I discovered wall angels shortly after I realised that reaching down to pick something up off the floor made me groan. Now in my 40s, my back feels stiffer than when I was younger, and my desk job has me worried that I'm getting a 'hump' for a while, but this was eye-opening.
As someone who stays fit with a varied exercise routine, from Pilates ring exercises to callisthenics for beginners, I knew I had missed something off the list. It was time to bring my back, shoulder, and neck mobility up to scratch.
Wall angels are perfect for this, as I learnt after speaking with the experts. As one of the best back exercises, it forces you to engage your scapula (the real name for the shoulder blades) and correct your poor posture in one easy way.
What are wall angels?
Wall angels are an exercise that focuses on posture and mobility, done standing and leaning against a wall. They’re also sometimes known as ‘V to W’ exercises because of the position of your arms during the up and down movement.
They involve sliding your arms up and down the wall slowly from the V-shape above your head down to a W near your shoulders.
Osteopath Anji Gopal, from the BackCare Foundation, says she finds wall angels useful when working with clients because the wall "gives us instant feedback on how the body is positioned”. “We get used to rounded shoulders, through work and phones and life, so it can be helpful to lean against the wall to remember what not hunching feels like,” she explains.
It's also an excellent way to check your range of motion, says PT, Pilates instructor, and London fitness coach Fiona Kavanagh. "With wall angels, there is nowhere to hide."
It’s easy to do 10 reps between work calls or while you’re waiting for something to cook, and you can fit them in a couple of times a day if necessary.
How to do wall angels
- Stand with your heels about 15 to 20cm away from the wall, with your buttocks, back, shoulders, and head touching the wall.
- Keeping your knees 'soft', try to maintain a neutral spin.
- Bring your belly button towards your spine, holding your ribcage against the wall and your lower back slightly away from it.
- Tuck your chin to your chest, and try to keep the back of your head against the wall.
- Bring your arms up into a V above your head, with the backs of your hands touching the wall.
- Bend your elbows and slide your hands down the wall until they are just above your shoulders while inhaling.
- Hold your arms in this position for a count of 5.
- Exhale, and slide them up to a V again.
- Aim for five to 10 repetitions.
Floor alternative to wall angels
If you have trouble with this position for any reason, you can do floor angels instead. As the name suggests, this is the same movement but on a thick yoga mat instead of against a wall.
Here's how to do it:
- Lie on your back, knees and elbows bent.
- Slide your arms upwards until your hands meet overhead or as close as possible.
- Take a breath in and out.
- On the exhale, bring your arms back down as far you can, making a 'W' shape with your head between your arms.
What are wall angels good for?
1. Relieving tension in the upper back
"By gently mobilising the shoulder blades, wall angels help release tension in the upper back and shoulders," says Rebecca Dadoun, a certified Pilates teacher and the founder of Pilates Prescription.
This is especially helpful for those of us who work hunched over a desk. She explains that they won’t “fix” back pain, but “they do create more space and movement in commonly stiff areas”.
2. Boosts scapula control
Wall angels “help you reconnect to the muscles that stabilise your shoulder blades,” says Dadoun. She says this will improve your posture and support healthier movement patterns.
“It’s less about building brute strength and more about coordination and control,” she explains.
Better scapula control could also help you master other resistance training exercises, as most - including deadlifts, chest presses, and pull-ups - need some back engagement.
“They bring awareness to alignment, gently engaging postural muscles so your body relearns how to hold a more upright, supported position,” says Dadoun.
3. Stretches out the back muscles
Wall angels also stretch other muscles in the upper body, including the chest and muscles on the front of the shoulder.
For those who love an upper-body dumbbell workout or similar, this exercise can be an effective way to loosen up muscles that become tight and shortened through exercises like the bench press.
4. May boost strength
If you're new to working these muscles, you may find that wall angels are all you need to start building strength as it'll be a challenge you're not accustomed to.
Gopal says once you've mastered your technique and improved your posture, you can add dumbbells and kettlebells, or resistance bands, to work your muscles even harder.
5. Improves core strength
Wall angles might be a back exercise, but they are also one of the better core exercises to do at home.
“Connecting the movement pattern with the breath will naturally help with core connection, leading to a stronger core," says Kavanagh.
Your core muscles need to stay strong to keep your trunk stable, which is another reason why these exercises can be so effective.
How often should you do wall angels?
The experts agree that wall angels can be done every day without issue for most people. “While the benefits will differ from one client to the next, I recommend these to be done daily, especially if they have a very physical job, or are sedentary," says Kavanagh.
"Anyone who spends a great deal of time in a hunched-forward position, like a desk worker, content creator, or beautician, would benefit immensely from adding daily wall angels."
The brilliant thing about them, Gopal adds, is that "there's a wall pretty much everywhere, so if you notice you're slumping or hunching, stand up, stand against a wall, roll those shoulders, and stand up."
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