Shoulder Circles
A combination drill that mobilizes the shoulders through circles, then reinforces good positioning with wall slides.
Also called: arm circles, shoulder rolls
Setup
Stand with your arms relaxed at your sides for the circles, then move to stand with your back against a wall for the slides.
How to do Shoulder Circles
- Circle your arms slowly forward, then backward, gradually increasing the size of the circles.
- Move to the wall, pressing your arms into a goalpost position against it.
- Slide your arms up and down the wall, keeping contact throughout.
- Repeat for the target number of reps.
Coach's notes
Keep the movements slow and controlled. If the wall slide feels tight, work in a smaller range and build up gradually.
Shoulder Circles muscles worked
Shoulder Circles work the shoulders and upper back.
Pairs well with
Around the World
Circling a light weight around the head or body — shoulder mobility and control through a full circle of positions.
Prone Y-T-W Raise
Lying face down and raising the arms through Y, T, and W positions — a shoulder and upper back exercise that hits multiple angles in one movement.
Reverse Snow Angel
Lying face down and sweeping the arms like a snow angel — strengthens the upper back and rear shoulders with just body weight.
Thread the Needle
Sliding one arm under the body from all fours into a gentle twist - opens the upper back and shoulders after long runs or desk days.
Illustrations: Exercise data by RepDB (repdb.co)