External Shoulder Rotation

Teaching points

• Lay on your side on a bench with the knees bent and a dumbbell in the upper hand
  
  
• Bend the elbow to a right angle and keep the upper arm supported on your side and the dumbell hovering in front of you, just above the bench
  
  
• Rotate the shoulder to pull the lower arm and dumbbell up so they are level with the top side of your body
  
  
• Slowly return to the starting position

Variations & progressions

• Perform laying on your back with the shoulder abducted to 90 and the elbow bent to 90 so the hand points to the ceiling
  
  
• Rotate the shoulder joint so that the hand moves backwards and the palm faces up to the ceiling

Muscles worked

• Infraspinatus
  
  
• Teres minor

Alternative exercises

• External rotation with a resistance band

Related injuries

• Shoulder Impingement
  
  
• Dislocated Shoulder