Upper back exercise
Wall AngelHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Upper back, Rear delts
- Also works
- Traps
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Wall Angel?
- Stand with your back against a wall, feet a little out from it, knees slightly bent.
- Press your head, upper back and bottom gently into the wall.
- Put the backs of your arms on the wall in a "W" shape, elbows bent and palms forward.
- Slide your arms up the wall as high as you can while keeping them touching it.
- Slide back down to the "W", pulling your elbows towards your sides, and repeat.
Cues
- Arms stay on the wall.
- Ribs down, back still.
- Shoulders down, away from your ears.
Common mistakes
- Arching your back to reach higher: stop where your back starts to lift.
- Arms coming off the wall: slide only as high as you can keep contact.
- Shrugging at the top: draw your shoulder blades down first.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Standing with the back against a wall in a shallow knee bend, backs of the elbows, forearms and wrists on the wall, sliding the arms from a low "W" up to a high "Y" and back down without losing contact. This is the standard physiotherapy version (Physitrack; New England Spine Institute sheet); the shallow knee bend makes it easier for beginners to keep the back on the wall.
Starting position
Feet shoulder width, heels 45–60 cm out from the wall. Buttocks, upper back and back of the head touch the wall; the lower back keeps a slight natural curve (a flat-hand gap). Chin level. Arms in a "W": upper arms about 45° out from the sides, elbows bent about 90–100°, backs of the elbows, forearms and wrists flat on the wall, palms facing forward.
The movement
Gently draw the shoulder blades back and down, then slide both arms up the wall together, straightening the elbows as the hands rise, until the arms form a high "Y" overhead. Stop earlier if a wrist or elbow starts to leave the wall. Pause, then slide back down to the "W", pulling the elbows in towards the sides. Path: the hands and elbows trace arcs flat on the wall plane. Head, ribs, lower back and legs stay still.
Breathing
Breathe out as the arms slide up, in as they come down.
Tempo
One rep, 5 s: 2 s slide up, 1 s pause at the top, 2 s slide down. Real sets: 10 reps.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Contact points held throughout: back of head, upper back, buttocks, backs of elbows and wrists.
- Lower back gap stays the same (about a hand's thickness); ribs do not flare.
- Knees about 30–40° flexion, still.
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Wall Angel is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
