
Image credit: CrossFit
Shoulder Dislocations are a dynamic stretch exercise. They stretch your chest, shoulder & upper-back muscles dynamically. If you have slouching shoulders & flaring shoulder-blades, shoulder dislocations can fix your posture.
But you can also perform shoulder dislocations pre-workout to warm-up your upper-body muscles & joints. Here’s how to do shoulder dislocations.
What You Need For Shoulder Dislocations. I use a broomstick. Never use a barbell for shoulder dislocations. It’s too heavy, you could injure yourself. Full list of what you can use for shoulder dislocations:
- Broomstick
- PVC Pipe
- Mini Flex Band
- Rope
Shoulder Dislocations Video. I use a narrow grip & go fast. Don’t imitate me the first time you do them. I practiced for months before getting to this point. Start with a wide grip & take it slowly.

Shoulder Dislocations Technique. Reach back with the broomstick. You’ll feel a stretch in your chest. Keep going until the the bar hits your back/hips. Squeeze your shoulder-blades. Come back up. Repeat for 3 sets of 10 reps.
- Wide Grip. Start with the widest grip you can use. Switch to a narrow grip as your upper-body mobility improves.
- Lock Your Elbows. Keep your arms straight from start to finish. Widen your grip if you can’t keep your elbows locked.
- Squeeze Your Glutes. This prevents hyper-extension of your lower back which puts pressure on your vertebrae.
- Chest Up, Shoulders Back. Make a big chest & keep it up. Pull your shoulder-blades back & down.
When to Do Shoulder Dislocations. The more you do shoulder dislocations, the better you’ll become at them. If you have tight upper-body muscles, I advise you to do shoulder dislocations daily.
- Pre-Workout. 3 sets of 10 reps pre-workout to lubricate your joints & warm-up your upper-body muscles.
- Daily. If you have slouching shoulders & flaring shoulder-blades do 3 sets of 10 reps daily to improve your posture.
Common Errors. Quality matters, not quantity. You’ll progress faster if you do shoulder dislocations correctly from the start.
- Bending Your Elbows. You lack upper-body mobility. Use a wider grip & tighten your triceps.
- Arching Your Back. Hyper-extending your lower back puts posterior stress on your vertebrae. Avoid this by squeezing your glutes.
- Limited Range of Motion. If you can’t reach behind your head/against your hips, your grip is too narrow. Widen your grip.
