Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch

This stretch improves shoulder mobility by gently lengthening the muscles across the back and back of the shoulder. It is a simple, bodyweight movement you can do before or after training, or anytime your shoulders feel tight.

Stand tall with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Relax your shoulders away from your ears and let your arms hang at your sides.

Reach one arm straight across the front of your body at about chest height. Use your opposite hand to gently pull that arm closer to your chest until you feel a stretch across the back of your shoulder and upper back. Hold the position, then release and switch sides.

Keep your breathing slow and steady during the stretch; do not hold your breath. To make it easier, bend the arm you are stretching at the elbow and pull it gently across. To make it deeper, straighten the stretching arm fully and keep your shoulders square and relaxed.

Fault: Hunching the shoulder or leaning the torso to create the stretch. Fix: Keep your torso upright and your shoulders level; only the stretching arm should move across the body.

Fault: Pulling the arm up toward the neck instead of across the chest. Fix: Aim the arm across the front of the body at chest height so the stretch targets the back of the shoulder.

Fault: Forcing the arm too far and creating discomfort in the shoulder or elbow. Fix: Pull only until you feel a mild, comfortable stretch; the opposite hand should guide, not yank.