Shoulders, upper back, wrists and neck

Scapular Push-Up: Wall

Trains the muscles that glide your shoulder blades against the wall, building steadier, stronger shoulders with only a light load through your arms.

How to do it

1. 1

   Face a wall with your hands on it

   Hands at shoulder height and shoulder width, arms straight, feet a small step back.

2. 2

   Let your chest sink between your shoulder blades

   Keep the elbows straight. Only the shoulder blades move, gliding toward each other.

3. 3

   Push the wall away

   Spread the shoulder blades apart so the upper back rounds slightly. The arms stay straight throughout.

4. 4

   Repeat slowly for one to two minutes

   Hands a little lower, or less lean into the wall, makes it lighter.

What to watch for

Bending the elbows so it turns into a push-up, or shrugging toward the ears. Keep the arms long and the neck relaxed, and use your forearms on the wall if the wrists complain.

Ways to adjust it

• Hands lower on the wall
• Lighter pressure
• Forearms on the wall
• Fists
• Hands a little lower
• Keep the neck long

If this one is too much today

Try the gentler version instead. It asks less of you and does much the same work.

• Plank: Wall

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.