Shoulder Adductors
Exercises that target the shoulder adductors, grouped by whether they stretch or strengthen it.
The shoulder adductors are the muscles that bring the arm down and in toward the body — chiefly the latissimus dorsi, teres major, and the lower fibers of pectoralis major. They power pulling-down and pulling-in movements.
When this group is tight it limits how freely the arms can reach overhead and can tilt the rib cage and increase arching in the low back during overhead tasks. That restriction often shows up as an inability to raise the arms fully without compensating.
They respond to overhead lat and side-body stretches, paired with scapular control work so the shoulder blade rotates smoothly. See the shoulder and thoracic exercises.
