How to Fix Shoulder Mobility Without Stretching

Sometimes stretching is not the best way to address chronic tightness. If you’ve had the experience of stretching a muscle over and over, maybe getting a moment of relief, then feeling it clamp down like a bear trap again… you know.

This is definitely the case with my wonky shoulders that hate to be stretched. So I love this nifty, surprisingly challenging little mobility drill.

This drill works shoulder external rotation with upward rotation of the shoulder blades. This is a tricky combo for most folks since we tend to default to internal rotation with overhead work.

I especially encourage anyone who needs overhead strength (handbalancers, aerialists, pole dancers) to work on developing this skill set!

Side note, I did have a former Marine call me a monster after I showed him this drill! It is accessible but surprisingly challenging.

This drill builds on last week’s post to build strength and mobility in one exercise to add movement and mobility once the shoulder has achieved basic stability. I usually start my training with the isos and then move on to the mobility work.

Let me know if this exercise helps you!