{
  "$schema": "https://openexercise.org/schema/v0/exercise.json",
  "aliases": [
    {
      "text": "Wall Angels",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Standing Wall Angel",
      "kind": "common"
    }
  ],
  "anatomy": {
    "muscles": [
      {
        "muscle": "trapezius-lower",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "trapezius-middle",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "rhomboids",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "infraspinatus",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "deltoid-posterior",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "rectus-abdominis",
        "role": "stabilizer"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "pectoralis-minor",
        "role": "stretched"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "pectoralis-major",
        "role": "stretched"
      }
    ],
    "joints": [
      {
        "joint": "scapulothoracic",
        "actions": [
          "upward-rotation",
          "downward-rotation",
          "retraction",
          "depression"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "glenohumeral",
        "actions": [
          "abduction",
          "adduction",
          "external-rotation"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "thoracic-spine",
        "actions": [
          "extension",
          "isometric-stabilization"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "lumbar-spine",
        "actions": [
          "isometric-stabilization"
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "classification": {
    "modalities": [
      "mobility",
      "rehabilitation",
      "flexibility"
    ],
    "movement_patterns": [
      "mobility-drill"
    ],
    "mechanics": "compound",
    "force": "not-applicable",
    "kinetic_chain": "open",
    "laterality": "bilateral",
    "planes": [
      "frontal"
    ],
    "contraction": [
      "dynamic"
    ],
    "level": "beginner"
  },
  "equipment": {
    "required": [
      [
        "wall"
      ]
    ]
  },
  "external_ids": {
    "wger": "1679"
  },
  "id": "oec:wall-angel",
  "instructions": {
    "setup": [
      "Stand with your back flat against a wall, placing your feet roughly a half-step away from the baseboard with slight knee flexion.",
      "Press your sacrum, upper back, and the back of your head firmly against the wall.",
      "Bring your arms into a 'goalpost' or 'W' position with elbows bent at 90 degrees, aiming to place the backs of your elbows, forearms, and wrists flat against the wall."
    ],
    "steps": [
      "Brace your core to ensure your lower back does not excessively arch off the wall.",
      "Slowly slide your arms upward along the wall toward an overhead 'V' or 'Y' shape, keeping contact with your elbows and hands as long as comfortable.",
      "Pause briefly at the top of your pain-free range of motion without letting your ribs flare.",
      "Slowly pull your elbows back down and in toward your ribs, squeezing your shoulder blades down and back to finish the repetition."
    ],
    "breathing": "Inhale as you slide your arms overhead; exhale as you pull your elbows down toward your ribs while keeping the core braced.",
    "cues": [
      "Keep your ribs pulled down and flat against the wall.",
      "Slide the backs of your hands, not just your elbows.",
      "Move only as high as you can maintain wall contact without pain."
    ],
    "common_faults": [
      {
        "fault": "Excessive lumbar extension (arching the lower back) to force the arms flat against the wall.",
        "correction": "Engage the abdominals to posteriorly tilt the pelvis slightly, keeping the low back relatively close to the wall."
      },
      {
        "fault": "Elbows or wrists peeling away from the wall during the upward slide.",
        "correction": "Only slide up as far as you can maintain good form; stop and reverse direction before your arms break contact."
      },
      {
        "fault": "Shrugging the shoulders upward toward the ears during overhead movement.",
        "correction": "Keep active depression and upward rotation by drawing the shoulder blades smoothly around the ribcage rather than hiking the upper traps."
      }
    ],
    "safety": {
      "precautions": [
        "Do not force wrist or shoulder contact if you experience shoulder impingement or anterior capsule pain; work within a comfortable, pain-free range."
      ],
      "spotter": "not-needed"
    }
  },
  "measurement": {
    "load": {
      "kind": "bodyweight"
    },
    "profiles": [
      {
        "required": [
          "reps"
        ],
        "optional": [
          "tempo"
        ]
      },
      {
        "required": [
          "duration"
        ]
      }
    ],
    "records": {},
    "reps_counted": "total"
  },
  "name": "Wall Angel",
  "previous_ids": [
    "oec:wall-angels"
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "generated": [
      "/name",
      "/summary",
      "/classification",
      "/anatomy",
      "/equipment",
      "/measurement",
      "/instructions",
      "/setup",
      "/relations"
    ],
    "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0",
    "review": {
      "status": "machine-generated",
      "model": "gemini-3.8-flash",
      "at": "2026-10-31"
    },
    "sources": [
      {
        "title": "wger: Wall Angels",
        "url": "https://wger.de/en/exercise/1679/view-base",
        "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0",
        "author": "bbayuwega"
      }
    ]
  },
  "relations": [
    {
      "type": "substitute-for",
      "target": "oec:wall-slide"
    },
    {
      "type": "variation-of",
      "target": "oec:wall-slide"
    },
    {
      "type": "regression-of",
      "target": "oec:prone-snow-angel"
    },
    {
      "type": "substitute-for",
      "target": "oec:prone-snow-angel"
    }
  ],
  "setup": {
    "position": "standing",
    "stance": {
      "kind": "parallel",
      "width": "hip"
    }
  },
  "status": "active",
  "summary": "A standing mobility drill performed against a wall to enhance scapular upward rotation, shoulder mobility, and thoracic spine alignment."
}