How to do the Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch
Step by step
- Bring one arm straight across the front of your body at chest height.
- Use the other hand to gently draw it closer, holding above the elbow.
- Keep your shoulders down and relaxed, avoiding a shrug.
- Breathe and hold, then switch arms.
The thing people get wrong
Pull from above the elbow, never across the joint itself, and keep the shoulder down instead of shrugging up.
Coaching cue
Keep the stretched arm straight and relaxed and let the other hand do all the work.
Stay safe
If you feel a pinch in the front or top of the shoulder, lower the arm a few inches.
Muscles worked
- Primary: Side delts
- Secondary: Upper Back
What to do instead
Same job, different movement — useful if you don't have the equipment or it doesn't feel right today.
Daily Coach builds this into a real weekly plan. It picks the exercises for your equipment and experience, swaps around injuries you tell it about, and tracks what you actually lifted.