Shoulder Dislocate
Stand tall holding a sturdy band with a wide grip in front of you. Keeping your arms straight, take it in a big arc over your head and down behind you until your hands are level with your hips, then bring it back the same way. Your grip is wide enough that you get through the whole arc without pain.
The shoulder dislocate takes your shoulders and arms through a big arc: up in front, over your head and down behind your body. Your shoulder blades rotate with it, and as your arms reach the back you feel a stretch across your chest and the front of your shoulders.
All you need is a sturdy band. The width of your grip sets how demanding it is.
From the studio: When I first assess people, I often see them only just getting the band over their head. The long-term goal I set is this width: stretch one arm straight out to the side and rest the other hand on your breastbone; the distance between your hands is the grip to aim for. Anyone who gets through comfortably at that width usually already has very good shoulder mobility. That is what I see in the studio.
Starting position
Take a sturdy band and hold it with your hands well outside shoulder width. Stand tall with your arms straight and the band held lightly taut across the front of your thighs.
Now, keeping your arms straight, slowly raise the band up in front of you, over your head and down behind you until your hands are roughly level with your hips. The last part, behind you, is the hardest. Then bring it back along the same arc to the front.
Start with a hand width that lets you move comfortably through the whole arc with your arms straight. Over time, bring your hands closer together in small steps.
The three cues
- Arms fully straight
- Grip wide enough to get through without pain
- Narrow your grip in small steps over weeks and months
Common faults
| Fault | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| Your elbows bend to get through | Widen your grip until your arms stay straight through the whole arc. |
| You force your way through pain | Widen your grip and only go as far as feels comfortable. |
| Your grip is too narrow at the start | Begin with a width that lets you reach behind you without any trouble. |
| You try to narrow your grip too quickly | Bring your hands closer in small steps over weeks and months. |
| Your lower back arches to make room | Stand tall with your core lightly braced and let the movement come from your shoulders. |
Variations
| Variation | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Wide grip | Grip wide enough to reach behind you comfortably with straight arms. |
| Full arc, steady pace | From the front over your head to behind you and back, arms straight, no pain. |
| Narrower grip | Bring your hands closer in small steps over weeks and months. The long-term target is roughly the distance from one hand stretched out to the side to the other hand resting on your breastbone. |
Reps and load
Move slowly and smoothly through the whole arc with straight arms. You progress by gradually narrowing your grip, in small steps over weeks and months.
It fits well into your warm-up before overhead work, such as the Kneeling Dumbbell Arnold Press, and pairs well with the Facepull in a shoulder session.
Which muscles do the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| Delts M. deltoideus | Prime mover | Raise your straight arms up in front of you and over your head, then control them down behind you |
| Rotator cuff Mm. supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis | Stabiliser | Keeps the ball of your upper arm centred in the socket and turns your upper arm outwards as your arms pass behind you |
| Serratus anterior M. serratus anterior | Synergist | Rotates the shoulder blade upwards as your arms go overhead |
| Traps M. trapezius | Synergist | Help rotate your shoulder blades upwards as your arms go overhead and draw them back together as your arms reach behind you |
| Triceps M. triceps brachii | Stabiliser | Keeps your elbows straight through the whole arc |
| Core M. rectus abdominis, Mm. obliqui abdominis | Stabiliser | Keeps your ribcage steady so your lower back stays in line |
In the shoulder dislocate your upper arm and shoulder blade work together: the delts guide your arms while the serratus anterior and traps rotate the shoulder blade along with them. As your arms reach behind you, your chest and the front of your shoulders are stretched.
Explained in full
Andreas shows the shoulder dislocate from the side and from behind and explains how to find the right hand width and progress over weeks. · 1:43
Seeing it done right is not the same as doing it right
Video, cues and variations take you a long way. What they cannot give you is an outside eye at the moment the movement isn't quite there yet. That is what training with me is for — in the studio or in a workshop.
See the workshopsNew exercise pages are added all the time — the newsletter keeps you posted.
Sources
Ludewig PM, Phadke V, Braman JP, Hassett DR, Cieminski CJ, LaPrade RF. (2009). Motion of the shoulder complex during multiplanar humeral elevation. J Bone Joint Surg Am 91(2):378–389. DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.G.01483 — Used bone pins in 12 people without shoulder complaints to measure how the collarbone, shoulder blade and upper arm move as the arm is raised. As the arm rises the shoulder blade rotates upwards and tilts back, and the collarbone lifts and rotates backwards. The basis for describing the shoulder blade moving with the arm and for listing the serratus anterior and traps. There is no study of the shoulder dislocate itself. Small sample, age not given in the abstract. (Evidence type: Kinematics)
Kebaetse M, McClure P, Pratt NA. (1999). Thoracic position effect on shoulder range of motion, strength, and three-dimensional scapular kinematics. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 80(8):945–950. DOI: 10.1016/s0003-9993(99)90088-6 — 34 healthy people (average age 30) raised their arm while sitting upright and while slumped. Slumped, active arm elevation was 23.6° smaller and the shoulder blade tilted back less. The basis for doing the exercise standing tall. A young sample; the mechanical link plausibly carries over but has not been measured in people aged 40 to 60. (Evidence type: Kinematics)
Konrad A, Alizadeh S, Daneshjoo A, et al. (2024). Chronic effects of stretching on range of motion with consideration of potential moderating variables: a systematic review with meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci 13(2):186–194. DOI: 10.1016/j.jshs.2023.06.002 — 77 studies: regular stretching increases range of motion with a moderate effect; static and PNF stretching gave more than dynamic or ballistic stretching, and age did not change the effect. The basis for progressing over weeks and months. Not specific to the shoulder, and this exercise is more dynamic, so the page promises no particular gain. (Evidence type: Meta-analysis)
Borstad JD, Ludewig PM. (2005). The effect of long versus short pectoralis minor resting length on scapular kinematics in healthy individuals. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 35(4):227–238. DOI: 10.2519/jospt.2005.35.4.227 — 50 healthy people grouped by the resting length of the pectoralis minor: with a short muscle the shoulder blade stayed more tilted forward as the arm was raised. An association, not proof of cause, and no evidence that the shoulder dislocate stretches the pectoralis minor. Andreas' explanation in the video (a short pectoralis minor pulls the shoulder forward, and this movement stretches it) is therefore not in the page text. Age not given in the abstract. (Evidence type: Observational)
A note on context: EMG studies show which muscles an exercise recruits — that is a good reason to pick it, but it does not replace adjusting things to the person in front of you. See a doctor for persistent or severe pain.