HOW: The goal of this exercise is to use your opposite arm as much as possible to facilitate improving the desired motion. Hold onto a stick or something light that is long enough to hold in both hands. You will use an alternative grip meaning one palm up and one palm down. For example, if you’re focusing on the right shoulder, have the left palm down and right palm up. Using your left arm, drive your right arm straight forward moving into an overhead position as far as you feel comfortable with. Slowly lower down and repeat, as you perform more reps you may increase your range of motion.

FEEL: In this example, you should feel your left arm doing most of the work and your right arm going for a ride. You should feel your right arm moving directly in front of you into an overhead position as if you were raising your hand. You may feel a stretch under your shoulder and around the shoulder blade.

COMPENSATION: Do not lean side-to-side or backwards with your upper body. Do not shrug your shoulder. Try to not let your elbow bend if possible.

HOW: The goal of this exercise is to use your opposite arm as much as possible to facilitate improving the desired motion. Hold onto a stick or something light that is long enough to hold in both hands. You will use an alternative grip meaning one palm up and one palm down. For example, if you’re focusing on the right shoulder, have the left palm down and right palm up. Using your left arm, drive your right arm out to the side and overhead into shoulder abduction as far as you feel comfortable with. Slowly lower down and repeat, as you perform more reps you may increase your range of motion.

FEEL: In this example, you should feel your left arm doing most of the work and your right arm going for a ride. You should feel your right arm moving into an overhead position similar to a jumping jack motion. You may feel a stretch around your right shoulder and shoulder blade.

COMPENSATION: Do not lean side-to-side or backwards with your upper body. Do not shrug your shoulder. Try to not let your elbow bend if possible.

HOW: Get set-up standing in front of a wall with your arms supported on a foam roller that is also supported on the wall. With your thumbs facing towards you and putting pressure into the wall through the foam roller so that it doesn’t drop, roll the foam roller up the wall into your arms are fully overhead. As your arms move overhead, let your chest move closer towards the wall. Return to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel your shoulder and shoulder blade muscles working with this exercise. You may feel a stretch behind and below your shoulders and in between your shoulder blades at the top of the movement.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not arch your lower back to get your arms overhead, do not lose pressure into the foam roller.

HOW: Anchor a resistance band about wrist height onto a stable surface. Keep your hand directly in front of you, then walk out as far as you feel comfortable to create tension on the band. Keep your shoulder blade pulled back while performing this.

 

FEEL: You will feel muscles on the front of the shoulder work with this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid moving the arm with this exercise, this is designed to be an isometric exercise.

HOW: Anchor a resistance band about wrist height onto a stable surface. Keep your hand directly in front of you, then walk out as far as you feel comfortable to create tension on the band. Keep your shoulder blade pulled back while performing this. I keep a towel under my elbow for comfort.

 

FEEL: You will feel muscles on the back of the shoulder work with this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid moving the arm with this exercise, this is designed to be an isometric exercise.

HOW:  Get set up in a hook lying position as shown in the video with a band around your back under your arms, then crisscross the band in front of you and hold the ends of the band in each hand. While keeping your low back flat into the ground, lift one arm up overhead while keeping the band secure with the other arm, elbow at side. As you punch one arm overhead, allow the shoulder blade to also help guide this motion. Slowly return to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL:  You should feel your shoulder and shoulder blade muscles working in this exercise. You should feel your shoulder blades moving away from one another and ‘wrapping’ around your body towards your armpits.

 

COMPENSATION:  Do not simply punch up to the ceiling, also reach overhead with this exercise.

HOW: Begin the exercise by positioning yourself on your hands and knees in a quadruped position, shoulders stacked over hands and hips over knees. Perform a chin tuck and maintain that head/neck position the entire time. Then perform a push-up plus by keeping your elbows straight and pushing into the ground – separating your shoulder blades from one another and moving your chest away from the ground. Reverse the motion by letting your shoulder blades come together and your chest drop towards the ground. Repeat

 

FEEL: This should feel like a coordination exercise as you’re focused on maintaining head and neck position while simultaneously moving your shoulder blades. You may feel a gentle stretch from the bottom of your neck to the base of your skull. You may also feel your neck muscles working to maintain head position.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not move the rest of your body. Do not lose head/neck position as it should be parallel to the ground. Keep your elbows straight, just move from your shoulder blades.

HOW: Grab a band and put tension on the band by pushing your hands apart. Keep that tension that entire time. Now go to a wall and slowly walk one hand up the wall at a time. Then go down. Repeat. FEEL: You should feel the muscles in the outside and back fo the shoulder working. COMPENSATION: Don’t lose tension on the band! Keep tension on the band the whole time.

HOW: Begin this exercise upright with the resistance band anchored at about shoulder height. Hold each end of a band with the desired resistance, then perform a Row by bringing your elbows back. Allow your elbows to bend as you perform a row, your forearm should be in line with the resistance band. Focus on initiating this motion with your shoulder blade then allow your arm to follow. If unsure what initiating with the shoulder blade means, simply pinch your shoulder blades together as you go through this motion.

 

FEEL: You should feel the back of the shoulders working with this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid arching the back and shrugging the shoulders as you perform this exercise.

HOW: Get a band set-up under your feet while you’re in a standing position holding the ends of the band in each hand. While keeping your elbows straight, staying strong in your shoulder blades, and thumbs pointing up, raise your arms to head height while forming a wide ‘V’ shape with your arms. Slowly lower down to starting position and repeat

FEEL: You should feel the outside muscles of your shoulder and shoulder blade muscles working in this exercises. It is ok to feel a deep muscle burn as your muscles begin to fatigue.

COMPENSATION: Do not shrug your shoulders, do not lean or arch backwards, do not bend your elbows. It is important to keep your shoulders and shoulder blades strong and in position throughout this exercise.

HOW: In a side-lying position place the arm facing the ceiling slightly abducted, this can be done using a pillow or towel. Now focus on purely rotating the shoulder from the hand near the stomach all the way out to where the hand is reaching towards the back will. This motion should be initiated with the shoulder blade being pulled back followed by the arm pulling back. To make this exercise more challenging, you can add a resistance band or a dumbbell. FEEL: The muscles in the back of the shoulder should be working here. COMPENSATIONS: Avoiding stabilizing at the scapula first. Many will compensate with straightening their elbow as they rotate out, keep the elbow bent to about 90 degrees for this entire exercise.

HOW: Get set-up laying on your side with your hips and knees slightly bent, you can use a pillow for head and neck support. You can rest your arm on your side before starting, the goal with this exercise is to try and keep your arm parallel to the ground. To start, point your thumb so that it is facing forward and slightly up towards the ceiling, maintain this position with a straight elbow, then lift your arm up into an overhead position that you feel comfortable with. Slowly lower down and repeat. Perform on both sides, you can use a light dumbbell once the weight of your arm is no longer challenging.

FEEL: You should feel the muscles on the outside and behind your shoulder working as well as your shoulder blade muscles.

COMPENSATION: Do nut shrug your shoulder, do not let your arm and hand rotate inward, do not rotate your body. Do not lose the plane of motion with this exercise, focus on keeping your arm parallel to the ground as best as you can.

HOW: Stand up tall with a weight in both hands. Keep your shoulder blades pulled slightly back, head erect towards the ceiling, and shift your weight forward towards your toes. Take slow, controlled, and quiet steps one at a time. Your heels should never contact the floor.

 

FEEL: You will feel the shoulder blades and calves working with this exercise.