Relieve Tight Shoulders With These 5 Simple Mobility Exercises You Can Do Anytime & Anywhere

Written by Core Collective | May 13, 2019 8:54:00 AM

Most of us spend the majority of our day hunched up over our computers with poor posture, and as a result, probably suffer from tight and stiff shoulders. Tight shoulders hinder the ability to move freely and can have a significant effect on your daily living and training at the gym. It can also cause pain or stiffness in your neck, back and upper body.

For those suffering from more extreme levels of tightness and immobility, even the most simple tasks such as reaching for something from a high shelf or putting a shirt on can feel strenuous and unmanageable!

What is mobility?

Mobility is the usable range of your joints and so the goal of mobility training is to get as much control over your joints in as much range as possible. Even if your daily lifestyle doesn’t require the same amount of flexibility and strength as an athlete's would require, having the capabilities help in many ways.

No matter where you sit on the spectrum of being minimally active, an avid gym goer or a professional athlete, mobility is crucial for the optimal functioning of the human body. Not only will training mobility help to improve the usable range of your joints, but it also builds your body’s capabilities of mitigating injuries caused by poor repetitive movements over a long period of time.

We use our arms on the daily, so it only makes sense to ensure that our shoulders are experiencing minimal stiffness in order for us to be able to move our arms in certain angles and ranges, confidently and comfortably. This is why we’ve asked our mobility experts from Mushin Movement to share five simple exercises that anyone can do anywhere to loosen stiff shoulders.

Wall Pec Stretch

1. Facing the wall, place one arm at shoulder height on the wall

2. Place the little finger, forearm and shoulder on the wall as you rotate the body away from the wall

3. Use your other arm to increase the rotation and bend the inside knee to deepen the stretch

Wall Cat Stretch

1. Stand about one leg length from the wall and place your hands at around shoulder height

2. Push away from the wall until your head is between your arms

3. Maintain a rounded spine as you try to lower your armpits to the ground

Wall Slides

1. Position your head, shoulders, back and hips on the wall

2. Place one arm on the wall, keeping it bent with the hand at shoulder level

3. Trying your best not to allow any part of your body to lose contact with the wall, slide the arm upwards into an overhead position

4. Repeat for repetitions

Wall Flexion

1. Place your head, shoulders, back and hips on the wall

2. Place one arm next to your body with the palm facing forwards

3. Trying your best not to allow any part of your body to lose contact with the wall or having the palm rotate sideways, keep the arm straight as you move the arm forwards

4. Repeat for repetitions

Wall Shoulder Rotations

1. Place your head, shoulders, back, and hips on the wall

2. Place one arm on the wall with the elbow and fist at shoulder level and the arm bent at a 90 degree angle

3. Trying your best not to allow any part of your body to lose contact with the wall, rotate your shoulder and bring your forearm towards the wall

4. Repeat for repetitions

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