Shoulder-friendly exercises

Leg, glute and core exercises that do not load the shoulder, to keep training if you have tendinitis, a rotator cuff injury or shoulder pain.

The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body, which also makes it one of the most sensitive. Rotator cuff tendinitis, shoulder impingement or a previous dislocation can make almost any upper-body exercise uncomfortable: presses, rows, pulldowns, pull-ups and even planks.

While your shoulder recovers, you can keep your routine focused on what does not involve it: legs, glutes and much of your core. Leg machines, the hip thrust, the leg curl and many floor or machine ab exercises do not require holding weight with your arms.

The list shows the exercises in our catalog that do not load the shoulder according to our classification. To get back to upper-body training, a physical therapist can tell you which movements and ranges are safe for you.

64 exercises do not load this joint.

Lower body

Quads

• Barbell back squat
• Goblet squat
• Hack squat
• Smith machine squat
• Leg press
• Leg extension
• Walking lunges
• Jump squat
• Box jump

Glutes

• Reverse lunge
• Bulgarian split squat
• Box step-up
• Kettlebell swing
• Machine hip thrust
• Barbell hip thrust
• Floor glute bridge
• Cable glute kickback
• Quadruped glute kickback

Hamstrings

• Conventional deadlift
• Romanian deadlift
• Barbell good morning
• Leg curl (seated or lying)
• Nordic hamstring curl

Abductors

• Hip abduction machine
• Seated banded abduction
• Side-lying leg raise
• Clamshell

Adductors

• Hip adduction machine
• Standing cable adduction

Calves

• Standing calf raise
• Seated calf raise
• Leg press calf raise

Upper body

Biceps

• Barbell curl
• Biceps curl (machine or seated dumbbell)
• Hammer curl
• Cable curl

Triceps

• Cable triceps pushdown
• Skull crusher

Core

Abs

• Machine crunch
• Standing cable crunch
• Floor crunch
• Reverse crunch
• Dead bug
• Lying leg raise
• Flutter kicks
• Scissor kicks
• Single-leg lowering
• Hollow body hold
• Tabletop crunch
• Toe touch crunch

Obliques

• Bicycle crunch
• Heel touches
• Machine torso rotation
• Pallof press
• Russian twist

Lower back

• Back extension

Cardio

Cardio

• Stationary bike
• Recumbent bike
• Elliptical
• Rowing machine
• Incline treadmill walk
• Stair climber
• Treadmill running
• Jump rope

If you have an injury, pain or a medical condition, check with a professional before doing this exercise.