Isometric shoulder adduction works the muscles that draw the arm in toward the middle of your body, mainly the big chest muscle (pectoralis major), while the arm stays still. With the working arm raised in front of you and the elbow bent, your other hand pushes the inside of that elbow outward and the working arm holds against it. You set the pressure yourself, which makes it a gentle way to start loading these muscles.

How to do the isometric shoulder adduction

Stand or sit up tall with the working arm by your side. Bend the elbow to a right angle so the forearm points straight ahead, and keep your shoulders relaxed.
Lift the upper arm forward to the height your physio has asked for. In the video the elbow comes up in front of the chest and the forearm points upward.
Bring your other hand across and place it on the inside of the working elbow.
Push the elbow outward with that hand while the working arm resists, so nothing moves. Keep the forearm facing straight ahead, without letting it tip in toward your face.
Keep your neck long and breathe steadily through the hold, then ease off gradually and lower the arm.

What you should feel

Effort across the front of the chest and the front of the shoulder on the working side.

Common mistakes

Letting the arm get pushed out, or pulling it across your body, instead of holding it still.
Letting the forearm turn in toward your face.
Shrugging or tensing the neck as the press builds.
Holding your breath.

How often

A common range is 5 to 10 presses, each held for 5 to 10 seconds, once or twice a day. Start with a light press and build up. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

A sharp pain or a catch in the shoulder or near the armpit as you press.
Pain, pins and needles or numbness spreading down your arm or into your hand.
Pins and needles in your arm or hand that do not go away after you stop, or part of your arm or hand goes numb. Get medical advice the same day. If one side of your face or body suddenly goes numb or weak, or your speech becomes slurred or muddled, call emergency services, even if it goes away.
A sudden pop or tearing feeling in the shoulder that brings sharp pain, new weakness or trouble lifting the arm. Stop and contact your surgical team the same day, or get medical advice the same day if you have not had surgery.
The shoulder feels as if it has slipped out of place, looks a different shape or suddenly locks so you cannot move the arm, or your hand turns cold, pale or blue. Go to an emergency department straight away, without driving yourself, and do not try to put the shoulder back in yourself.

From the clinic

Because your own hand supplies the push, you can ease off the moment the shoulder complains. Build the pressure up over several days, and only if the shoulder stays settled. The voice guide says you can sit or stand, and the video shows the standing version. If you have high blood pressure, breathe steadily through every hold and never hold your breath.

Holds like this often sit alongside isometric shoulder abduction and isometric shoulder internal rotation early in a shoulder program. When the holds are easy and pain free, the chest press with band gets the same muscles moving against resistance.

After shoulder surgery, including a rotator cuff repair, or after a shoulder fracture or dislocation, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and do only the movements and range they have cleared. Many plans allow only passive movement at first, where the arm is moved for you and its muscles stay relaxed. Raising the arm and pressing against your hand are both active work, so ask whether resisted holds are on your plan yet.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Isometric shoulder adduction