mobility
Upper-Body Mobility
shoulders · upper back · chest
bodyweight · beginner
How to do it
- 1Arm circles: ten small circles forwards, growing to big ones, then ten backwards.
- 2Arm swings: open your arms wide, then hug across your chest. Ten, at an easy pace.
- 3Open book: lie on your side with knees bent and arms out in front. Sweep the top arm over to the other side, following it with your eyes, then bring it back. Six each side.
- 4Cat-cow: on hands and knees, slowly round your back up, then let it sag as you lift your chest. Eight times.
What to think about
- Keep moving rather than holding. Each rep goes a little further than the last.
- It should feel like loosening up, not like work.
What usually goes wrong
- Rushing it until it turns into flailing.
- Holding positions — that is what the cool-down is for.
Worth knowing
- If a shoulder pinches, make the circle smaller rather than pushing through it.
What the cautions rest on
The safety points above come from these, not from house opinion.
- Before lifting, warm-ups that move through range are preferred to long held stretches; held stretches belong after the session.
- Stretching improves range of motion; it does not meaningfully reduce muscle soreness in the days after training.
Who checked this
Nobody qualified has. These are standard coaching points and ordinary gym safety, written down: how to set the thing up, what to control, and when to stop a set. They are not a clinical opinion and no physiotherapist or strength coach has read them back. If they disagree with somebody who can actually see you lift, believe that person.