Shoulder pain is common, especially for people who stay active, play sports, or lift heavy objects. There are many potential causes and many possible solutions. In my experience, the fix for most people often involves improving how the shoulder blades move on the rib cage, specifically upward rotation and protraction.
One drill I rely on to address this is the Forearm Wall Slide. It looks simple—moving the forearms up and down along a foam roller—but the technique is more important than it appears.
Two common faults I see during this drill:
– Reps 1–3: the shoulder blades stay depressed or pinned down. Constantly cueing to retract and depress the shoulders can backfire. While that cue can help in lifting heavy loads for some pushes, the shoulder blades should move around the rib cage, and forcing them down can lead to a downwardly rotated position and potential shoulder discomfort.
– Reps 4–6: a shrugging pattern, where the upper traps take over and elevate the shoulders. Shrugging isn’t upward rotation, so the movement isn’t achieving the goal.
What we want to see instead: cue people to reach toward the ceiling through the pinky finger, then lean into the wall as the arm straightens overhead. This setup encourages the upper traps to engage more effectively and allows the shoulder blade to upwardly rotate while moving around the rib cage via protraction and Serratus activation. Some sources note that Serratus Anterior activation increases when the exercise is performed shirtless.
Choosing drills carefully matters, even when they look simple. If you have limited thoracic mobility or other shoulder issues, you may need to address thoracic mobility, breathing patterns, and overall shoulder strengthening to support healthier shoulders.
