Back of shoulders exercise: rear deltoid pull band

Back of shoulders exercise: rear deltoid pull band

This is one of my favourite exercises, for posture, pulling the shoulders down and back, pulling in the waist and taking all the pressure away from the neck. It works the rear deltoids, the back of the shoulders, the exact opposite group of muscles to those at the front of our body - the pectorals and the chest – which we work all day every day when we are on our computers and phones.

So many jobs, from all sorts of therapies, beauty to hairdressing, desk jobs to dentistry, even mechanics to carpentry…all have us positioned leaning & rounding forward.  So this exercise is perfect to pull all back which in addition to the benefits mentioned above, will also open that the chest cavity, improving breathing and helping the body to relax as more oxygen can enter your body.

Take a look at my video to see how easily this exercise is done.

Stand with your feet at shoulder distance apart, knees bent and weight on your heel, with the hips almost behind the shoulder line chest leaning upwards, creating an arch in the small of your back.

With your arms making a semi circle in front of your body, keep elbows at shoulder height, with hands slightly higher. From this position, simply squeeze your shoulder blades, keeping the angle of your arms the same and your shoulders down throughout. Relax and repeat.

Now find the lightest long physio band you can find.

Wrap the band around your hands so that when measured against your chest, your hands rest about 3-4 inches either side of your shoulders, making a W shape. From there, repeat the position above, elbows at shoulder height, hands a tiny bit above shoulder height, weight on your heels and leaning back, with your palms facing out.

From there repeat as above, -  squeezing your shoulder blades, so that the band stetches as the arms naturally move out & back, elbows pushing behind – without changing the angle at the elbow - until the band reaches the top of your chest. Make sure you keep your chest up,  shoulders down, and elbows at shoulder height, throughout. Also continue to keep your weight on your heels and your hips back throughout.

Check out the move here.

 

Zana Morris, Founder


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