The One Exercise That Will Fix Your Achy Shoulders Forever

Here are my two staple upper back movements that belong in every single dynamic warm up routine, and a unique hybrid exercise that combines these two movements and creates a functional synergy to literally bulletproof your shoulders against pain and dysfunction while improving your posture int the process.

Banded Face Pull

The face pull may be the most versatile training tool in our arsenal for remediating poor shoulder and thoracic positioning. Why? It provides the exact opposite movements that we’re continuously pulled into on a daily basis – namely sitting down and looking at computer, phone, and TV screens.

This movement pattern incorporates humeral horizontal abduction and external rotation of the shoulder and retracts the shoulder blades – all helping combat the hunched over, constantly adducted, internally rotated and protracted posture.

If you’re slouching over a phone or computer reading this, that’s the poor position we’re talking about. Don’t be fooled into thinking the face pull is just another dainty corrective exercise, it builds muscle in the right places. Sure, it can be programmed into any successful dynamic warm-up or activation technique for prepping the shoulders and rotator cuff, but you can also load this pattern up for a results-producing training effect.

So yes, with the multitude of benefits that the face pull presents, this movement is a non-negotiable aspect of every single one of our performance and pain-free programs. This movement fits in perfectly in the dynamic warm up, and can double as a challenging finisher as well.

For the “Rusin Shoulder Warm Up” as my friend coach Charles Staley likes to call it, check out THIS article that incorporates the banded face pull and pull apart.

Here are the tools and movement details that you need to perfect your technique and get the very most out of every single rep of face pulls in the coaching notes below.

Coaching Notes:

• Attach the band to a rack or stable surface between shoulder and head height
• Grab the band with a double overhand grip with approximately 4-6 inches between the hands
• Position your feet under the hip width apart and hinge your hips back slightly
• Maintain full body tension with a neutral spinal position
• Start with your arms extended fully at the elbows
• Drive the band back towards your mouth
• Keep your elbows at or above the height of the shoulders cueing the elbows to drive back
• Maximize the squeeze at the end range for a split second with a hard “flex”
• Slowly control the band back out to the original position never losing shoulder stability
• Programming: 2-5 Sets / 8-30 Reps / 30-45 Seconds Rest

Banded Pull Apart

The band pull apart is another pain-free shoulder training staple and for good reason. It directly targets the horizontal abduction movement pattern that is often times highly neglected in both shoulder training and rehab.

The chronic postural demands, or lack there of, in the average sedentary occupations,  in association with poor training programming ratios between pushing and pulling in association with less than ideal movement quality, makes this movement a much needed staple for the average fitness consumer to world class athletes. By targeting the posterior aspect of the shoulder directly, this movement has worked wonders for cleaning up many linchpins of pain and dysfunction at the shoulders.

For more great pain-free shoulder variations that target the upper back and shoulders, check out THIS article that provides six unique exercises.

Though the band pull apart is a simple shoulder isolated movement pattern, getting the most out of this variation actually takes some concentrated effort and detail. So that’s exactly what we are going to do below with detailed coaching notes just the way I teach this exercise to my athletes and clients.

Coaching Notes:

• Position your feet under the hip width apart and hinge your hips back slightly
• Maintain full body tension with a neutral spinal position
• Grab the band with a double overhand grip with a hand position at shoulders width apart
• Elevate your arms so that the band is positioned directly in front of your sternum at the nipple line
• Smoothly drive your hands apart against the accommodating resistance of the band
• As you continue to drive your hands, allow slight external rotation of the shoulders
• This rotation will put your hands into a palms facing toward neutral position at end range
• As you reach end range, do NOT try to drive your hands behind you
• Instead, drive your hands as far away from each other as possible.
• This small cue will ensure your shoulder blades and gleno-humeral joint work as a unit
• Squeeze your shoulders hard and flex for a split second at the end range of each rep
• Control your hands back together slowly to the starting position
• Programming: 3-5 Sets / 10-20 Reps / 30-45 Seconds Rest

Banded Face Pull Apart

Now after going through both the banded face pull and the banded pull apart, you may be thinking that programming these two moves into your training is an easy and effective way to build pain-free shoulders that look as good as they function. You wouldn’t be wrong, but here’s how to combine these two staple shoulder friendly movements into one highly effective exercise, the banded face pull apart…

I often get asked about my preference to place the hands in the “overhand” position in the face pull movement as there are opposite thoughts on using the opposite “underhand” position that allows more shoulder elevation and external rotation. But my preferred setup is one that allows better room for progression to move into the band face pull apart, which I consider the at the top of this movement pattern pyramid.

Isolated movements of the shoulders moving into horizontal abduction and external rotation independent of one another has a limitation to the functional transference of this movement pattern. Again, the goal to program this movement is to improve upper body global positioning, activating the posterior shoulder girdle and building functional muscle mass in the structures that are in dire need for a training effect.

By breaking up an otherwise sequenced and synergistic movement pattern, we limit the tangible results that this movement has the ability to create. So instead, using this band face pull apart with precision, combining the the benefits of the band face pull and the band pull apart together in one smooth and sequenced movement. This exercise is literally the perfect recipe for pain-free shoulders. Here’s how to execute this novel variation perfectly.

Coaching Notes:

• Attach the band to a rack or stable surface between shoulder and head height
• Grab the band with a double overhand grip with approximately 2-4 inches between the hands
• Position your feet under the hip width apart and hinge your hips back slightly
• Maintain full body tension with a neutral spinal position
• Start with your arms extended fully at the elbows
• Drive the band back towards your mouth
• Keep your elbows at or above the height of the shoulders cueing the elbows to drive back
• At terminal end range, pull the band apart while maintaining the end range position
• Maximize the squeeze at the end range for a split second with a hard “flex”
• Allow the pull apart to return to the starting hand with smoothly and under control
• Slowly control the band back out to the original position never losing shoulder stability
• Programming: 3-4 Sets / 10-15 Reps / 30-45 Seconds Rest

About The Author

Dr. John Rusin is an internationally recognized coach, physical therapist, speaker, and writer, whose published over 300 articles in some of the most widely regarded media outlets in the industry like Men’s Fitness, Testosterone Nation, Mountain Dog Diet, and Bodybuilding.com to name a few.

Dr. John works with some of the world’s most elite athletes, including Gold Medalist Olympians, NFL All-Pro Quarterbacks, MLB All-Stars, Professional Bodybuilders, World-Record Holding Powerlifters, National Level Olympic Lifters and All-World IronMan Triathletes.

Dr. Rusin is the leading pioneer in the fitness and sports performance industries in smart pain-free performance programming that achieves world class results while preventing injuries in the process. Dr. John’s 12-Week Functional Hypertrophy Training Program is the foundation of his methods, and is now available to you.