Shoulders · Shoulder and posture care
Wall Slide
The Wall Slide mainly trains your upper back and rear delts. Also working: side delts.
Bodyweight
Stable
How to do it
- Back, glutes and back of your head against the wall, feet one foot-length in front of it
- Arms in a U: elbows and backs of your hands as close to the wall as possible
- Slide your arms slowly upward, ribs stay down
- Return to the U and pull your shoulder blades back and down
Coach’s tip
Looks harmless and shows right away how mobile your upper back and shoulders are. Only go as high as your arms stay on the wall: a little further every week. No arching: your lower back stays on the wall.
Setup
Grip
Back against a wall or the frame, arms in a U
Load
Bodyweight
You need
Nothing extra
Stability
A bench, the floor or the frame takes the counterforce, or the cable pulls straight up or down. Good for heavy sets.
Alternatives
Other exercises for the same movement (shoulder and posture care). In DCFT you can swap with one tap, and the app only offers what your equipment allows.
Questions about this exercise
What muscles does the Wall Slide work?
Mainly the upper back and rear delts. The side delts help.
What can I do instead of the Wall Slide?
For the same movement: Cable External Rotation, Posture Row with Chin Tuck and Cable Serratus Punch. In DCFT you swap with one tap.
DCFT
The Wall Slide in DCFT
In the app this exercise comes with your weight: the plate to pin, what you lifted last time and a rest timer that starts by itself.
Free on the App Store for iPhone. Pro is a one-time purchase with no subscription.