Seated Shoulder Rolls / Scapular Retraction
A seated scapular squeeze that draws the shoulder blades together without shrugging the shoulders toward the ears.
How to do it
- Sit tall with your feet planted and the elbows bent near the sides.
- Let the shoulders start level and relaxed, not shrugged toward the ears.
- Draw both shoulder blades back and slightly down toward the spine.
- Hold the retracted position briefly without rocking the trunk.
- Release along the same path to the opening pose.
- Repeat the squeeze, keeping the neck long and the elbows at the same angle.
Key technique cue
Blades back and down, shoulders away from the ears; no swaying.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Shrugging the shoulders toward the ears instead of gliding the blades back and down.
- ✕ Rocking the whole torso to fake a bigger squeeze.
- ✕ Straightening the elbows into a row, which turns a scapular drill into an arm pull.
- ✕ Holding the breath during the squeeze.
Benefits
- ✓ Trains the mid-back muscles that pull the shoulder blades toward the spine.
- ✓ Counters the rounded-shoulder posture of desk work.
- ✓ Needs no band or weight, so it fits a chair-based warm-up.
About the exercise
Seated scapular retraction is a compact shoulder-blade squeeze, not a big arm row. Sit tall, elbows bent, and glide both shoulders back and slightly down so the scapulae slide toward the spine. Hold the squeeze, then release to the start. The mid trapezius and rhomboids do the work; the rear delts follow. Shrugging toward the ears hands the job to the upper traps and ruins the drill.
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