Lying on your stomach with your upper body slightly raised, feet shoulder-width apart, arms bent beside your body (hands at head height - palms facing inwards or downwards - W position), stretch your arms out diagonally forwards as an extension of your body and bend them back to the starting position.
Attention:
Do not lower your upper body and arms completely.
Lighten:
Lower your upper body/arms after each repetition or every now and then.
Harden:
Additional weight on the arms/in the hands.
Note:
The position of the hands is important for the target muscles and the position of the joints.
Palms facing down (pronated grip) = muscle activation: emphasizes the upper trapezius and the external rotators of the shoulder (e.g., infraspinatus, teres minor) / shoulder position: shoulders are more externally rotated / advantage: good posture correction, strengthens the back of the shoulders / disadvantage: can be uncomfortable or restrictive if you have shoulder problems.
Palms facing each other (neutral grip) = muscle activation: activates the middle trapezius, rhomboids, and rear deltoid muscles more strongly / shoulder position: less external rotation, easier on the joints / advantage: often more comfortable for the shoulder joints, better control / disadvantage: less targeted external rotation if that is the goal.
When to choose which: Shoulder health/rehab = neutral (palms facing each other)/focus on external rotators = pronated (palms facing down)/improve posture = both options are useful/keep movement pain-free = neutral is preferable.
Conclusion: The hand position during the W extension influences which parts of the shoulder muscles are used more and how stressful the movement is for the shoulder joints. Both variants are useful – depending on the goal or how it feels, both can be used (or even alternated during training).
