The Best Shoulder Exercises For Strong, Healthy, And Pain Free Shoulders - Level 3 Workout
Improving movement and strength of the entire shoulder complex is the best way to build healthy, pain free shoulders . The best shoulder exercises focus on the underlying causes of shoulder pain to help you live active, healthy and happy lives.In our Level 3 workout we'll focus on improving mid back mobility and restoring muscular balance to limit impact on the shoulder. By now you should have a solid movement foundation. If not, I would strongly recommend starting with our Level 1 and 2 Workout For Shoulder Pain.
Level 1 Workout | Level 2 Workout
Equipment Needed
To complete this workout and properly perform the best shoulder exercises you’ll need access the following equipment available.
- Foam Roller
- Rubber Functional Fitness Band
- Green CLX Theraband
- Medium Dumbbell or Kettlebell
Click Here For The Exact Equipment I Use In The Clinic
The Best Shoulder Exercises: Warm Up
Our Level 3 warm up focuses on improving mid back mobility and preparing shoulder muscles for your workout. Grab a timer and perform each movement for 1 minute (each side if applicable).
Foam Roll Extensions
My favorite exercise after a long day rounded forward at the computer. Foam roll extensions improve mid back mobility into extension.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT0C0IMNBSI
Foam Thread The Needle
Limitations in mid back rotation is another common contributor to shoulder pain. Fix it with this beginner thread the needle exercise.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3YN8enFCwg
Banded Shoulder Pass Through's
Stretch your muscles while taking your shoulder joint through it's full range of motion with shoulder pass threough's.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzNCBJuhq10
Banded Pull Aparts
Fire up your central nervous system and engage your entire shoulder complex with banded pull aparts. Perform 20 repetitions maintaining tension between reps.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl9PTsPD-gU
The Best Shoulder Exercises | Strength Level 3
The best shoulder exercises focus on maintaining muscular balance to limit strain on the shoulder. Our level 3 exercises focus on strengthening the muscles of your back for better posture and shoulder health. Use your timer and perform each exercise for 1 minute. Performing slow and maintaining control is more important than number of reps.
Banded Pull Down's
Learn to engage you latissimus dorsi muscle with Banded Pull Down's. This big muscle is important for overall shoulder health.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os8ysFwDrtU
Facepulls
If I could pick one exercise to perform for optimum shoulder health it would be Facepull's. These target the muscles of your upper back which are often overlooked and hard to train.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkyVhq6Gmg0
Banded Y's and T's
Target your rhomboids and lower trapezius to help stabilize the shoulder and improve posture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzARk9wm7JU
Kneeling Press
The press is one of the three overall shoulder movements to train for strong, healthy shoulder. Focus on pressing arm straigth to the ceiling. Pressing with the weight traveling forward can increase strain on the shoulder.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjh8cZwGBeM
The Best Shoulder Exercises | Full Body Level 3
Improving movement patterns (how we move) limits impact on your joints as you move through the day. Use your timer and perform each exercise for 1 minute. Perform slowly and maintain control while performing these movements.
The Elevated Kettlebell Lift
Transition your hinge movement to a lift movement with the elevate kettlebell lift. Lifting heavy weights is one of the best ways to engage your lats, improve core strength, and engage your posterior chain for strong, healthy shoulders.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6IPY0Y1SuU
Quadruped Hold
Turn this core exercise into a great exercise for shoulder health. Focus on shoulder centration by 'screwing' your hands into the ground to creat tension/torque at the shoulder.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLcodk8Lbe4
Plank Leg Lifts
Building strength centrally (core) improves movement distally (shoulders). Improving movement and core strength should be part of any plan to solve shoulder pain. Plank leg lifts engage our anterior and rotary core.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBpqKM0I-dYIt's no surprise that the best shoulder exercises for strong, healthy and pain free shoulders target the entire body. Improving muscular balance, shoulder centration, and core strength limits impact on the shoulder when performing your daily activities.