Lying Around The World
Lying Around The World Exercise Description
Lying Around the World is a prone, bodyweight shoulder movement that trains controlled scapular motion and posterior shoulder strength. You’ll sweep straight arms in a wide arc while keeping a neutral spine and steady ribcage, emphasizing scapular retraction and depression. Primary work targets the middle and lower trapezius, rhomboids, and posterior deltoids, with the rotator cuff stabilizing the glenohumeral joint. The goal is smooth, pain‑free range with consistent external rotation and no shrugging. This drill reinforces overhead mechanics by coordinating the shoulder blade and upper arm, building awareness you can carry into presses, pulls, and daily reaching tasks.
- Muscle Groups: Back, Delts, Shoulders, Traps
- Target Muscles: Deltoid - Posterior, Rhomboid Major, Rhomboid Minor, Trapezius - Lower Fibers, Trapezius - Middle Fibers
- Assisting Muscles: Latissimus Dorsi, Teres Major
- Stabilizing Muscles: Infraspinatus, Subscapularis, Supraspinatus, Teres Minor
- Body Area: Upper Body
- Body Parts: Back, Mid Back, Shoulders, Upper Back
- Body Surface: Back
- Body Symmetry: Bilateral
- Equipment: Bodyweight
- Exercise Patterns: Other
- Exercise Type: Strength
- Functional Grouping: Scapular Depressors, Scapular Retractors, Shoulder Extensors
- Joint Involvement: Multi-joint
- Muscle Location: Lower Traps, Mid Traps, Rear Shoulder, Upper Back
- Movement Direction: Other
- Muscle Position: Posterior
- Gender: Female
How To Do The Lying Around The World Exercise
‘- Lie prone on a mat with legs long, forehead on a folded towel, neck neutral, ribs gently down.
– Set the shoulders: draw shoulder blades slightly down and toward the spine without lifting the chest.
– Extend arms overhead in a wide “Y,” elbows straight, thumbs pointing up (external rotation).
– Reach long through the fingertips and hover hands just off the floor.
– Inhale; on a smooth exhale, sweep the arms outward to a “T,” then continue toward the hips, maintaining straight elbows and thumbs up as range allows.
– Keep shoulders down away from ears; avoid arching the low back or letting the ribcage lift.
– Briefly squeeze the shoulder blades when the hands are near the hips.
– Reverse the same arc back to the overhead “Y” with control, keeping the movement slow and even.
– Use a comfortable, pain‑free range; stop the arc before any pinching or shrugging appears.
Lying Around The World Tips
‘- Keep your neck neutral with your forehead resting on a towel and ribs gently drawn down.
– Before moving, set your shoulders by drawing the shoulder blades slightly down and toward your spine without lifting your chest.
– Maintain straight elbows and thumbs pointing up (external rotation) throughout the entire arc.
– Reach long through your fingertips and hover your hands just off the floor instead of resting them down.
– Sweep your arms from “Y” to “T” to hips on a smooth exhale, keeping the motion slow and even.
– Keep your shoulders down away from your ears; avoid letting them shrug up as you move.
– Prevent your low back from arching or your ribcage from lifting as the arms sweep.
– Briefly squeeze your shoulder blades together when your hands are near your hips.
– Reverse the same wide arc back to the overhead “Y” with controlled, steady motion.
– Stay in a comfortable, pain‑free range and stop the arc before any pinching or shrugging starts.
Lying Around The World Beginner Introduction
Lying Around the World is a floor-based, bodyweight shoulder exercise that highlights control through the upper back and shoulder blades. The body rests face down while the arms move in a large circular path from an overhead “Y” position, out to the sides, then down toward the hips and back again. Throughout this sweeping motion, the spine and ribcage remain quiet so the movement centers on how the shoulder blades glide and rotate on the ribcage rather than on arching through the back.
This pattern places steady work on the mid and lower traps, the muscles between the shoulder blades, and the back of the shoulders, while smaller stabilizers around the shoulder joint support the action. The emphasis is on smooth, even motion without tension creeping into the neck. By syncing arm movement with controlled shoulder blade motion, this drill reinforces healthy overhead patterns that translate to pressing, pulling, and everyday tasks that involve reaching up, out to the side, or behind the body.