Shoulders · Bodyweight
Shoulder - Transverse Extension
How to do the shoulder - transverse extension, 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
- HorizontalPull
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand or sit tall with both arms raised to shoulder height in front of you. Pull both arms back and out to the sides, opening across the chest, and squeeze the shoulder blades together at the end range.
- 1Feel the chest and front of the shoulders open up
- 2Squeeze your shoulder blades together as the arms travel back
- 3Keep your ribs down and core gently braced
Common mistakes
- Do not arch your lower back to push the arms further
- Avoid shrugging the shoulders up toward your ears
- Do not let the arms drop below shoulder height
Muscles worked
The shoulder - transverse extension mainly works the rear delts, with the mid traps assisting.
- Rear DeltsPrimary
- Mid TrapsSupport
- Lower TrapsMinor
- External RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the shoulder - transverse extension 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.