Lying shoulder flexion is a simple way to practice lifting your arm forward and overhead under your own power. You lie on your back, raise a straight arm up toward the ceiling and carry on until it rests near the floor behind your head, then bring it back. The floor steadies your back and shoulder blades, and once the arm passes upright, gravity helps it along instead of pulling against it, so many people find this easier than lifting in standing.

How to do the lying shoulder flexion

Lie on your back on a mat with your arms resting at your sides and your legs out straight. Bend your knees if your lower back prefers it.
Keep the elbow straight and lift the arm forward and up until it points at the ceiling.
Carry on moving it back over your head, in line with your body, as far as is comfortable. In the video the arm finishes resting on the mat above the head.
Bring it back up over your chest and down to your side at the same slow speed.
Repeat with the same arm. The video shows one arm at a time, so do all your lifts on one side, then swap arms if your program includes both. Lifting both arms together is also fine if your physio suggests it.

What you should feel

Light work at the front of the shoulder as the arm rises, then a stretch under the arm and down the side of the chest as it goes over your head.

Common mistakes

Arching the lower back off the mat as the arm goes overhead.
Bending the elbow to make the lift easier.
Letting the arm flop toward the floor once it passes upright.
Letting the arm drift out to the side instead of staying in line with your body.

How often

Many programs start with 1 to 2 sets of 10 to 15 slow lifts, once or twice a day. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain or a pinching catch in the shoulder as the arm goes overhead.
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

If the arm stops short of the floor behind your head, rest it on a pillow at that point rather than forcing it lower. Keep your ribs down and the small of your back gently in touch with the mat. If you are pregnant and past the first three months, check with your physio before exercising flat on your back.

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. Your own muscles lift the whole arm in this version, so after an operation it usually comes after the passive and assisted stages.

If lifting the arm alone is too much, lying shoulder flexion with a stick lets the other arm help. When this feels easy, lying dumbbell shoulder flexion adds a light weight, and wall slides take the same movement upright.

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.

Lying shoulder flexion