Stick Shoulder External Rotation Stretch
What Is the Stick Shoulder External Rotation Stretch?
Stick Shoulder External Rotation Stretch is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the shoulders, stretching the muscles that turn the raised arm inward: the subscapularis on the front of the shoulder blade, along with the pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi and teres major. It is a beginner-level movement that needs only a stick, such as a dowel, a PVC pipe or a broom handle. One hand holds the stick behind your head with the elbow pointing up, the stick runs down along the same side of your body, and the other hand reaches across the front of your body to grip it beside your hip. Pulling the bottom of the stick forward levers the raised hand back and turns the arm outward.
The stretch restores the ability to turn the arm outward while it is overhead, a position used in overhead pressing, in holding a bar overhead in a snatch or overhead squat, and in reaching behind the head in daily life. It fits into a warm-up or mobility routine before upper body training, or into a cool-down, and because the lower hand sets the tension, you control exactly how far the shoulder goes.
The height of the raised elbow changes where you feel it. With the elbow pointing high, the lats, teres major and the long head of the triceps along the back of the arm take more of the stretch; as the lower hand pulls the stick forward, the front of the shoulder and the side of the chest take more. The lower arm only holds and steers the stick, so it gets little stretch itself. To stretch the shoulder in the opposite direction, turning the arm inward, use the Stick Shoulder Internal Rotation Stretch, where the lower hand holds the stick behind the back.
It suits most people who can raise the arm overhead and bend the elbow to bring the hand behind the head without pain. If getting the hand behind your head is uncomfortable, start with the Doorway Chest Stretch at shoulder height or a wide-grip Stick Pass-Through. Pitchers and other throwers, and people with naturally loose shoulders, usually already have plenty of external rotation, so they should stretch into it only when a coach or clinician has found a real deficit compared with the other side.
Muscles Worked
- Pectoralis Major
- Primary
- Latissimus Dorsi
- High
- Teres Major
- High
- Deltoid
- Low
- Infraspinatus
- Minimal
- Teres Minor
- Minimal
Instructions
- Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart, holding a stick upright in one hand.
- Raise that arm and bend the elbow so your hand grips the stick behind your head, with the stick running down behind that shoulder and along the same side of your body.
- Reach your other hand across the front of your body and grip the stick beside your hip on the raised-arm side.
- Point the raised elbow up and slightly forward, keep your head upright and let the raised arm relax.
- With the lower hand, gently pull the bottom of the stick forward until the top of the stick draws your raised hand back and you feel a stretch at the front of the shoulder and under the arm.
- Keep your ribs down and your trunk still so the movement comes from the shoulder, not from arching your back or twisting.
- Hold for 15 to 30 seconds while breathing slowly, then ease off with the lower hand.
- Repeat 2 to 4 times, then switch the stick to the other hand and stretch the other side.
Common Mistakes
Yanking the stick
Pulling the bottom of the stick hard or bouncing forces the shoulder past its range and strains the front of the joint instead of easing into a steady stretch.
Fighting with the top arm
Gripping tight and tensing the raised arm resists the stretch, so let that arm relax and simply follow the stick.
Arching or twisting the trunk
Arching the back or turning the chest toward the pulling hand makes the arm look further back without the shoulder turning any further, so keep the ribs down and the trunk square.
Pushing the head forward
Letting the head drop forward under the raised arm shortens the stretch and strains the neck, so keep the head upright and the chin level.
Letting the elbow drift
When the raised elbow drops out to the side or down toward the face, the shoulder stops rotating and the stretch fades.
Stretching into pain
Pushing through sharp pain or pinching at the front or top of the shoulder irritates the joint rather than improving its range.
Injuries
Stick Shoulder External Rotation Stretch is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. Because the lower hand controls the tension, it is easy to stop short of discomfort, and no load is involved. The main strain point is the front of the raised shoulder: the joint capsule, the biceps tendon and the rotator cuff tendons are all under tension when the arm is up and turned outward, and pulling hard or bouncing at the end of the range can irritate them. Some people also feel pinching at the top of the shoulder when the elbow is pushed very high.
Avoid this stretch if you have had a shoulder dislocation, ongoing shoulder instability or recent shoulder surgery, unless your physical therapist or surgeon has cleared it. A raised arm turned outward is the position the shoulder most often dislocates in, and rehab protocols keep the arm out of it for at least the first 6 weeks after an anterior dislocation. Throwers and people with very loose joints should keep the stretch gentle for the same reason, since forcing more outward rotation adds looseness at the front of the shoulder.
To keep it safe, ease into a mild stretch, keep the raised arm relaxed and let the lower hand do the work, and hold for 15 to 30 seconds rather than bouncing. If reaching overhead is limited, lower the elbow a little or switch to the Doorway Chest Stretch at shoulder height. Stop if you feel sharp pain, pinching, clicking with pain, or numbness or tingling down the arm, and have a clinician check a shoulder that hurts during the stretch or stays sore afterward.
- Primary Focus
- Shoulders
- Equipment
- Other
- Modality
- Stretching
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Which shoulder does this stretch?
The raised arm is the one being stretched, turning outward as the lower hand pulls the bottom of the stick forward. The lower arm only holds the stick across your body, and the Stick Shoulder Internal Rotation Stretch is the version that turns the arm inward.
- Q: What can I use instead of a stick?
A dowel, a length of PVC pipe or a broom handle all work, as long as it is straight and long enough to reach from behind your head to below your hip. A towel or strap cannot lever the raised hand backward, so this stretch needs something rigid.
- Q: Should baseball pitchers and other throwers do this stretch?
Usually not without an assessment. Throwers tend to gain outward rotation from throwing itself, and stretching a loose throwing shoulder further into it can irritate the front of the joint, so a coach or clinician should first compare total rotation with the other side and confirm a real deficit.
- Q: Is it safe after a dislocated shoulder?
Not until your physical therapist or doctor clears it. The arm raised and turned outward is the position the shoulder dislocates in, and rehab programs keep the arm out of it for at least the first 6 weeks.
- Q: How long should I hold it?
Hold a mild stretch for 15 to 30 seconds and repeat 2 to 4 times on each side. It works well in a warm-up before overhead training or as part of a daily mobility routine.