Stiff shoulders can sneak up on you, whether you’ve been hunched over a laptop all day or carrying kids and groceries around. Pilates instructor of 20 years and Balanced Body Educator Portia Page has put together a simple three-move routine that’s suitable for all abilities.
All you need is one of the best resistance bands to get started. Just a few minutes in the morning or evening can help open up your shoulders, ease tension, and make you feel looser and more mobile. It’s also a perfect warm-up before an upper-body session at the gym.
These moves are quick, effective, and gentle, making it easy to add shoulder mobility into your daily routine without any complicated equipment.
What is the 3 move routine?
Telescope
Page says the Telescope move improves shoulder blade mobility and encourages movement through the upper spine, while opening the chest and mid-back to support better posture.
- Stand against a wall with arms at shoulder height back of hands against wall, feet hip distance, or lie supine on floor with knees bent feet flat.
- Bend one arm and glide hand along chest while continuing to slide/turn toward the other side until hand passes over other hand and beyond if available, then return.
- Repeat on the other side allowing feet to turn with torso and upper body.
- Supine, allow knees to sway side to side either in direction of the turn or in opposite direction.
Arm Circles with Internal & External Rotation
According to Page, arm circles with internal and external rotation help restore natural shoulder movement, lubricate the joint without causing strain, and train your shoulders to move freely, independent of tension patterns.
- Stand tall or sit on a box/chair, ribs stacked over pelvis.
- Arms reach long by your sides.
- Begin small circles forward, then backward, keeping movements small with ‘quiet’ shoulder blades.
- As circles get larger, add the scapula glide: up, around, down, and wide.
- Neck stays relaxed. If it starts helping, pause and reset.
- Add in internal rotation (thumbs back, palms out) when arms start at sides and move into external rotation and should elevation as circle up and around, and repeat.
Chest Expansion
Chest expansions help open the front of the body, promotes shoulder extension without compression, and trains the shoulders to stay relaxed on the ribs rather than creeping up toward the ears.
- Stand tall, band held lightly in hands, arms long by sides.
- Inhale: prepare.
- Exhale: pull arms slightly back, opening the chest without flaring ribs.
- Pause for 1–2 breaths with arms back.
- Release with control.
So, if you're looking to restore range of motion in your shoulders, calm cranky shoulders and undo desk or 'device life nonsense', Page wants you to give these exercises a go. Try it out and see for yourself.
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