How many reps of the wall slide should a beginner do?

Eight to ten slow reps for one or two sets, done before overhead pressing or after a long day at a desk, is a solid starting dose. Inch closer to full overhead reach as sessions go by, without ever forcing the arms past honest wall contact.

How do I make the wall slide easier or harder?

Easier: stand a little further from the wall with more knee bend and slide only partway up. Harder: stand closer with the feet nearly under the wall, or pause a few seconds at your highest honest position before sliding back down.

What is the wall slide good for, and when is it not the right drill?

It teaches the lower traps to raise the arms instead of the shoulders shrugging or the ribs flaring, ideal prep before overhead pressing. It is not the right choice if your shoulder is acutely painful overhead, since a wall does not remove load the way a guided rehab regression would.

Beginner

Wall Slide

This is the go-to drill for anyone whose arms flare or whose back arches when they reach overhead. The wall gives instant feedback so you learn to raise the arms with the lower traps rather than by shrugging or ribs-out cheating. Perfect prep before overhead pressing or after a long day at a desk.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Shoulder, Traps
Type: Functional, Stretching
Browse by muscle: Trapezius Lower, Trapezius Middle, Deltoid Middle

How to do it

1
Stand with your back, hips, and head lightly against a wall and the feet a few inches out.
2
Place the backs of the forearms and hands on the wall in a goalpost position at shoulder height.
3
Flatten the low back by drawing the ribs down toward the hips.
4
Slide the arms up the wall as high as you can while keeping wrists, elbows, and back in contact.
5
Reach slightly at the top to feel the shoulder blades rotate up, then slide back down under control.
6
Repeat for smooth reps without letting the low back arch off the wall.

Tips

Losing wall contact at the wrists means you have hit your honest range, so do not force higher.
Keep the chin gently tucked so the head stays on the wall throughout.
Think about pulling the elbows down into your back pockets on the way down.

Variations

Common mistakes

The feet plant too close to the wall, which makes it almost impossible to flatten the low back before the slide even starts.
Skipping the rib-down step at the very start and going straight into the slide leaves the low back arched before the arms move at all.
The elbows drift wide of the goalpost shape as the arms climb, turning the slide into a shrug instead of a controlled glide up the wall.
Racing through the up-and-down slide instead of moving under control skips the moment where you can actually feel the shoulder blades rotate.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the wall slide should a beginner do?: Eight to ten slow reps for one or two sets, done before overhead pressing or after a long day at a desk, is a solid starting dose. Inch closer to full overhead reach as sessions go by, without ever forcing the arms past honest wall contact.
How do I make the wall slide easier or harder?: Easier: stand a little further from the wall with more knee bend and slide only partway up. Harder: stand closer with the feet nearly under the wall, or pause a few seconds at your highest honest position before sliding back down.
What is the wall slide good for, and when is it not the right drill?: It teaches the lower traps to raise the arms instead of the shoulders shrugging or the ribs flaring, ideal prep before overhead pressing. It is not the right choice if your shoulder is acutely painful overhead, since a wall does not remove load the way a guided rehab regression would.

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