Part of these sets

This exercise rarely works alone. It appears in the following routines, where it is sequenced alongside the others that support it.

The Desk Worker's Neck and Shoulder Set

What it works

Primary muscles

Middle and lower trapezius
Rhomboids

Also involved

Posterior deltoid
Upper trapezius, which learns to stay out of the movement

Equipment: None

How to do it

1
Sit or stand tall with your arms relaxed at your sides, palms facing your body.
2
Draw your shoulder blades down and together, as though sliding them into your back pockets. Down matters as much as together.
3
Hold for five seconds, breathing normally. The effort should sit between the shoulder blades, not on top of the shoulders.
4
Release slowly and let the blades return without collapsing forward.
5
Repeat ten times at a comfortable effort, around a three out of ten.

How much to do

10 repetitions, holding 5 seconds each

2 to 3 times a day

Spread the sets through the working day rather than saving them for the evening. A set every couple of hours interrupts the rounded position before it settles in.

Stop and get assessed if

Stop and get assessed if squeezing provokes pins and needles into an arm, chest pain, or sharp pain between the shoulder blades rather than muscular effort. A postural exercise should feel like work, never like a warning.

Common mistakes

Shrugging the shoulders up towards the ears: Up recruits the upper trapezius, the muscle that is already overworked in desk posture. Think down and together, the blades sliding towards your back pockets.
Pinching as hard as possible: Maximum effort turns a postural endurance exercise into a cramp. These muscles need to work gently for long periods, so train them that way, at around a three out of ten.
Arching the lower back to fake the movement: If your chest thrusts up and your ribs flare, the movement is coming from your spine rather than your shoulder blades. Keep the ribcage quiet and move only the blades.
Holding your breath through the squeeze: Breath holding adds neck tension, which is exactly what the exercise is meant to reduce. If you cannot breathe normally through the hold, ease the effort back.

Making it harder

Extend the holds to ten seconds once ten five-second holds feel easy.
Add a light resistance band: hold it in both hands at chest height and pull it gently apart as you squeeze, which asks the same muscles to work against load.
Combine with the wall slide, which asks the shoulder blades to keep control while the arms move overhead.

Scapular Squeeze