Prone front crawl for stiff shoulders

If you’ve got tight, stiff shoulders, prone front crawl is the exercise for you! It’s also great to help correct forward head posture.

It’s a really simple way to promote movement in the shoulders and shoulder girdle.

How do you do this exercise?

Lay face down with a pillow under the forehead. Make sure the head is lined up with the spine

Pull the abdominal wall up to support the low back

Begin to “crawl like a lizard” while keeping the pelvis still

Three things to observe:

1. Movement in the shoulder and shoulder blade area. You want to see motion here. It’s a good thing, but may take many repetitions to get

2. Compression or movement in the low back could lead to back pain. If this starts to happen, stop the exercise or pull the abdominal wall in for more support

2. Pain or discomfort in the shoulders, especially if there’s a rotator cuff injury. If this is the case, keep the range smaller so there’s no pain

Challenge to you:

Try this exercise right now. Yup, that’s right. The floor is ideal, but if you can’t get down do this standing in front of a wall. Do at least 15-20 reps and let us know how your shoulders feel. Please share in the comments section below.

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