How to Perform Shoulders Dislocations
May 4th, 2007 by Mehdi Tags: Flexibility, Posture
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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.
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OUCH!
I suppose it takes time to be able to get your arms to go that far back?
I will try this.
@Big Jucee
The more you do them, the faster your progress.
It looks painful but it’s actually not that hard. Start out with a super wide grip and a longer stick than what the guy in the video uses. Elbows straight. Work your way up to a shorter and shorter grip. I did these after I had shoulder pain from a suspected inflammation of the supraspinatus tendon.
Looks like a great exercise, I want to work on my shoulder mobility/flexibility because it really stinks at the moment. I want to be able to perform the oly lifts properly and overhead squat. Trouble is, even with a super wide grip, there is no way I can do that. My arms barely get past 180 degrees.
Any advice?
Thanks
@Mike
Keep working at it. Use the widest grip you can, and focus on quality of movement (not quantity). Persist & mobility will improve.
Hi Mehdi,
I had a dislocated shoulder a couple of years back and have recovered now. Do you recommend I start this again?
BTW, Great site you have here.
@Ravi
Thanks. If your shoulder is recovered: sure. Start with a very wide grip & focus on doing the shoulder dislocations correctly.
My shoulder flexibility has improved greatly since I’m doing this exercise. I can grab the bar only two inches from my shoulders now, when a few weeks ago I would complain the powerrack was too narrow!
I heard elsewhere this exercise is recommended for shoulder revalidation and injury prevention as well, so even though my flexibility is good I keep on doing this. Working the rotator cuff is important too, perhaps an idea for an article, Mehdi?
@Jorick
Congraz on the progress. Rotator cuff is where the injury happen, but not necessarily where the problem originates. Bad posture/flaring shoulder-blades/tight pecs cause most rotator cuff injuries.
Will shoulder dislocations strengthen the serratus anterior? I’ve tried training that muscle in the past, but not with good results. Perhaps I will start training it again, more consequently, because my shoulder blades are kind of flaring.
But you’re saying doing specific RC exercises isn’t necessary? Perhaps I will include some OH squats too, if I can withstand the weird looks of of the other gym visitors
@Jorick
No shoulder dislocations don’t strengthen anything. They improve mobility. Scap push-ups will strengthen the serratus. Stretch your pecs too if you have flaring shoulder-blades.
should my shoulders be popping and cracking when i do shoulder dislocations?
I started doing this a month ago because it felt good, and I missed this article somehow. Thanks for correcting my technique.