Exercise library
Neck and Upper-Back
Shoulder-blade squeezes
How to do it
- 1Sit or stand tall with your shoulders relaxed. Raise your arms out in front of you.
- 2Pull your elbows and arms straight back and imagine trying to touch your elbows together behind your back.
- 3If you have access to a gym, or weights, rowing movements or reverse pec-decks are what we're aiming for.
- 4Pause briefly at the end position, squeezing and feeling the muscles between your shoulder blades work, then return slowly and repeat for the prescribed repetitions.
Why this exercise
When upper back/neck symptoms are part of the picture, restoring scapular control is often a big win. This builds endurance in the "posture muscles" and helps make us aware of what muscles should activate to correct our posture.