Most of us carry the weight of the world on one body part. If you guessed shoulders, congratulations, you’re a human being! Our shoulders can fall victim to a lot of tension and stiffness, whether it be from carrying stress or carrying a toddler. All of us can work to improve our range of motion in the shoulder area and one very productive, and proven, way to do so is by utilizing a resistance band.

Resistance bands provide a different kind of tension that actually benefits your stiff, sore shoulders, creating strength and increasing mobility. Think: better moving, better feeling, better doing, in all areas of your day!

Get Blood Flow to Tight Shoulders

Let’s begin by allowing your shoulders to loosen up and relax with some band assisted arm circles. The toughest part of any arm circle is usually the backward portion when your arms are behind your body. Spending more time stretching and moving your shoulders in that position (shoulder extension) is super refreshing and an excellent way to kick off the following shoulder mobility routine. Adding resistance bands to the motion doubles the effectiveness for strengthening tendons and ligaments. 

How To: Resistance Bands Arm Circles

Fix a resistance band on a sturdy object to approximately hip height. Grab the handles and face away from where the band is fixed. Holding the handles by your waist, take a couple steps forward, tensioning the band slightly.

Now, leading with your palms, pull forward to begin the arm circle. Be sure to keep your elbows completely straight at all times. When your arms begin to go overhead, shrug your shoulders strongly up toward your ears.

Before lowering your arms behind you, be sure to rotate your hands so that your palms face down and lead the descent. To complete the circle, maintain an open chest while your hands lower behind you. Pinching your shoulder blades together as you lower with control will ensure you get the most out of this active mobility drill.

Repeat 10 slow and controlled repetitions before proceeding to the next exercise.

Banded mobility drills like these are just the tip of the GB Mobility iceberg. Get started with our online courses now!

Control Your Shoulders

Learning to articulate and control your shoulders in different ways provides an amazing release for tight muscles. Shoulder mobility exercises like these banded drills fall into the category we call joint prehab, meaning that they help develop and maintain healthy joints and prevent injury.

How To: Banded Snow Angels

To begin this drill, face where the band is fixed and place one grip in each hand. Step back to lightly tension the band. Be sure you can straighten your elbows and plan to keep them that way for the entirety of the exercise.

With your hands in front of you, arms extended, initiate the movement by pulling your arms out to your sides, making the letter T. Your hands should now be in line with your shoulders and parallel to the floor. Engage your core to maintain stability as you next begin to sweep your arms upward until they are completely overhead, to the letter I.

Again, while maintaining straight elbows, keep control as you reverse the sweeping motion to return to the “T” and then finally back to the starting position.

Execution Tips:

-As you pull back to letter T, you should feel your shoulders pushing down (don’t shrug) and your back engaged. Imagine trying to pinch your shoulder blades together as you pull into the “T”.

-As you sweep overhead to letter I, your shoulders should gradually shrug toward your ears. As you reverse the motion and return to T, your shoulders will drop back down away from your ears.

Practice for a while, and once your snow angels are smooth and fluid, do your best to perform 10 slow repetitions in a row.

Open Your Shoulders

Now that your shoulders are nice and warm, we’re going to challenge them a little while simultaneously stretching out your upper back. If the upper back is tight, the shoulders can have trouble opening up, and vice versa.

To further target your thoracic spine mobility, be sure to start our Stretch Courses now!

How To: Prone Thoracic Band Curls

Begin this drill by laying on your stomach and extending your arms overhead, with one side of the band in each hand. If you can’t extend your arms all the way overhead then the band is likely too strong for you right now. Try using a lighter resistance band in that case. Now shrug your shoulders to your ears, squeeze your glutes, and allow the band to pull your arms behind your head. For many beginners, this alone is enough of a stretch so feel free to stop here.

When you’re body is ready for it, you’ll want to take this stretch even further by gradually peeling your body off of the floor, allowing the band to pull you higher. Keep your arms behind your ears and elbows straight at all times. Be sure that as you lift, you begin with the top of your body and gradually work lower. First, lift your head off of the mat. Continue lifting, curling one vertebra at a time. Your eventual goal is to lift your chest and then one rib at a time off of the ground. Go slow at first and you’ll find that, over time, you are able to lift higher and higher.
We hope this GymnasticBodies banded shoulder mobility routine from our Online Fitness Courses helps your shoulders feel loose, limber, and healthier than ever before!