Intermediate

Sleeper Stretch

The sleeper stretch is the classic drill for restoring internal rotation lost to overhead throwing and pressing. Lying on the arm pins the shoulder blade so the stretch reaches the deep posterior cuff rather than leaking into the scapula. Go gently, it should feel like a firm stretch behind the shoulder, never a sharp pinch.

Equipment
Body Weight
Body part
Shoulder
Type
Stretching
Browse by muscle
Infraspinatus
Muscles worked
Target
Infraspinatus
Secondary
Deltoid Posterior

How to do it

  1. 1

    Lie on your side with the bottom arm out in front, elbow bent 90 degrees and upper arm in line with the shoulder.

  2. 2

    Let your body weight pin the shoulder blade to the floor.

  3. 3

    Use the top hand to gently press the bottom forearm down toward the floor.

  4. 4

    Stop as soon as you feel a stretch behind the shoulder.

  5. 5

    Hold 30 seconds, release slowly, then roll to the other side.

Tips

  • Apply pressure lightly; the posterior cuff responds to gentle, not forceful, stretching.
  • If you feel a pinch at the front of the shoulder, back off and lower the arm angle slightly.
  • Keep the neck supported on a pillow or your outstretched arm.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The torso rolls back so the shoulder blade lifts off the floor, and the movement you feel is the blade sliding rather than the joint rotating; stay stacked on the side with the chest a touch forward.
  • The elbow slides forward of the shoulder as the forearm is pressed down, so pressure goes into the front of the joint instead of the tissue behind it.
  • The top hand presses on the wrist rather than the forearm, which bends the wrist and leaks the force before it ever reaches the shoulder.
  • The bottom shoulder aches from lying on it and people read that as the stretch; what you want is a firm pull behind the joint, not pressure underneath it, so slide a folded towel under the ribs.
  • Only the throwing or pressing side gets stretched, which is often reasonable, but test the other side anyway, because the difference between them is how you know whether anything is changing.

Frequently asked

How long should you hold the sleeper stretch, and how often?
Thirty seconds, two or three rounds per side, daily or before any overhead work. This one answers to frequency rather than force, so short and often beats one long hard session. Progress by the forearm resting a little lower at the same gentle pressure over weeks. Stop for the day if the front of the shoulder pinches at any point rather than working around it, and lower the arm angle slightly next time.
How do I make the sleeper stretch easier or harder?
To make it easier, roll slightly back off the shoulder so gravity does less, lower the upper arm a few degrees toward your ribs, and put a folded towel under the torso so the shoulder is not taking your weight. A cross-body shoulder stretch standing up is a gentler substitute on a sore day. To make it harder, guide the forearm a little further down, hold for forty-five seconds, or push the forearm up into your hand for five seconds, relax, and then let it settle lower.
What is the sleeper stretch good for, and when is it the wrong tool?
It restores internal rotation at the shoulder, the range that throwing and heavy pressing tend to take away, and lying on the arm pins the shoulder blade so the stretch reaches the deep tissue at the back of the joint instead of leaking into the scapula. It is the wrong tool if what limits you is overhead reach, which usually sits in the lats or mid-back, and the wrong tool if the front of the shoulder is the painful structure, because forcing internal rotation there makes matters worse.

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