If you’re looking for better posture, improved back health and stronger shoulders, start with wall angels. Simple but effective, this posture exercise is often recommended by trainers and physiotherapists to improve shoulder mobility, strengthen the upper back and reinforce good form for bigger lifts.
They’re also sometimes known as “V to W” exercises because of the shape your arms make as you move up and down. “With wall angels, there is nowhere to hide,” says celebrity trainer Ramona Braganza, best known for sculpting Hollywood bodies such as Jessica Alba. “It’s less about brute strength and more about mobility, coordination and control.
“This is one of my favorite exercises,” Braganza adds. “It’s simple but powerful, and I think more people should include it in their routines.” Here’s what wall angels work, their benefits, and how to do them properly.
What muscles do wall angels work?
The name might sound gentle, but wall angels are tougher than they look as they target the muscles that control and stabilize your shoulder blades. Sliding your arms along the wall engages the middle and lower trapezius (the diamond-shaped muscles running through your upper back and neck), while also recruiting the rhomboids and rotator cuff.
These muscles play a key role in keeping your scapulae (shoulder blades) in the correct position, which is essential for safe pressing and pulling movements in the gym.
Benefits of wall angels
Wall angels complement upper-body training by reinforcing proper scapular positioning. They help keep your shoulder blades depressed (pulled down) and adducted (drawn toward your spine), creating stability for lifts and everyday movements.
“One of the most common forms of poor posture we see is called upper-cross posture,” says Braganza. “This is where the head and shoulders roll forward, often caused by things like computer work, carrying children, or even stress. It can then show up in the gym, where people shrug their shoulders up to their ears, overusing the upper traps and placing pressure on the rotator cuff.
This increases the risk of impingement. Rounding the shoulders forward also pulls the shoulder blades apart, overstretching and weakening the mid-back muscles that should be stabilizing them.”
By strengthening the rhomboids, mid traps and lower traps, wall angels help restore balance across the upper back, relieve shoulder tension and make it easier to sit or stand tall without discomfort.
How to do wall angels
- Stand with your back flat against a wall, feet about 6–8 inches forward
- Engage your core to flatten your lower back into the wall
- Bend your arms to 90 degrees and press your elbows and hands against the wall
- Slowly slide your arms upward until they’re nearly straight overhead
- Lower back to the starting position with control.
Keep your ribs tucked down and avoid arching your lower back. Aim for 2–3 sets of 8–12 slow, controlled reps.
Verdict: This is what happened when I did 100 wall angels every day for 30 days
As a busy fitness journalist, personal trainer and mum of two, I carry a lot on my shoulders — literally. After a month of wall angels, I noticed an immediate improvement in my posture. I was more aware of standing tall and pulling my shoulders back, which made me feel like the weight of the world was no longer resting on them.
The move also gave me a boost in the gym. I felt stronger and more confident during back workouts, engaging my shoulder blades more during barbell pulls and seated cable rows. This extra activation translated into better results — and zero shoulder tension or hunching.
Wall angels also became my go-to remedy after long workdays or travel. They take less than two minutes, and the best part is that there’s a wall pretty much everywhere. Whenever I caught myself slumping, I’d stand against a wall, roll my shoulders and reset with a few reps.
Did I get funny looks? Absolutely. The move looks easy, but when I had clients try it, they found it surprisingly humbling and loved the opening, engaging feeling it created. Some even had to ask to regress the move to floor angels, a variation performed lying on your back on a yoga mat.
I must say that wall angels are now a permanent part of my routine as a simple but powerful exercise that helps bulletproof my back and improve posture as I get older. It’s never too early to protect your body before wear and tear sets in or gravity pulls everything forward.
Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
More from Tom’s Guide
Back to Yoga Mats
