Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch

Whether in the gym or on the field, static stretching is a vital part of a passive cool down. It helps to improve joint elasticity and range of motion and promotes blood flood flow to deliver nutrients following exercise. 

The shoulders are one of the most frequently used and often injured joints. Therefore, stretching and strengthening them should be a priority as part of a shoulder workout.

The cross-body shoulder stretch is a great way to target your shoulders, traps, and triceps. We’ve discussed everything you need to know about this exercise below.

How To Do

  1. Find a suitable area at home or in the gym. Allow enough space to move your arms through a full arc motion. 
  2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your hips should be facing forward.
  3. Keep your chest up with your head looking straight ahead. Your arms should be by your sides. 
  4. Lift one arm at shoulder height, straight out in front of you. Bring it across your body while maintaining a straight arm position.
  5. As it comes towards your other shoulder, use your other arm to pull it into your body. The contact point should be on your other forearm and around your elbow. 
  6. Hold the stretched position for the stated time. Switch to the other arm as needed.

Tips From Expert

  • Make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart with your hips facing forward. This ensures a stable stretching position.
  • You should feel a gentle stretch as you bring your arm across your body. Avoid using sudden movements to limit shoulder joint stress and injury risk.
  • As your arm comes across your body, avoid twisting your torso. This helps to keep the stretch on the targeted areas.
  • Maintain a controlled breathing pattern throughout the stretch. This provides adequate oxygen to the working muscles.

Optimal Sets and Reps

Use the table below as a programming guide according to your workout goals.

Training Type Sets Reps
Strength Training 3–5 30–60 seconds
Hypertrophy 3–4 30–60 seconds
Endurance Training 3–4 30–60 seconds
Power Training 3–5 30–60 seconds
Optimal Sets & Reps of Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch

How to Put in Your Workout Split

The cross-body shoulder stretch is primarily used as a cool-down exercise. In some populations, it may be used as a rehabilitation exercise or as a form of activity. 

As an upper-body stretch that improves posture, and mobility, and reduces injury risk, it’s a worthwhile addition to your program. Here are some ways to incorporate it into your training: 

  • As a cool down — As a static stretching exercise, make it part of your cool-down routine. It should go alongside other static stretches and a low-intensity cardio bout. 
  • As a rehabilitation exercise — For rehabilitation, use the cross-body shoulder stretch as a low-intensity static stretch to improve the range of motion and blood flow. Add it alongside other static stretches such as the overhead tricep stretch. 
  • As general fitness training — Whatever your goal, static stretching should form part of your cool down. Use it after your back and shoulder workouts to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This is an adaptive response from the body to a physical exercise stimulus as muscle fibers break down. 

Because this exercise doesn’t work against traditional resistance, you don’t need to worry about loading recommendations.

Perform each set using the programming table above, resting for 45 to 60 seconds between sets. 

*Expert tip: A warm-up before exercise provides a good way to increase muscle temperature and improve blood flow. Do one alongside a cool-down that can be performed following your chosen activity.

Primary Muscle Groups

Posterior Deltoid

Muscles located at the back of your shoulder. Helps with posture.

Posterior Deltoid

Your shoulders are made up of three deltoids, or muscle heads. Your posterior deltoid is located at the back of your shoulder.

Its primary function is to perform shoulder extension and shoulder abduction. This means it brings your arm back and away from your body.

The cross-body shoulder stretch uses shoulder flexion and adduction as the main movements. Therefore, the posterior deltoid is the primary muscle stretched as this movement performs the opposite action. 

Secondary Muscle Groups

Serratus Anterior

Small, fan shaped muscle that lies deep under your chest and scapula.

Latissimus Dorsi

Large, triangular shaped muscles located just below your shoulder blades. They extend along your spine down to your pelvis.

Upper Trapezius

Triangular shaped muscles located between your neck and shoulder blades.

Middle Trapezius

Muscles located in the middle of your back between your upper and lower traps.

Triceps Long Heads

Large muscles located at the back of your arms between your shoulder and elbow. Most outside portion of the tricep.

Lateral Deltoid

Muscles located at the side of your shoulder which gives your shoulders a rounded appearance.

Lateral Deltoid

Your lateral deltoid is located in the middle of your shoulder, between your anterior and posterior deltoids. It functions to abduct your arm or bring it out to the side. 

As you bring your arm across your chest, it comes closer to your midline. This movement is called adduction and is the opposite of shoulder abduction. 

Because of this, your lateral deltoid is a secondary muscle stretched.   

Upper And Middle Trapezius

Your trapezius muscle, also known as your trap, goes from the base of your neck to the middle of your back. They are split into your upper, middle, and lower traps. 

The main functions of your upper traps are to turn, side bend, and extend your neck. They also elevate and upwardly rotate your shoulder blades. They act as a key shoulder blade (scapula) stabilizer.

The middle trapezius is located between the shoulder blades. Its role is mainly to move the shoulder blade toward the spine. When bringing your arms across the body, your shoulder blades protract or come forward. Because of this, your middle traps are primarily stretched with the cross-body shoulder stretch. Less involvement comes from the upper traps in this exercise.

Latissimus Dorsi

Your latissimus dorsi, also known as your lats, take up most of your back region. They help to internally rotate, extend, and adduct your arms. This means turning them inward, extending them back, and bringing them closer to the midline in relation to your body.

As they perform the main movement pattern used in the cross-body shoulder stretch, they help to bring your arm across your body. This allows you to stretch your posterior deltoids as the primary movers. 

