Rhomboid Pushup for better shoulder positioning
The rhomboid push-up helps improve your shoulder blade positioning, which in turn affects your thoracic and cervical posture. When the muscles between the shoulder blades are functioning correctly, the neck aligns properly over the shoulders with greater ease. However, when the rhomboid muscle isn’t activated properly, the shoulders tend to droop forward and pull the head posture forward with them.
To perform a Rhomboid push-up:
- Start in an “all fours” position, with your arms and legs at 90 degrees. Ensure that your hands are directly under your shoulders and your knees are under your hips. Relax the small of your back into a natural arch and keep your neck relaxed, maintaining a neutral spine position throughout the exercise.
- Slowly bring your torso down by squeezing your shoulder blades together. Keep your elbows slightly bent and pointing back towards your thighs throughout this shoulder blade movement exercise. This exercise is often confused with the cat/cow stretch, where you arch and flex your spine. However, for the rhomboid push-up, all movement should be focused on the shoulder blades sliding on the ribcage, while the spine remains in a neutral position.
- Return to the starting position by pushing your palms down into the ground and allowing the shoulder blades to slide away from each other on the ribcage again.
- Gradually work your way up to performing the exercise for 60 seconds with slow, controlled movements. Repeat this routine three times per day for optimal results.