Upward Stretch

Muscles worked

The muscles under tension are the deltoids, which raise and rotate the upper arm at the shoulder joint.

A stretch loads them at the far end of the range they normally work in, so the position you hold is itself the resistance.

Nothing travels, but holding the position is not the target muscle’s job alone: the chest adds pushing force at the shoulder; the lats keep the upper arm drawn in toward the torso.

Every exercise for:ShouldersChestLats

How this movement works

Nothing travels once you are in position. The muscle holds a length under tension instead of working through a range, so effort is measured in seconds rather than repetitions — and the honest progression is more time in a good position, not a deeper one forced early.

It is filed under stretching, so the target is range of motion rather than force — a position you can settle into and breathe in, held long enough for the tissue to give.

What you need

These train the shoulders too, using equipment this one does not:

• Alternating Cable Shoulder Presscable
• Alternating Deltoid Raisedumbbell
• Alternating Kettlebell Presskettlebell
• Anti-Gravity Pressbarbell
• Back Flyes - With Bandsband

Difficulty

Listed at beginner level: the pattern is simple enough to pick up without coaching, and a position that goes wrong mid-set is obvious enough to correct on the next repetition.

Of the 141 shoulders exercises in this database, 74 are listed at beginner level.