Lying Around The World (Side POV)

Lying Around The World (Side POV) Exercise Description

Lying Around the World is a prone shoulder-control drill that moves your arms through a large, circular arc without external load. Performed face down, it emphasizes smooth scapular motion and coordinated glenohumeral rotation while you keep a neutral spine. Primary involvement is the posterior deltoids, rotator cuff (especially the external rotators), and the middle and lower trapezius with assistance from the rhomboids. The goal is to hover the arms off the floor and maintain scapular depression and retraction as you sweep from overhead to your sides and toward your hips, then reverse. Use a comfortable, pain‑free range and focus on consistent tension and precise control rather than height or speed.

Muscle Groups: Back, Delts, Rotator Cuff, Shoulders, Traps
Target Muscles: Deltoid - Posterior, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor, Trapezius - Lower Fibers, Trapezius - Middle Fibers
Assisting Muscles: Rhomboid Major, Rhomboid Minor
Stabilizing Muscles: Multifidus, Rectus Abdominis, Serratus Anterior, Transversus Abdominis
Body Area: Upper Body
Body Parts: Back, Mid Back, Shoulders
Body Surface: Back
Body Symmetry: Bilateral
Equipment: Bodyweight
Exercise Patterns: Other
Exercise Type: Strength
Functional Grouping: Rotator Cuff Stabilizers, Scapular Depressors, Scapular Retractors, Shoulder Extensors, Shoulder External Rotators
Joint Involvement: Multi-joint
Muscle Location: Lower Traps, Mid Traps, Rear Rotator Cuff, Rear Shoulder
Movement Direction: Other
Muscle Position: Posterior
Gender: Male

How To Do The Lying Around The World (Side POV) Exercise

‘- Lie prone with legs long, forehead on a folded towel, ribs and pelvis neutral.
– Reach both arms overhead in a wide “Y,” elbows straight but not locked, thumbs pointing up.
– Set your shoulders: gently pull shoulder blades down and slightly together; keep neck long.
– Hover hands an inch off the floor without shrugging or arching the low back.
– Sweep the arms out to a “T” and continue toward your hips; as you pass the “T,” rotate palms so they face the floor, then toward the body (internal rotation) near the hips.
– Lightly touch or hover near the hips with palms facing up, shoulders still down away from ears.
– Reverse the path back to overhead, rotating to palms down, then thumbs up (external rotation) as you pass the “T” and return to the “Y.”
– Keep torso still, ribs down, and breathing steady; movement comes from the shoulders and scapulae.
– Stop before any pinching, pain, or shoulder hiking; maintain a smooth, controlled arc throughout.

Lying Around The World (Side POV) Tips

‘- Keep ribs and pelvis neutral with legs long and forehead supported so your spine stays neutral.
– Reach into a wide “Y” with elbows straight but not locked and thumbs pointing up at the start.
– Gently pull shoulder blades down and slightly together to set the shoulders and keep the neck long.
– Hover hands about an inch off the floor without shrugging or arching your low back.
– As you sweep past the “T” toward your hips, rotate palms to face the floor, then toward your body (internal rotation) near the hips.
– At the bottom position, lightly touch or hover near the hips with palms facing up and shoulders down away from the ears.
– On the return, follow the same arc back to overhead, rotating to palms down, then thumbs up (external rotation) as you pass the “T” back to the “Y.”
– Keep your torso still with ribs down; let the movement come from the shoulders and shoulder blades.
– Use a comfortable, pain-free range and stop before any pinching, pain, or shoulder hiking.
– Emphasize a smooth, controlled arc with steady breathing and consistent tension rather than height or speed.

Lying Around The World (Side POV) Beginner Introduction

Lying Around the World is a bodyweight shoulder-control drill performed lying on the stomach, with the arms moving in a smooth, circular path around the body. The movement traces a wide arc from an overhead “Y” position, out to the sides, and down toward the hips, then returns along the same route. Throughout the motion, the arms stay lightly lifted from the floor while the trunk remains steady, so the action is driven mainly by the shoulder joints and the way the shoulder blades glide along the ribcage.

This pattern challenges the rear shoulders, smaller stabilizing muscles of the shoulders, the traps, and the upper back to coordinate as a team. The emphasis is on fluid shoulder blade motion, gentle yet continuous muscle engagement, and precise arm rotation rather than on speed or how high the hands lift. Used in a comfortable, pain-free range, it serves as a controlled way to explore overhead and behind-the-body arm positions while reinforcing calm breathing and a quietly supported spine.