Two Simple Shoulder Exercises for Awareness, Control, and Stability

When we talk about stability and the core, we so often forget that there is more to stability than simply the torso.

When it comes to the rest of your body, you need stability too! And nowhere is this more important than in the shoulder – a region where your whole arm is literally held against your ribcage by muscles alone.

If you don’t have awareness and control through this area, you might feel stiff and tight, or find yourself avoiding upper body exercises because they feel weak and uncontrolled. But upper body strength matters – for everyday load tasks, for bone density in your neck and arms, and for feeling capable rather than cautious in your body. Learning to feel and control movement here can go a long way.

So in today’s video I’m showing you two low-strain, high-impact exercises that I often use in the early stages of shoulder rehab.

They focus on:

• Awareness of position
• Control of movement
• Gentle strength in the stabilisers

Let’s look at what each exercise is targeting.

1. Shoulder-blade push-up

In this exercise you’re learning to isolate movement of your scapula against your ribcage without moving your spine. This teaches dissociation and control. You’re also working your serratus anterior muscle against gravity – a great way to start strengthening it. When you learn this skill, it becomes easier to keep your shoulder blade flat against your ribcage, giving you a stronger base for movement in your shoulder and arm.

2. Shoulder circles lying on your back

This exercise is all about keeping the humeral head (ball) centred within the glenoid (socket). As you circle your hand, the gravity point shifts slightly around the edge of the shoulder, making different muscles in the rotator cuff group coordinate to keep the shoulder joint centred. A low-strain way to start to wake up proprioception in the joint and activity in the rotator cuff muscles. (Yes… I know that it is technically arm circles 😉 But the target is the shoulder…and remembering that helps.)

The fact that both of these exercises train mindful control and proprioception dovetails so well with what we’ve recently been talking about in the nervous system regulation series. Mindful, attuned movement is a great entry point to body-up regulation work. Shoulder-blade push-ups have the extra benefit of challenging your vestibular system as you’re moving with your face horizontal rather than vertical – lovely input for your fact-finding (sensing) systems!

Note: Please do not do these exercises if you have any pain in your shoulder, and check with your healthcare provider before starting a new exercise program.

🤍 Carmen