Shoulder Exercises

Rotator cuff, scapular control, and shoulder girdle strengthening drills to support pressing, overhead work, and day-to-day comfort at the neck and shoulders.

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Shoulder & Scapular Control 23 exercise videos • Bands, dumbbells, kettlebells, and bodyweight

Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Carry Intermediate–Advanced

Carry a kettlebell upside down to challenge grip, rotator cuff stability, and scapular control while reinforcing tall posture and clean shoulder positioning.

Eccentric Bicep Curl Beginner–Intermediate

Slow-lowering curls to load the biceps tendon and elbow flexors—often useful when anterior shoulder or biceps tendon irritation needs progressive, controlled strength.

Finger Wall Walks Beginner

Use your fingers to “walk” the arm up a wall to gently rebuild shoulder elevation range—great for stiffness, guarding, or early return-to-motion work.

Relieve Neck & Shoulder Tension Using a Ball Beginner

Targeted ball work against a wall to calm down tight neck/upper-trap areas from sitting, stress, or heavy upper-body days—easy to dose and easy to repeat.

Isometric Shoulder External Rotation Beginner

Press into an immovable surface to train rotator cuff tension without movement—ideal for building early tolerance when motion is sensitive.

Prone Snow Angel With Swiss Ball Intermediate

Face-down over a Swiss ball, sweep your arms through a snow-angel pattern to train scapular coordination, posterior shoulder strength, and mid-back endurance.

Prone T Exercise With Swiss Ball Intermediate

Prone T raises to strengthen mid traps and rhomboids, improving scapular retraction strength and cleaner shoulder blade mechanics for pressing and pulling.

Prone Y Raise Beginner–Intermediate

Y-position raises to bias lower trap and upward rotation support—helpful for overhead mechanics and balancing out pressing-heavy routines.

Quadruped Scapular Push-Up Beginner

Hands-and-knees scap push-ups to teach protraction/retraction (serratus control) without the load of a full plank—great for early patterning.

Scapular Band Walk Beginner–Intermediate

Band-resisted walkouts along the wall to reinforce scapular positioning and shoulder stability while keeping the trunk quiet and stacked.

Scapular Clock Exercise Beginner

Move the shoulder blade like a clock—up, down, in, and out—to build awareness and control of scapular motion without heavy loading.

Scapular Squeeze Exercise Beginner

Simple shoulder blade squeezes to reinforce postural endurance and better scapular positioning—great for desk-heavy days and “upper trap takeover.”

Scapular Stability Exercises Beginner–Intermediate

A mini-series of scap-focused drills to improve shoulder blade control for pressing, pulling, and overhead work without flaring symptoms.

Seated Banded Row Beginner–Intermediate

Seated horizontal pulling to build mid-back and posterior shoulder strength while keeping the neck relaxed and ribs stacked over pelvis.

Seated Shoulder External Rotation Beginner–Intermediate

Controlled external rotation using a band or dumbbell to strengthen the rotator cuff with clean form and an easy-to-scale load.

Serratus Punch With Dumbbell Beginner–Intermediate

Reach/punch toward the ceiling to train serratus anterior and smooth scapular upward rotation—great for overhead tolerance and shoulder blade control.

Shoulder External Rotation With Band Beginner–Intermediate

Foundational rotator cuff drill to improve external rotator strength and shoulder stability in a joint-friendly way—easy to program and progress.

Shoulder Isometric Series: 6-Way Beginner–Intermediate

Six-direction isometric pushes into a wall/object to build tolerance in multiple planes without repetitive motion—great for sensitive shoulders.

Side Lying Shoulder External Rotation Beginner–Intermediate

Classic side-lying external rotation for high-control cuff loading—ideal for dialing in tempo, range, and load with minimal compensation.

Single Arm Quadruped Serratus Anterior Intermediate

One-arm quadruped support to challenge serratus and shoulder stability while resisting trunk rotation—excellent for athletes and higher-level control.

Wall Angel Exercise Beginner–Intermediate

Slide arms up/down the wall while keeping ribs down and posture tall to reinforce shoulder mobility and scapular control with built-in feedback.

Wall Clock Exercise & Variations Beginner–Intermediate

Move the arm around “clock” positions on the wall—optionally with band resistance—to train scapular control and shoulder endurance across angles.

YTW Exercise Beginner–Intermediate

Y, T, and W positions to strengthen key scapular/posterior shoulder muscles—great for posture, overhead mechanics, and balancing pressing volume.