should take deep breaths as you run in order to get as much oxygen as possible into your blood. It is also helpful to establish a rhythm with your inhale and exhale.

Make sure your feet hit the ground properly
You should always land on the heel of your foot and then roll through and push off with your toes.