Shoulder blade
Wall Slide with Reach
Teach the shoulder blades to slide up without the low back flaring.
2 sets of 8
Wall
Form stills · coming
Why we use it
Arms overhead is not a stretch. The shoulder blades have to slide up a ribcage that stays stacked — ribs down, not flared.
Start here
Back to the wall. Knees soft. Ribs down. Backs of hands and elbows to the wall if they can. Slide up.
How to
- 1Stand with your back to the wall. Soften the knees. Keep the ribs down.
- 2Backs of the hands and elbows toward the wall. Slide up only as far as the ribs stay on the wall.
- 3Think “reach long,” not “lift high.” Shrugging is a cheat.
Feel for
Arms traveling while the ribs stay on the wall. Work between the shoulder blades, not in the low back.
Breathing
Breathe out as you slide up. If the low back peels off the wall, you went too far.
Do this
- — Ribs stay on the wall as the arms travel.
- — Think “reach long,” not “lift high.”
- — Breathe out as you slide up. If the low back peels off, you went too far.
Common mistakes
- — Ribs flaring to get the arms overhead.
- — Shrugging instead of sliding the shoulder blades.
Regression · Progression
Easier: Hands on the wall, elbows down — only the slide you can keep.
Harder: Leave the wall and reach a broom overhead with the same rib position.