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Credit: Getty Images / herkisi
Do your shoulders feel stiff or achy?
Do you struggle to turn your head or touch your chin to your chest without feeling a twinge?
Are your shoulders tender to the touch or knotted and rope-like under your hands?
These are all signs that your shoulder muscles may be tight.
Pamela Paley, a Pilates master trainer for Club Pilates, says that tight shoulders can be a symptom of our busy lifestyles.
“Most people have tight shoulders from hunching over a computer, driving, and carrying things like computer bags, suitcases or even small children,” she says, but stretching regularly can bring some relief.
For these movements, you’ll need a yoga strap that is six to eight feet long and made of non-stretch material. If you don’t have anything purpose-built on hand, a packing strap or even a scarf will do.
“A flat straight strap can help with control, better form and posture, and assist in gaining flexibility throughout the body while reducing any impact to the spine through arching or compression,” says Paley. “This is because the strap provides some leverage while keeping your body stable.”
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Run through these three stretches once and see if they improve how your shoulders feel.
Paley suggests that you stay aware of which side feels tighter when doing the following stretches. You may find that your range of motion is more limited on one side than the other, or you feel the stretch more on one side. That’s because many of us have a preferred side to carry things on, and it’s easy to develop muscular imbalances by overloading one side of the body.
1. Overhead shoulder opener
Reps: 1-3 each side
How to do it:
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Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the strap with your hands wider than shoulder-width apart.
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Raise the strap overhead, then behind you, making sure you don’t raise or hunch your shoulders, and keeping your neck and head in a neutral position and looking straight ahead.
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When you feel a stretch across your shoulders, hold the position for three to five deep breaths.
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Continue exploring your range of motion, listening to your body and identifying where you feel the stretch. When you can no longer move the strap any further down your back with straight arms, bend your elbows and slide the strap down to your glutes.
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Reverse the movement, bending your elbows and bringing the strap up your back and holding it again for three to five deep breaths at the top of the stretch.
2. Lateral flexion
Credit: Club Pilates
Reps: 1-3 each side
This exercise works on your core—particularly the oblique muscles— and improves shoulder stability.
How to do it:
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Stand holding the strap at twice the width of your shoulders, in a relaxed overhand grip. Ensure that your head is aligned with the center of the strap and that your biceps are in line with your ears.
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Inhale through your nose, then exhale as you bend your upper torso to the side, keeping your head and arms aligned with the center of the strap and keeping your hips facing forward.
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Hold the stretch for three to five deep breaths and then bring yourself back to the starting position on an inhale.
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Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides
3. Rotation
Credit: Club Pilates
Reps: 5-10 each direction
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Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart, either facing forward or turned out, and place your hands at twice the width of your shoulders on the strap.
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Raise the strap to chest height, then move your shoulders back and down.
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Inhale and rotate your upper torso (ribcage and chest) to the right, trying to keep the middle of the strap aligned with the midpoint of your chest. Remember to keep your chest open and your shoulders down throughout.
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Exhale to reverse the movement back to the center.
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Repeat on the other side.
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Continue, alternating sides with each rep.