Fix Weak Shoulders Fast: The Best Exercises for Stabilizer Strength
Your shoulders are the unsung heroes of your upper body—powering everything from lifting groceries to reaching that top shelf effortlessly. But when those small stabilizer muscles are weak or neglected, you're setting yourself up for discomfort and injury. Don’t get bummed out, though! With the right exercises and stretches, you can fortify these crucial muscles, enhancing your shoulder strength and mobility.
In this post, we'll explore accessible exercises and stretches designed to target your shoulder stabilizers. Each recommendation comes with a video to guide you through proper form and technique. By incorporating these movements into your routine, you'll be on your way to shoulders that not only feel amazing but also perform at their peak.
These exercises are what I have found are most helpful for the majority of my clients who have shoulder issues. The first thing these exercises address is scapular stability, which is done by strengthening the lower trapezius, rhomboids, and levator scapulae muscles. Adding exercises to target external and internal rotation of the shoulder helps to keep muscles like teres major & minor, infraspinatus, subscapularis, posterior deltoids, latissimus dorsi, and pectoralis major activated and ready to stabilize the shoulder.
Keep in mind that these exercises are just a stop along the way in some peoples’ shoulder rehab program or a warm-up or cool-down for other people. Make sure to listen to your body and avoid working into pain.
P.S. If you’re recovering from an injury, be sure to address areas like reducing inflammation and getting adequate protein intake. When your body is making repairs, it needs all the help it can get!
Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. By clicking on the affiliate links in this post, not only do you get to find great products at no extra cost, but you also support my blog, as I may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Equipment
You don’t need a lot of equipment for these exercises, and if you belong to a decent gym, you should have access to everything you need. But here’s the (very short) list:
Dumbbells: Most people will want to start with 1-4 pounds. You can even use canned goods if you are starting on the lighter side, although as you get stronger you will eventually need an actual set of dumbbells.
Resistance bands: You can use either physical therapy bands or typical fitness resistance bands. Just make sure you don’t have something that gives you too much resistance (it is better to go lighter and just do more reps when it comes to these particular exercises).
These resistance bands are what I usually recommend to people.
Exercise mat: This is optional of course, but if you are working out on a hard floor or want to protect your carpet from sweat, then using an exercise mat is always a good choice.
This Gaiam extra-thick yoga mat is almost half an inch thick, which lets you stay as comfortable as possible during your mat work.
Towel: You‘ll need a rolled-up hand towel or something roughly that shape and texture to rest your forehead on during some of these exercises.
Upgrade It
Many people (including myself) have found that things like blood flow restriction (BFR) training and creatine monohydrate are game changers when added to a routine like this.
BFR training traps blood in your muscles and allows the delivery of nutrients, which speeds up healing. BFR also cues the body to produce more human growth hormone (HGH), an anabolic hormone that helps with repairs and muscle growth. Creatine also increases the production of HGH and decreases inflammation, which speeds healing.
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Dumbbell Prone Y-Raise
This exercise targets the easy-to-neglect upper trapezius muscle, which plays a role in stabilizing your shoulders. Start with a light set of dumbbells (or no dumbbells at all) and work up from there. Most people will use between 1 and 4-pound dumbbells. Many people also use 14.5 oz canned items as weights, but if you’re in the market to purchase dumbbells, you can find 1 lb., 2 lb., 3lb., and 4 lb. on Amazon by using the links in this post.
Instructions:
1) Place a rolled-up towel under your forehead for comfort.
2) With your arms out in front of you, raise the dumbbells like Superman, using just the muscles in your shoulders. Try not to use the lower back or raise your chest or head.
3) Hold for a 10-count and repeat.
Do 1 set of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest between.
Dumbbell Prone T-Raise
This exercise targets the rear deltoids, lower traps, and maybe even a little rhomboid. These areas get overlooked in most strength training exercises, so spending a little extra time here goes a long way!
For most people, choose a weight between 1 and 4 lb. to start. You can buy individual weights in 1 lb., 2 lb., 3lb., and 4 lb. sizes (plus heavier ones if you’re a total beast).
Instructions:
1) Lie on your stomach and place a rolled-up towel under your forehead for comfort.
2) With your arms out to either side like an airplane, raise the dumbbells using just the muscles in your shoulders. Try not to use the lower back or raise your chest or head.
3) Hold for a 10-count and repeat.
Do 1 set of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest between.
Dumbbell Prone I-Raise
Rhomboids are pretty underappreciated, and this exercise gives them some love. You can buy individual weights in 1 lb., 2 lb., 3lb., and 4 lb. sizes if you don’t have the right size..
Instructions:
1) Place a rolled-up towel under your forehead for comfort.
2) With your arms by your sides, Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
3) Raise the dumbbells and keep squeezing your shoulder blades together. Try not to use the lower back or raise your chest or head.
Do 1 set of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest between.
Resistance Band External Rotation
This classic shoulder strengthening exercise is an essential tool in anyone's fitness practice. This 3-minute tutorial video shows two ways to do this exercise using resistance bands.
Start with a light to medium-tension fitness band. I suggest getting a fitness band set like this one if you don’t already own one. The set I linked to is affordable and durable.
Instructions:
1) Stand perpendicular to where you anchored the band, walk out and get a decent but not insane stretch in your band, feet hip-width apart.
2) Keep the arm bent at 90 degrees with no space between the elbow and the body. Relax your arm and let your arm cross your body, keeping that 90-degree bend.
3) Rotate the arm back toward where you started and past that point a little bit. Make sure to stop if you notice any pain.
4) Repeat.
Perform 1 set of 30 reps or 2 sets of 15 reps.
Resistance Band Internal Rotation
The internal rotator muscles offer crucial support to the shoulder joint, but it’s easy to overlook them in favor of doing the more popular external rotation exercises. But don’t underestimate something just because it’s not as popular! This exercise is a useful tool to keep your shoulders healthy and safe.
You can probably go a bit heavier on this one than on the external rotation, but you still may want to start with a light to medium-tension fitness band. Here’s a link to my favorite fitness band set if you are looking for suggestions.
Instructions:
1) Stand perpendicular to where you anchored the band, walk out and get a decent but not insane stretch in your band, feet hip-width apart.
2) Keep the arm bent at 90 degrees with no space between the elbow and your body. Use the muscles in your arm to pull the band across your body, keeping that 90-degree bend. Be sure your wrist doesn't get too involved.
3) Return to the starting position.
4) Repeat.
Perform 1 set of 30 or 2 sets of 15.
Stretching
Don’t forget to stretch—especially your pectorals and lats! Improving flexibility perfectly complements a strengthening routine, so be sure to schedule time to become more flexible.
Making custom strength and flexibility programs is something that personal trainers (like me) love to do, so if you need a more personalized program, don’t be shy—reach out!