Develop stronger shoulders with the YTL exercise

Hey lovely,

The YTL exercise has been one of the most useful additions to my own training, for shoulder strength, stability, and range of motion.

I’ve been doing it three times a week as a warm-up before workouts, and the difference has been significant. Better shoulder strength, more stability, better range.

Why this exercise

Before adding YTLs into my routine, I always struggled with the “T” position, that arms-out-to-the-side position where you’re trying to pinch your shoulder blades together. Since I started doing them weekly, I can now perform that movement without any range-of-motion problems.

The exercise is simple: each letter (Y, T, and L) represents a position your arms form with your body. You can do them standing, or, if you prefer, lying face-down on a slightly inclined bench.

How to do it properly

A few non-negotiables for getting the benefit and not wrecking your form:

• Keep your core engaged the entire time. No flopping.
• Keep your torso at the same angle, don’t let it move as you change positions.
• Pinch your shoulder blades together at the top of each rep. This is the whole point.

The protocol I use

• 10 reps of each letter (Y, then T, then L)
• 2–3 rounds total
• Use as a warm-up before any upper body workout

Start with no weight, or very light dumbbells (1–2kg max). The target is the small stabilising muscles, not the big movers. If you load it heavy, the wrong muscles take over and you defeat the purpose.

Why it matters

This is the kind of exercise that targets the little muscles most people ignore. Done consistently, it transfers into pretty much every upper-body movement you do, pressing, pulling, carrying, throwing. Better shoulder mechanics make everything else feel better.

If you’ve been dealing with stiff shoulders, sore traps, or you just feel like your upper body never quite warms up properly, this is worth the five minutes.

Any questions, get in touch, you know where I am.

Go get it.

Steph x