Serratus Anterior

Your serratus anterior is a small fan-shaped muscle located under your chest. It originates from your ribs and inserts into your shoulder blade. 

As you stretch, your serratus anterior functions to stabilize your scapula. This means that it keeps your shoulder blade pressing against your rib cage as you bring your arm across your body. 

Triceps Long Heads

Your triceps are made up of three muscle heads. Your long head is at the back of your arm besides your lateral head. It originates from your scapula and inserts into your lower arm bone or ulna. 

Out of the three tricep heads, it’s the only one that crosses the shoulder joint. Therefore, it helps stabilize the shoulder and perform elbow extension.

As you bring your arm across, your triceps long head helps to extend your elbow as it reaches your other hand. Alongside this, it stabilizes your shoulder, stopping your arm from moving out of position.

Equipment

Bodyweight

Bodyweight

Requires bodyweight resistance and additional equipment for proper execution.

Variations

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the same equipment.

Chair Inverted Row

Arm Circle

Reverse Snow Angels

Bear Crawl

Bent-over Rear Delt Fly

Reverse Iron Cross Push-Up

Handstand Push-Up

Prone T Raise

Prone W Raise

Threading The Needle

Alternatives

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the different equipment.

Cable Face Pull

Rear Delt Fly Machine

Standing Cable Rear Delt Fly

Resistance Band Pull Apart

Cable Standing Y Raise

Dumbbell Bent-Over Rear Delt Fly

Resistance Band Face Pull

Inverted Row

Lying Dumbbell One-Arm Rear Lateral Raise

Side Lying Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise

Who Should Do?

Athletes

As athletes train and compete, their bodies are put under intense stress. Every day, they aim to improve performance. This can sometimes be determined by small percentage differences. 

Because of this, they often push close to or beyond their limits of performance. A well-organized rest and recovery routine, which should include static stretching, is therefore vital. 

As an athlete, perform static stretching as part of your cool-down routine after strenuous exercise. This can help to reduce injury risk and improve long-term performance. Use it in the gym or perform one of these at-home shoulder workouts.  

Beginners

Beginners who are new to exercise should spend time developing a solid training foundation before progressing. As part of this, a well-organized routine should contain a warm-up and cool-down. 

At this stage of training, most exercises will be new for beginners. For this reason, their bodies won’t be used to the new stimulus. Ensuring a good range of motion and flexibility are both vital to reduce the chance of injury. 

The shoulders are one of the most frequently used joints in most movements. Therefore, it is important to include cross-body stretches in any workout plan. 

Who Should Not Do?

Those With Chronic Upper-Body Mobility Issues

As discussed below, static stretching as part of a cool-down routine improves mobility which can help performance. However, with chronic shoulder issues that severely limit the range of motion, bringing your shoulder across your body may be difficult. 

Because of this, the cross-body shoulder stretch may not be suitable for those with chronic upper-body mobility issues. In this case, a smaller range of motion may be used before progressing. 

Did you know? An estimated 20% of adults suffer from shoulder pain and one in four have a rotator cuff tear!

Benefits Of The ​Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch

Increases Mobility

Mobility is an important part of movement and performance. It involves the normal range of motion that joints and muscles can go through without resistance.

When we stretch, we relax and elongate our muscles using a slow, controlled movement pattern. This helps to improve the range of motion and therefore, mobility. 

The cross-body shoulder stretch is a passive stretch that primarily stretches our shoulders and triceps. This makes it a great way to increase mobility in these areas. With better mobility, we can move more efficiently and increase performance. 

Reduces The Risk Of Injuries

Injury risk when moving and exercising is determined by several factors. This includes blood flow, range of motion, and joint stress.

As discussed above, static stretching increases the range of motion by taking muscles as far as their mobility allows. Alongside this, it loosens joints as the surrounding tissue is stretched.

Furthermore, the stretching motion improves blood flow to the working muscles, helping vital nutrients and oxygen delivery following exercise.

When combined, these reduce injury risk and promote healing following exercise. The shoulders are one the most commonly injured joints, accounting for 7.4% of training injuries. This makes the cross-body shoulder stretch a vital part of a cool-down following exercise to reduce injury risk. 

Improves Posture 

When performing static stretches such as the cross-body shoulder stretch, your joints go through their full range of motion. This improves joint flexibility, allowing better movement in daily tasks and exercise.  

Posture is determined by key postural muscles which include the ones in the shoulders. With the number of people suffering from slouched shoulders increasing, stretching them is very important.

The cross-body shoulder stretch works your shoulders, traps, and serratus anterior. Each of these are key postural shoulder muscles that help to maintain normal posture. Therefore, performing the cross-body shoulder stretch improves posture and lowers injury risk. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the cross-body shoulder stretch do?

The cross-body shoulder stretch is used as a cool-down exercise. It increases mobility, improves posture, and reduces injury risk.

What muscles are used in a shoulder stretch?

The primary muscle used is the posterior deltoids. Secondary muscles used Include the lateral deltoids, traps, lats, serratus anterior, and tricep long heads.

Are cross-body shoulder stretches safe?

When performed correctly, the cross-body shoulder stretch is a very safe exercise with minimal injury risk. In most cases, it helps to reduce injury risk when performed as part of a cool-down.

What are the cons of the cross-body shoulder stretch?

For those with shoulder mobility issues, the cross-body shoulder stretch will be difficult to perform. Apart from this, it offers no real disadvantages.

Resources

Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.

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