Rotator Cuff Stretches
How to do the best rotator cuff stretches to decrease shoulder pain, fast! Simple at-home mobility stretching exercises to improve flexibility and increase your bench press!
Your shoulder is the most moveable joint in the body and without proper Rotator Cuff Strength and Mobility, you will likely feel pain almost every time you work your shoulders; such as during the Bench Press and Military Press.
To fix your shoulder pain forever simply learn how to move properly and keep your rotator cuff healthy with these exercises. Working on your shoulder mobility is also essential if you enjoy sports like golf or basketball.
How To Strengthen Your Rotator Cuff Muscles!
Shoulder Flexion Stretch
Purpose:
- Improve Shoulder and Elbow Flexion
Focus:
- Shoulder Flexion (Latimus Dorsi, Triceps Brachii)
- While standing erect, grasp a stable structure or band anchored at shoulder height or higher.
- Turn away and fully extend your arm holding the object with no tension on it.
- Begin to walk away while allowing your shoulder and elbow to flex.
- Move away while maintaining a vertical torso until your shoulder is fully flexed.
- Maintain this tension and move into different positions, finding tight areas.
- To increase the stretch, move farther away, lean forward, rotate inward or extend your elbow.
Shoulder Girdle Extension Stretch
Purpose:
- Improve Shoulder Integrity
- Improve Shoulder Extension and External Rotation
Focus:
- Shoulder Extension (Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, Coracobrachialis)
- Externally rotate your arms so that your shoulders are pulled back together and your palms face forward.
- Extend both arms behind you, grabbing a stable object to stretch on; this could be a bar, handles on a rope or even a countertop.
- While standing upright and keeping your shoulders pulled back, step forward until you feel a stretch in your shoulder.
- Make sure that your shoulders are pulled back into the socket and do not roll forward as you stretch.
- Breathe deep and relax into the stretch as you try to extend your arms further while standing upright.
Triple Bully Rotator Cuff Stretch
Purpose:
- Improve Shoulder Extension
- Improve Shoulder Internal Rotation
- Improve Shoulder Integrity
Focus:
- Shoulder Internal Rotation (Infraspinatus, Teres Minor)
- Shoulder Extension (Anterior Deltoid)
- To start the Triple Bully Rotator Cuff Stretch, place your hand in the middle of your lower back with your palm facing away.
- Keep your shoulder pulled back throughout the stretch.
- In this position, grab a stable object or wrap a band around your wrist.
- Step away from your hand until you feel a stretch in your shoulder.
- From here you can rotate away, step farther from your hand, drop your hips lower or raise the band attachment to increase the stretch.
- Move around in this stretched position to find the most effective position for your needs.
- Be sure to keep your shoulder pulled back so that it does not rotate forward in the socket and improve bad positioning.
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Hip Adductor Stretches
How to do the best hip adductor stretches to decrease knee and hip pain, fast! Simple at-home mobility stretching exercises to improve flexibility! Open your tight hips to prevent knee caving during wide stance Squats and Sumo Deadlifts!
Wall Splits
Purpose:
- Improve Hip Abduction
- Improve Hip External Rotation
Focus:
- Hip Abduction (Adductors/ Inner Thigh Muscles)
- Lay on one side with your hips flexed 90 degrees and legs extended, close to a wall.
- Scoot yourself up towards the wall so that you are sitting against it sideways.
- Raising your legs, rotate so that you are sitting against the wall with your legs directly over your hips and back pressed into the floor.
- While keeping your back pressed into the ground and legs fully extended, allow them to slide down the wall in opposing directions until you feel a stretch in your inner thighs.
- Relax into this position, allowing your legs to fall as far as they can.
- To increase the stretch, flex your glutes to abduct your legs further or use contract and relax techniques.
Wall Squat Hip Stretch
Purpose:
- Improve Squat Mobility
- Improve Hip Flexion
- Improve Leg Abduction
Focus:
- Hip Flexion (Upper Hamstrings)
- Lay on your back about 6 inches from a solid wall (avoid drywall).
- Place your feet flat against the wall in your squat stance while still staying relaxed with no stretch.
- Before you begin, brace your core and press your spine into the ground so that you lay completely flat with your hips down throughout the stretch.
- To begin, start walking your feet down the wall slowly until you no longer can without assistance from your hands.
- In this position, you can press into the wall to increase the stretch or use your arms to press your knees out farther.
- Next, use your hands to assist in pulling your feet down lower on the wall or reset closer to the wall.
- Your feet should always be flat against the wall.
Get our Mobility Warm-Up Guide for more!
Learn how to decrease pain, improve performance and prevent injury with mobility exercises specific to your workout!
Be ready for any workout in 15 minutes or less!
Learn How To Use A Foam Roller!
All Mobility Exercises >>
Lat Stretches
How to do the best lat stretches to decrease back and shoulder pain, fast! Simple at-home mobility stretching exercises to improve flexibility and increase your pulling strength!
