Top 5 Shoulder Exercises for External Rotation

Shoulder exercises for external rotation are meant to workout the external rotation muscles of your shoulders.

Including these exercises in your routine will keep your rotator cuffs healthy, improve your posture, strengthen your infraspinatus muscles as well as improve your overhead lifting and reaching.

The infraspinatus muscle and the other external rotator muscles of the shoulder can be strengthened to boost performance and reduce the risk of injury. Strengthening the infraspinatus muscle can prevent shoulder injuries and pain when lifting overhead.

Below we will discuss some of the best shoulder exercises for external rotation that you can do. You can also check out these home workouts for strong shoulders.

Best Shoulder Exercises for External Rotation

1) Side Lying Dumbbell External Rotation

This is one of the best shoulder exercises for external rotation that you can do.

Instructions:

Lay on your side on the floor.
Place a dumbbell in the hand on the opposite side of your body, and lie on your back with your elbow propped up on a small towel or a block at a right angle to the floor.
Raise the dumbbell as high as you can towards the ceiling without letting your elbow move away from your body by externally rotating at the shoulder.
Return the weight to the starting position, perform the specified number of repetitions, and then switch sides.
As there is less of a risk of impingement in this position, it is ideal for beginners or those recovering from an injury.

Exercising your shoulders will help you protect the range of motion of your shoulders (Image via Pexels @Karolina Grabowska)

2) Seated External Rotation

The second exercise in our list of shoulder exercises for external rotation is the seated external rotation, and it is quite simple to perform.

Instructions:

Take a seat on the floor with both your legs extended in front of you.
Keep your right leg straight, and your left knee bent, with your left arm resting on your bent knee.
Your elbow should be positioned so that it is facing the inside of your bent knee.
Take a dumbbell in left hand and move into the starting position to begin the exercise.
Raise the load gradually to your shoulders.
Put an end to the movement before your arm becomes perpendicular to the floor.
Bring yourself back down to the starting position slowly.

3) Standing Cable External Rotation

The third exercise in our list of shoulder exercises for external rotation is the standing cable external rotation.

Instructions:

Parallel to the cable machine, stand with your sides touching it.
You should position the cable so that it is at or slightly below the level of your forearm when your elbow is bent to a 90-degree angle.
Maintaining a neutral spine and tight core, with your shoulders set back, grab the cable with your outside hand, pull it across your body, and return to the 90-degree elbow position.
If you want to rotate your forearm across your body, you should do so by externally rotating at the shoulder while keeping your elbow and upper arm tucked in as close to your body as possible (there may be some movement).
Proceed slowly backward, completing the desired number of repetitions before switching sides.

4) Standing Banded Row

The standing banded row is one of the best shoulder exercises for external rotation that will work on your shoulder stability, external rotation, scapular retraction, and shoulder extension.

Instructions:

Place the band around the pole.
Position the band so that it is at chest level.
Take hold of the band with your underhand grip, just a hair narrower than shoulder width.
Take a few steps backward while maintaining a straight arm position until there is some tension in the band.
Assume a stance typical of athletes.
Pull the band so that it is a little bit looser, and bring it closer to your belly button.
Hold for a full half a second.
Proceed cautiously in the direction of the starting position.

Along with external shoulder rotation exercises, you should also perform internal shoulder rotation exercises (Image via Pexels @Karolina Grabowska)

5) Prone Lying Shoulder Combo

The fifth exercise in our list of shoulder exercises for external rotation is the prone lying shoulder combo. This is a somewhat advanced exercise, so perform it with caution.

Instructions:

Position yourself face down on a tall bench with your arms hanging straight down.
With the elbows kept perpendicular to the floor and the upper arms in line with the upper back, a 'T' shape is formed by retracting the shoulder blades and rowing the arms up until the humerus is parallel to the floor.
Keep your upper back and shoulders tight as you externally rotate your upper arm at 90 degrees, bringing your forearm and upper forearm parallel to the floor.
Lock your arms out to the side, then press them out until they are at shoulder height.
Repeat the motion in reverse until you reach the starting position, and then switch sides and repeat.

This sequence of actions is really beneficial. In addition to strengthening the external rotators, working the rear deltoids and upper back (lower traps and thoracic extensors) is a great way to enhance posture.

However, you shouldn't use this exercise until you've mastered the previous four shoulder exercises for external rotation, as they're all much easier when compared.

Takeaway

Shoulder exercises for external rotation are in general quite advanced, so you should start off with bodyweight exercises, moving on to a resistance band, and then a weight of 1-4 kilos will suffice. These muscles are quite small, and working on their endurance will give you better results than increasing the weight. Also check out these best gym workouts for bigger shoulders.