Shoulders · Bodyweight
Shoulder Stretch Behind the Back
How to do the shoulder stretch behind the back, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- time
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand tall and clasp your hands together behind your back, arms straight. Lift your hands away from your body to open the front of your shoulders and chest, keeping your chest tall. Hold the stretch while breathing steadily, then release.
- 1A stretch across the front of the shoulders and chest
- 2Arms staying straight as your hands lift
- 3Shoulders relaxed down away from your ears
Common mistakes
- Rounding the upper back or slumping forward
- Forcing the hands too high into sharp pain
- Shrugging the shoulders up toward your ears
Muscles worked
The shoulder stretch behind the back mainly works the front delts, with the upper chest assisting.
- Front DeltsPrimary
- Upper ChestSupport
- BicepsMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
- Internal RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the shoulder stretch behind the back for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More shoulders exercises
- How to do the battle rope alternating waves
- How to do the arm circles
- How to do the arnold press
- How to do the resistance band front raise
- How to do the resistance band lateral raise
- How to do the resistance band overhead press
Last reviewed June 2026.