10 Easy Shoulder Mobility Exercises That Ease Pain and Improve Range of Motion

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1) Posterior Shoulder Stretch

Target: Shoulders
Equipment: Body weight

Relax your shoulders away from your ears and stretch the right hand across your body at chest level towards the left side of your body. Grab onto the arm with your left hand, above or below the elbow joint, and hug the arm in toward your chest. This stretches the back of the shoulder. Repeat on the other side. Hold for several breaths.

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2) Bent Overhead Stretch

Target: Shoulders
Equipment: Chair or ledge

Standing about an arm’s length away, grasp onto a solid surface such as a wall or chair. With your knees slightly bent, hinge at the hips to bend forward with your back parallel to the ground and arms straight. The farther back you step away from the surface, the more intensely you'll feel the stretch in your shoulders. Allow your ears to drop next to your biceps. When you rise, step forward so you can keep your hands on the solid surface in case of dizziness. Hold for several breaths.

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3) Side Stretch

Target: Shoulders and ribs
Equipment: Body weight

Stand with your feet twice your hip's width apart and squat down as you turn your heels in and toes out. Rest your left elbow on your left quadricep and stretch your right arm long overhead towards the left side. This stretches under the shoulder and into the ribcage. To modify, you can do this while sitting in a chair. Hold for several breaths.

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4) Bent Over Front Shoulder and Chest Stretch

Target: Chest and shoulders
Equipment: Body weight

Interlace your fingers together behind your back and send your knuckles up towards the sky as you hinge at your hips. Keep a slight bend at your knees and tuck your chin in. Try to draw your pals closer together while straightening your arms. Hold for several breaths.

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5) Triple Lift

Target: Shoulders
Equipment: Dumbbells

Using light weights, stand with your feet shoulders-width apart and the weights at hip level. Then, drag the weights up your torso close to your body like zipping up a sweater, with your elbows point out. Stop when the weights get to shoulders level. Then, straighten your arms and press the weights out in front. Finally, open up the arms to the sides, creating a T shape with your arms, and then bring the weights back down with control to hip level where you started.

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6) Reverse Fly

Target: Upper back and shoulders
Equipment: Dumbbells

Stand with your feet about hip's width apart. Bend the knees slightly and hinge at your hips to lower your torso. Taking a dumbbell in each hand, start with the palms facing each other and dumbbells connected in front. Then, while keeping a slight bend in your elbows, lift and separate the dumbbells as you keep your back straight. You can modify this by doing one arm at a time and supporting yourself with one hand on a knee. Look at the ground a few feet in front of you to keep your neck in line with your spine.

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7) Overhead Shoulder Press

Target: Shoulders
Equipment: Dumbbells

Stand with your feet about hip's width apart and light weights in each hand at about ear level. Bend your elbows 90 degrees and press the weights all the way towards the sky. Slowly lower down with control to starting position. You can modify by lifting one arm at a time.

8) Side Raises Abducting

Target: Back and shoulders
Equipment: Dumbbells

Stand straight up with light weights in your hands and your elbows bent at 90 degrees so that the palms face each other and the elbows are right by your ribs. Next keep the elbows the same degree bent and lift weights and your elbows directly out to your sides up to shoulder level with your wrists straight. Be sure that your hands and elbows are in line and parallel to the ground. Lower the weights back down to starting position with control. This works the top of the shoulders.

9) Banded Rows

Target: Upper back and shoulders
Equipment: Resistance band

Find an anchor point and loop the center of the resistance band around it. Straighten your arms at shoulder level with your palms facing each other. Stand far enough away that you feel a challenge when pulling your elbows back on the resistance bands. When you pull back, bend your elbows at 90 degrees while squeezing your hands toward your ribs. Then release to start position. Be sure to keep your shoulders down away from your ears and keep good posture without rounding the back. Modify by sitting on the ground with legs straight.

10) Banded Internal Rotator Pulls

Target: Upper back and shoulders
Equipment: Resistance band

Anchor your resistance band to an anchor point about hip level high by threading one handle through the other or tying it. Stand so that you’re holding the other handle in your right hand and the anchor point is to your right side. Bend your elbow to 90 degrees and ensure that you are standing far enough away that the band feels tight. Begin to slowly pull your hand towards your stomach while keeping your elbow tight next to your ribs. Slowly release back to start. (To modify you can do this sitting down in a chair)