Try these 5 exercises to strengthen your shoulder nerve
What's the story
The axillary nerve is key to your shoulder's strength and stability. It powers the deltoid and teres minor muscles, which let you lift your arm away from your body and rotate it outward. Strengthening the axillary nerve boosts your shoulder game, helps avoid injuries, and amps up your upper body strength. Read on for five awesome exercises to supercharge this nerve!
Rotation
Shoulder external rotation
This exercise targets the teres minor muscle, which is essential for maintaining axillary nerve function. Lie on your side with the bottom arm bent at a 90-degree angle, holding a light dumbbell. Keeping your elbow tucked in, rotate your forearm upward for two feet and then lower it slowly.
Abduction
Side-lying shoulder abduction
Side-lying shoulder abduction particularly targets and strengthens the deltoid muscle, improving axillary nerve function. Lie on your side holding a light dumbbell in your top hand. Keeping your top arm straight, raise it towards the ceiling until it's level with your shoulder, then lower it back down with control. Make sure to isolate the movement to your shoulder joint, avoiding any tilting or rotation of your torso.
Push-up
Wall push-ups
Wall push-ups are a great exercise for working several shoulder muscles at once without putting too much pressure on them. Stand facing a wall with your arms extended and hands flat against it, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend your elbows to lean towards the wall while keeping your feet stationary. Extend your arms to push yourself back to the starting position.
Resistance
Resistance band pull-aparts
This exercise strengthens scapular retraction and protraction, essential for stabilizing shoulder movements mediated by the axillary nerve. Hold a resistance band in front of you at chest level with both hands, arms extended straight outward. Keeping arms straight, pull the band apart by moving hands outward until they're in line with shoulders before slowly returning to start position.
Prone
Prone horizontal abduction
Prone horizontal abduction specifically targets the posterior deltoids while also enhancing shoulder girdle stability—essential for a healthy axillary nerve. Lie face down on a bench or bed with one arm hanging straight down holding a light dumbbell. Keeping the elbow straight and without rotating the wrist, lift the arm out to the side up to shoulder level then lower back down with control.