Arm & Shoulder Warm Up Exercises

Stretching and loosening up the shoulders and arms before exercise can help prepare the muscles and tendons for activity and may reduce the chance of injury. Some people skip stretches and warm ups because it takes too much time, but even a few quick and simple exercises can be beneficial.

  1. Shoulder Circles

    • Shoulder circles are a basic stretch and loosening exercise that can be done prior to physical activity or as a periodic exercise while sitting at a computer to keep the neck and shoulders from getting stiff. To begin, sit erect with good posture and allow several inches of space between your back and any surface behind you. Shift your shoulders forward, while keeping your back and chest in the same position, and slowly roll the shoulders up, then back, and down, making a circular motion. Roll the shoulders in this manner a few times, then reverse the direction and roll them back in the other direction.

    Shoulder Pull Across

    • The shoulder pull across is a standard arm stretch that can be done before lifting, or exercises that strain the arm like pitching a baseball. To begin, sit or stand with your back straight and extend one arm out in front of you. Move the arm across your chest, and then use your free hand to grab the arm at the triceps and pull it further across the body, deepening the stretch. The stretching arm should remain extended throughout the exercise. Make sure not to pull on the arm so hard that you cause pain; stretching should cause mild discomfort but never pain. Hold the stretch for 20 seconds, and then switch to the other arm.

    Triceps Shoulder Stretch

    • The shoulders can move in a very wide range of motion, so it is useful to stretch them a few different ways to keep the joint flexible in different directions. To do a triceps and shoulder stretch, raise one arm straight up over your head. Next bend the arm at the elbow, allowing the hand of the arm to drop down behind your head to the back of your neck. Take your free hand and cup the elbow that is pointing upward and gently apply pressure downward to stretch the triceps and shoulder. As the stretch deepens, your hand will travel further down your back. An alternative for those with good arm and shoulder flexibility is to take your free hand off the elbow and slip the forearm of the free arm behind the back in order to join the fingers behind the back. Use the fingertips to pull the arms closer together and deepen the stretch. Either way, hold the stretch for about 20 second and do the same for the other arm.