The A-triangle was my solution to getting more scapular depression in athletes who have a tough time moving out of the shrugged and protracted position. With conventional pull-apart exercise, it's sometimes easy to cheat when the user finds it difficult to pull the shoulder blades back and down.

By forcing the arms to pull both back and to the sides, we found that the humerus would move back easier and the shoulder blade would also depress with less difficulty. These are hard, and even a mini-band is often too difficult. Micro bands or light Theraband tubing is often the correct amount of resistance.

I usually lump this as a pull-apart variation, but it deserves special attention as an all-around great exercise.

It works to help bring the shoulder blades back and down, stretch tight pecs and anterior delts, and fire up the external rotators of the cuff. These are one of the absolute best bang-for-buck postural exercises.

Sets and Reps

These exercises are best performed at higher repetitions and volumes. Try 3-5 sets of 12-20 reps.

These also work great as active rest between compound exercises or as a warm-up or cool-down. The lack of needing significant equipment means these are also simple wake-up exercises that can be done after brushing your teeth.