Overhand Lat Stretch
Purpose:
Focus:
- Shoulder Flexion (Latimus Dorsi)
- Grasp a stable object, near your head height, with an overhand grip (palms down).
- While maintaining a neutral spine and hips square, extend the same side leg behind you as you lean forward until you feel a stretch in your armpit or lat.
- With your arm and leg fully extended keep a forward torso lean as you attempt to push your head through, in front of your arm.
- Work through the tension in this position by internally and externally rotating your torso.
- Try to press your armpit towards your front hip.
- If you can flex your arm beyond your ear then this movement is not necessary.
Underhand Lat Stretch
Purpose:
Focus:
- Shoulder Flexion (Latimus Dorsi)
- Grasp a stable object, near your head height, with an underhand grip (palms up).
- While maintaining a neutral spine and hips square, extend the same side leg behind you as you lean forward until you feel a stretch in your lat.
- With your arm and leg fully extended keep a forward torso lean as you attempt to push your head through, in front of your arm.
- Work through the tension in this position by internally and externally rotating your torso.
- Try to press your armpit towards your front hip.
- If you can flex your arm beyond your ear then this movement is not necessary.
Get Our Mobility Warm-Up Guide for more!
Learn how to decrease pain, improve performance and prevent injury with mobility exercises specific to your workout!
Be ready for any workout in 15 minutes or less!
Learn How To Use A Foam Roller!
All Mobility Exercises >>
Hip Flexor Warm-Up Exercise
How to do the exaggerated lunge hip flexor warm-up exercise to decrease knee and hip pain before Olympic Weightlifting!
Purpose:
- Improve Hip Extension
- Strengthen Hip Extended Positioning
Focus:
- Hip Extension (Hip Flexors)
How To Do The Exaggerated Lunge Stretch
- While keeping your hips square, place one foot on a raised surface (12-20 inches high) in front of you and the other behind you.
- Keep your front foot pointed forward and slightly internally rotate your back foot as you extend your leg behind you.
- Keep your torso vertical, core braced and tension on your rear glute as you bend your front knee to initiate the stretch.
- When you feel the tension in your hip flexor, hold that position.
- To increase the stretch you can flex your glute to further press your hips forward or flex and extend your posterior knee slightly to find other tense positions to hold.
View our Complete Warm-Up Guide for more!
Learn how to decrease pain, improve performance and prevent injury with mobility exercises specific to your workout!
Be ready for any workout in 15 minutes or less!
Learn How To Use A Foam Roller!
All Mobility Exercises >>
Chest Stretches
How to do the best chest stretches to decrease pec and shoulder pain, fast! Simple at-home mobility stretching exercises to improve flexibility! Plus, keep your shoulders working properly and increase your Bench Press.
Do one stretch before and after your upper body workouts, but NOT during, as this can decrease strength.
Basic Chest Stretch
Purpose:
- Improve Shoulder Horizontal Abduction
- Open Chest Cavity
Focus:
- Shoulder Horizontal Abduction (Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoids)
- With your arms extended out horizontally, grasp a stable object with each hand.
- Pull your shoulder blades back and down as you push your chest forward until you feel a slight stretch in your chest.
- Breathe calmly as you relax into the stretch before starting to move through the tension under control.
- Maintain tension in your back as you pull your shoulders back actively.
Doorway Stretch
Purpose:
- Open Anterior Chest
- Free Breathing Muscles of Tension
- Increase Scapular Elevation/ Depression Function
- Increase Shoulder External Rotation
Focus:
- Scapular Elevation/ Depression Function (Pectoralis Minor)
- Stand in front of a doorway with your arms raised so that your elbows form a 90-degree angle out to your sides with your palms facing forward.
- Place your forearms and palms against the sides of the doorway as you step halfway through the structure.
- Pull your shoulder blades together, back and down as you push your torso forward until you feel a stretch in your chest.
- To increase the stretch, lean forward while turning from one side to the other.
- Take deep, relaxing breathes throughout this stretch as it will open your breathing pathways and improve deep breathing function.
Single Arm Doorway Stretch
Purpose:
- Open Anterior Chest
- Free Breathing Muscles of Tension
- Increase Scapular Elevation/ Depression Function
- Increase Shoulder External Rotation
Focus:
- Shoulder External Rotation (Subscapularis)
- Shoulder Horizontal Abduction (Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid)
- Stand in front of a doorway with one arm raised so that your elbow forms a 90-degree angle out to your side with your palm facing forward.
- Place your forearm and palm against one side of the doorway as you step halfway through the structure.
- Pull your shoulder blades together, back and down as you push your torso forward until you feel a stretch in your chest.
- To increase the stretch, lean forward while turning away from your stretched shoulder.
- Take deep, relaxing breathes throughout this stretch as it will open your breathing pathways and improve deep breathing function.
Get our Mobility Warm-Up Guide for more!
Learn how to decrease pain, improve performance and prevent injury with mobility exercises specific to your workout!
Be ready for any workout in 15 minutes or less!
Learn How To Use A Foam Roller!
All Mobility Exercises >>
