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Reverse Shoulder Stretch

If your chest and shoulders feel stiff after a long drive or a few hours at your desk, try the reverse shoulder stretch. Clasp your hands behind your back and lift them just enough to feel a gentle pull across your chest and the front of your shoulders.

Equipment

Body Weight

Target

Shoulders

Difficulty

Gentle
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Reverse Shoulder Stretch exercise demonstration loop

How to Do the Reverse Shoulder Stretch

1

Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and clasp your hands behind your lower back.

2

Relax your shoulders away from your ears and keep a slight bend in your elbows.

3

Slowly lift your hands behind you until you feel a mild stretch across your chest or the front of your shoulders.

4

Hold for 20 to 30 seconds while breathing steadily.

5

Slowly lower your hands, then repeat the stretch for a total of 2 to 3 holds.

Common Form Mistakes

  • Leaning forward or arching your lower back. Lower your hands a little so you can keep your torso upright.
  • Shrugging your shoulders. Keep your neck relaxed and your shoulders away from your ears as you lift.
  • Lifting your hands too high. A small lift is enough if you can feel a gentle pull and breathe comfortably.

Muscles This Stretch Targets

When you lift your hands behind your back, your upper arms move into shoulder extension. That’s the anatomical term for moving your arms behind your torso.

The American Council on Exercise’s guide to the standing chest stretch highlights two muscles this variation targets:

  • Pectoralis minor. This small muscle sits beneath the larger chest muscle and connects your ribs to the front of your shoulder blade.
  • Anterior deltoid. This is the front portion of your shoulder muscle. It helps lift your arm forward and lengthens as your arm moves behind you.

For the back of the shoulder, pair it with the arm across chest stretch.

Shoulder Mobility and Posture

The reverse shoulder stretch is a simple way to move your shoulders during a break from sitting. If you’re working on rounded shoulders, research has also looked at pairing chest stretching with upper-back strengthening.

In a randomized trial of 60 young women with rounded shoulders, adding lower trapezius strengthening to a supervised chest-stretching program led to a greater improvement in one measure of shoulder posture. Both groups saw similar gains in how far they could raise their arms overhead.

If Your Hands Don’t Meet

  • Use a towel or strap. Hold one end in each hand behind your back. Start with your hands farther apart and lift only as far as feels comfortable.
  • Try it seated. Sit near the front of a sturdy, armless chair with your feet flat. Hold a towel behind your lower back and gently reach your hands back while staying upright.

When to Ease Off

A mild pull is enough. Stop if you feel a sharp pinch, pain, numbness, or tingling. If the tingling persists or you lose feeling in your arm, seek urgent medical care. If your shoulder has dislocated before or feels like it might slip out of place, check with a clinician before trying this stretch, or start with our gentler physical therapy shoulder pain exercises.