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The last one we are going to do is called Wall Angels. This is a fantastic stretch, really opening up exercise for that whole mid back area, upper back, shoulders and chest.
So with this we stand at a wall. Ideally you want your feet about that far from the wall. So that’s about three or four inches from the wall. We are going to lean back against the wall.
Perfect scenario is that you tuck your pelvis slightly down. So there is such a thing as a pelvic tilt. There’s a forward or anterior pelvic tilt, which kind of makes your butt stick out. And then there is a posterior or sort of a tucking under. So with this one, we want to tuck our pelvis under, just to flatten out that lower back.
So again, I’m standing with my feet that far from the wall, about three or four inches there. I’m going to just tuck my pelvis down slightly just to flatten that lower back curve slightly.
I’m going to bring my head back slightly into retraction just like I just previously showed you. So that chin tuck, neck retraction.
I bring my arms up here so that they’re relatively sort of horizontal. And then I just drag my arms up the wall, just nice and slowly like this. We want to go ideally about three or four seconds up the wall, and then about three or four seconds down the wall, just nice and slowly.
Perfect scenario is that your elbows and your wrist touch the wall the entire time as you go up. Some of you will find this relatively easy. Some of you will find this incredibly difficult.
If you spend a lot of time sitting all day, and you collapse through here, and the shoulders come forward, opening up completely like this will be difficult. That is okay. Start nice and slowly. It does not have to be perfect. It will take time to gradually change this over time.
My chin comes back into retraction, my arms come out like this and I just gradually raise it up the wall. You can go as high as you comfortably can, and then you just come down again. Again, we’re going to do that nice and slowly. We’re not forcing any of this. If it’s difficult, do not force it. It is not meant to be painful.
Just do it gradually, and again we’re going to go about three or four seconds up the wall just like that, and we’re going to go about three or four seconds down the wall like that, we want to aim for four to five repetitions of this.
If there’s any questions you have about any of these exercises, please feel free to ask in the comment section. If there’s anybody you think would benefit from these exercises, please feel free to share this video with them. Have a great day.
The wall angel postural exercise is designed to combine several neck and upper back stretches in one simple motion, to help pull the neck and head backwards, and to open up the chest and pull the shoulders and upper back backwards into proper upright posture.
Start in neutral standing posture leaning against a wall, with the heels of your feet about 3-4 inches from the wall.
Lean back against the wall, tucking your pelvis underneath you, also referred to as a negative or posterior pelvic tilt. This will flatten your butt, and cause your low back curve to flatten somewhat against the wall. This will increase the difficulty and tension during the wall angels exercise.
Bring your head backwards by performing a chin tuck/neck retraction, so the back of your head is touching the wall, but your chin is still horizontal.
Bring your arms up to approximately 90 degrees.
Slowly raise your arms up the wall, ideally keeping both your elbows and wrists in contact with the wall the entire time you are raising them. Raise your arms as high as you are comfortable.
Aim for 3-4 seconds going up the wall, and 3-4 seconds coming down the wall.
Repeat for 4-5 times or repetitions.
Depending on your posture, some people will find it extremely challenging to keep your arms in contact with the wall while you raise them. Take your time, and do not force it. It will take time to stretch the soft tissues in your upper back, chest and shoulders.
If any of this is painful, please stop, as some modification may be required.
For further exercise to assist the Wall Angel exercise and postural correction, refer to the Neck retraction exercise video, Standing Pec stretch video, and the YTW scapular retraction exercise video.
In this video, we will demonstrate the beginner wall angel postural exercise. The wall angels postural exercise is an excellent exercise to improve any forward hunched posture, and to effectively stretch the chest, shoulders, and to open up the mid back area.
This wall angel exercise video demonstration shows the step-by-step demonstration on how to properly position yourself for an effective wall angel stretch.
For people with chronic slouched posture, the Wall Angel postural exercise can be difficult. Some mild discomfort with the movement is ok, and should lessen over time with repetition. If you experience sharp acute pain is not, please discontinue the exercise, and consider alternatives.
A couple key points. Try to maintain a neutral or tucked lumbar spine or low back throughout the wall angel exercise.
Maintaining neck retraction or chin tuck during the movement will aid in postural correction during the stretch.
Take your time with Wall Angels. Try for 4-5 repetitions, moving slowly up and down the wall, and don’t force the exercise. Results will take time.
For faster results with postural correction, please refer to the Neck retraction exercise video, Standing Pec stretch video, and the YTW scapular retraction exercise video.
Any questions, please ask.
For further posture correction exercises and stretches, please refer to our neck pain Toronto condition page here:
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