Daily Shoulder Mobility Routine–6 Shoulder Stretches to Help You Loosen Your Tight Shoulders
The following routine is made up of 6 shoulder stretches, some of which you may have seen before, but all of which work together to address the most common issues we’ve seen in clients.
Work through these slowly and do not move into any painful positions. Stay within a range that is comfortable for you. If you would like to try a FREE WEEK of Tulsa's Best CrossFit gyms, reserve your first day here. At Okie CrossFit, we take mobility seriously. We warm up and cool down as a group, offer video led mobility daily through our App, and even offer Yoga classes on Sundays. #getbendy
1. Quadruped Shoulder Circles
You’ve probably done standard shoulder circles before from a standing position. The benefit of doing these on your hands and knees is the floor gives you some feedback so you can adjust the pressure easily.
- Start on your hands and knees with your knees just beneath your hips and your hands just beneath your shoulders.
- Press into the ground and keep your elbows straight as you shrug your shoulders up toward your ears, back toward your hips, down away from your ears, and then forward toward your head, creating a nice circle.
- Do these circles in both directions, and then you can try doing the circles with alternating shoulders.
Do 5 circles in each direction with both shoulders, then do 5 in each direction with one shoulder at a time.
2. L-Arm Stretch
This is one of my favorite stretches because it’s very effective at stretching the rotator cuff and the back of the shoulder. It can feel a bit awkward at first, but just play around with finding a position that feels relatively comfortable for you.
- Start by lying on your stomach with one arm by your side. Stretch your other arm across your chest with your palm facing up and without letting your shoulder shrug up toward your ear too much.
- Use your shoulder muscles to pull your chest down toward the floor, creating a nice stretch in the shoulder capsule.
- Move in and out of the stretched position, and then hold the stretch.
Once you find a comfortable position, move in and out of the stretch 10 times, then hold for 30 seconds. Repeat this sequence a total of three times.
3. Prone Bent Arm Chest Stretch
Here’s a stretch that targets the chest and front of the shoulder. You’ll work on one side at a time with this one.
- Start in a prone position (on your stomach) with one hand on the floor and your elbow bent.
- Shift your weight toward your hand to feel a stretch in your chest.
- Move in and out of the stretched position, and then hold the stretch.
Once you find a comfortable position, move in and out of the stretch 10 times, then hold for 30 seconds. Repeat this sequence a total of three times.
4. Tall Kneeling Arm Raises
This one engages the hips as well as the shoulders, and will really help with opening up your tight shoulder muscles.
- Start in a kneeling position (also called “seiza”), sitting with your feet under your butt.
- Lift your hips as you raise your arms straight up overhead.
- At the top, you will be in a “tall kneeling” position with your arms straight up. Make sure to really open up the shoulders in that top position, but don’t arch the back.
Move in and out of this shoulder stretch 5 times and then hold for 15-30 seconds.
5. Tall Kneeling Arm Raise to the Side
This stretch starts in the same position as the last one, but you’ll feel this one more in the lats and the back of the shoulder.
- Begin in the same tall kneeling position, where you have your feet under your butt and then you drive your hips forward until you are kneeling on your shins.
- Now, instead of reaching straight up overhead, keep one arm down by your side and reach the other arm up and over to the opposite side.
- Really focus on reaching through the shoulder so you feel a nice stretch through your lats and back of the shoulder.
Move in and out of the shoulder stretch 5 times and then hold for 15-30 seconds. Repeat on the opposite side.
6. Clasped Hands Extension
The last stretch in this sequence will help you work on shoulder extension, combating that rounded posture so many of us find ourselves in.
- Start in a seated position. In the video, you’ll see that Jeff is sitting cross legged, but sit however feels comfortable for you. If sitting on the floor is uncomfortable, you can sit on a chair or bench as long as it does not have a back.
- Clasp your hands behind your back and straighten your elbows. Sit up with a tall posture as you pull your arms up and back. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together as you move into the stretch.
Move in and out of the stretch 5 times and then hold for 15-30 seconds.
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