6 Insanely Helpful Exercises for Bad Shoulders!
Do you have discomfort when you reach overhead?
Do you feel like you've lost that youthful flexibility around your shoulders?
Is your neck stiff or do you feel like you hold stress and tension around your shoulders?
Looking to improve your posture?
Well I am here to show you that MOVEMENT is your best medicine.
It's time to get your shoulders and neck feeling GREAT!
Today I am going to take you through 5 movements.
These movements are specifically designed to:
Improve flexibility around your shoulders
Decrease pain and stiffness
Naturally lubricate your shoulder joints
Increase blood flow to your shoulders
Drastically improve your posture
Relieve tension and stress
Increase shoulder strength
Get those shoulders feeling GREAT!
Before we get into our 5 movements, there are 3 rules to follow to get the most out of these exercises.
Rule #1: Do these movements daily
To make changes to our shoulders and our posture, we MUST be consistent.
We aren't going to improve much by doing these movements once per week.
They need to be done everyday!
Do you workout regularly? Perfect! Include these movements before each workout.
Do you have a job that causes you to sit a lot? Set a reminder on your phone to get up, take a break, and do these exercises each day.
Rule #2: Exhale
Some of these movements are going to be challenging for you at first. That's okay!
A common mistake we see though is that people tense up and hold their breath to try to get further into their stretch.
This is a BIG no-no as tension causes our shoulders to stiffen up.
We want the exact opposite.
When you feel a stretch or tension in the movement, be very mindful to slowly EXHALE through the end of the movement.
This signals your body to relax and stretch.
You will actually get much more out of the exercises and drastically improve your flexibility and posture, while decreasing pain and stiffness!
Rule #3: Do no harm
If you're someone with limited shoulder flexibility or shoulder pain, please ease into these exercises.
It is crucial for improving your shoulder health to do NO harm with these movements.
If you start an exercise and it causes pain or a pinch, simply ease off the exercise by not going as far into the movement.
Complete each exercise to the degree you can with NO pain.
Over time this will drastically improve with much more pain-free motion.
All we want to feel is a stretch and remember to exhale when you feel that stretch.
Let's get into our exercises!
1| Arm Thread to Sky Bow
Targets: Shoulder flexibility and posture
Key Points:
Start on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees under hips
Take one arm and reach underneath as far as your can
Keep palm up and let your ear drop towards the floor
Exhale as you reach your end point
Come back up, leading with the elbow
Exhale and reach as high as you can, feeling your chest stretch
Think about reaching your finger tips to the ceiling
Start with 5/side
2| Alternating Lateral Reach
Targets: Shoulder flexibility
Key Points:
Start tall with feet directly under hips
Slowly reach one arm high overhead and one arm low across waist
Keep both arms straight throughout
Picture someone is pulling your arms apart as you exhale, side bend and reach
You should feel a nice stretch through your sides
Start with 5/side
3| Overhead Arm Circles
Targets: Shoulder flexibility and strength
Key Points:
Start tall with feet directly under hips
Slowly bring arms overhead
Reach your thumbs as high as you can and picture someone is pulling your arms to the ceiling
Start small, controlled arm circles, making sure the movement comes from your shoulders, not your elbows
Keep your posture tall, head still, and work on slow, deep exhales
Your shoulders should burn a bit from working hard but not cause pain
Start with :15-:20/side
4| Row and Reach
Targets: Shoulder flexibility and strength, as well as improved posture
Key Points:
Start tall with feet directly under hips
Slowly bring arms in front of you to shoulder height
Picture you're squeezing two dumbbells
Inhale as you pull your elbows back and squeeze your shoulder blades together
Keep your shoulders down and away from your ears
Slowly exhale, interlace your fingers and reach long
Feel your shoulder blades spread apart and a nice stretch through your upper-back
Start with 10 reps
5| Alternating Rotational Reach
Targets: Shoulder flexibility and improved posture
Key Points:
Start tall with feet directly under hips
Bring your hands up under your chin and elbows high
Rotate in one direction leading with the elbow and keep hips still
Once you've gotten as far as you can, open the arm and reach
Make sure thumb is up and eyes are on hand
Slowly exhale as you feel your chest stretch
Start with 5 reps/side
6| Lateral Neck Stretch
Targets: Neck flexibility and decreased stiffness
Key Points:
Start tall with feet directly under hips
Bring your palms forward and have your hands by your sides
Think about reaching long through your finger tips as though someone is pulling your arms to the floor
Keep shoulders down away from ears
Slowly exhale as you take your ear towards your shoulder
You should feel a nice neck and upper trap stretch
Start with 5 reps/side