Reverse Snow Angel

How to perform the Reverse Snow Angel

1. Lie face down with your arms straight down alongside your thighs, palms facing down and chest lifted slightly off the floor.
2. Raise the arms a few inches off the floor and keep them elevated for the entire sweep so tension stays on the mid-traps and rear delts.
3. Sweep both straight arms out to the sides and overhead along the floor plane in a wide arc, like drawing a snow angel while prone.
4. Rotate the palms as needed so the thumbs lead upward at the top, reaching the hands toward each other above the head.
5. Reverse the arc, sweeping the arms back down along the same wide path to the sides of the thighs while keeping them hovering.
6. Keep the movement slow and continuous with the arms never resting on the floor, controlling both directions of the sweep.

Suggested working range: 12–20 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Common mistakes

• •Letting the arms rest on the floor during the sweep, which drops the tension off the mid-traps and rear delts.
• •Rushing the arc with momentum instead of moving the straight arms slowly and continuously.
• •Bending the elbows and shortening the sweep rather than keeping the arms long through the whole arc.
• •Confusing it with the swimmer by moving legs, when this is a purely upper-back arm sweep along the floor.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in a related movement if equipment, recovery, or progression demands it.