Front line release

Wall angel

Back against a wall, slide the arms from a W to a Y without losing contact. This lengthens the chest and shoulder fascia that hours of screens quietly shorten.

How to do it

1. 01Stand with your back against a wall, feet a few inches out, low back gently near the wall.
2. 02Bend the elbows into a W, backs of arms and hands touching the wall as much as they can.
3. 03Slide the arms slowly up toward a Y, keeping as much wall contact as possible.
4. 04Slide back down to the W; eight slow rounds, ribs staying soft the whole time.

Mistakes that waste your reps

• ×Flaring the ribs and arching the back to fake a bigger range.
• ×Forcing the wrists to the wall by shrugging the shoulders up around the ears.
• ×Moving fast; the slide should feel like spreading something thick.

Where this comes from

Discomfort that eases as you move is normal; pain that sharpens is a stop sign. If this area is injured or persistently painful, a clinician outranks this page.

Written by Kyle Jenkin · updated August 31, 2026 · how we grade evidence

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