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Exercises

Shoulder mobility warm-up: 7 minutes to get your arms overhead

Published October 24, 2026

For a shoulder mobility warm-up, do 2 minutes of battle rope slams, 20 seconds of arm circles each way, 8 plate halos each direction, 10 dumbbell pullovers, 5 kettlebell windmills per side and 20 seconds of bear crawl. That is about 7 minutes. Before overhead lifts, add 2 to 3 lighter sets of your first press or squat.

  1. Arm Circles Shoulders
  2. Plate Halo Shoulders
  3. Dumbbell Lat Pullover Lats
  4. Kettlebell Windmill Abs, Shoulders
  5. Bear Crawl Abs, Shoulders
  6. Landmine Rotational Press Shoulders, Abs

Step 1: warm up (2 minutes)

Battle rope slams lift the arms overhead on every rep while raising your heart rate.

Raise: overhead cardio

Battle Rope Slam

Shoulders, Lats, Abs

Every slam starts with your arms reaching overhead, so you warm up and open the shoulders at the same time.

How to do it

  1. Hold both rope ends, feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Raise both arms together overhead, then bring them down to slam the ropes.
  3. Use an easy rhythm with full arm reach rather than maximum force.

Cues

  • Reach tall, then slam
  • Breathe out on the slam

Common mistakes

  • Short, choppy arm motions: use the whole range overhead.

Swap for: Battle Rope Wave, Jumping Jack

Build a session with Battle Rope Slam

Step 2: circles

Arm circles and plate halos take the shoulder around its whole range under control.

Mobility: circles

Arm Circles

Shoulders

Small to big, both directions.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your arms straight out to the sides.
  2. Draw small circles forward, then let them grow bigger over 10 to 15 seconds.
  3. Reverse direction and repeat.

Cues

  • Small to big
  • Ribs down

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the shoulders to your ears: keep the neck long.

Swap for: Plate Halo, Band Pull-Apart

Build a session with Arm Circles

Mobility: halo

Plate Halo

Shoulders

Circles a light plate around your head, moving the shoulder blades and joints.

How to do it

  1. Hold a light plate by its sides in front of your chest.
  2. Circle it around your head, close to your skull, keeping your elbows up.
  3. Change direction each rep or after each set.

Cues

  • Plate close to your head
  • Ribs stay down

Common mistakes

  • Arching your back to get the plate around: lighten the plate and brace.

Swap for: Arm Circles, Kettlebell Windmill

Build a session with Plate Halo

Step 3: overhead range

The pullover opens the lats, which limit how far your arms go overhead. The windmill holds a weight overhead while your body moves under it, and the bear crawl loads the shoulders in a new position.

Mobility: overhead reach

Dumbbell Lat Pullover

Lats

Tight lats are a common reason arms don't go fully overhead; this opens them.

How to do it

  1. Lie with your upper back across a bench and hold one dumbbell over your chest with both hands.
  2. Lower it in an arc behind your head with a slight bend in the elbows until you feel the stretch along your sides.
  3. Pull it back over your chest with the same arm angle.

Cues

  • Elbows soft and fixed
  • Ribs stay down

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows more on the way down: keep the arc wide.

Swap for: Kettlebell Pullover, Straight-Arm Pulldown

Build a session with Dumbbell Lat Pullover

Mobility: overhead stability

Kettlebell Windmill

Abs, Shoulders

Holds the arm overhead while the hips and spine move.

How to do it

  1. Press a light kettlebell overhead in one hand and point your feet about 45 degrees away from it.
  2. Push your hips out toward the bell side and slide your free hand down the inside of your front leg.
  3. Keep your eyes on the bell and the arm vertical, then stand back up.

Cues

  • Arm stays vertical
  • Hips push out sideways

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees and squatting: keep the hinge in the hips.

Swap for: Plate Halo, Landmine Rotational Press

Build a session with Kettlebell Windmill

Mobility: loaded shoulders

Bear Crawl

Abs, Shoulders

Weight on the hands warms the shoulders, wrists and core.

How to do it

  1. Get on hands and toes with your knees bent and hovering an inch above the floor.
  2. Crawl forward by moving the opposite hand and foot together in small steps.
  3. Keep your hips low and your back flat, then crawl backward.

Cues

  • Knees hover
  • Opposite hand and foot

Common mistakes

  • Hips rising high: keep them level with your shoulders.

Swap for: Walkout, Plank Shoulder Tap

Build a session with Bear Crawl

Mobility: rotation and press

Landmine Rotational Press

Shoulders, Abs

Turns and presses at once, a good primer for throwing and overhead work.

How to do it

  1. Hold the end of a landmine bar at one hip, feet wide.
  2. Turn your hips and pivot your back foot as you press the bar up and across.
  3. Return to the hip and repeat.

Cues

  • Hips turn first
  • Pivot the back foot

Common mistakes

  • Pressing with the arm alone: let the hips start the rep.

Swap for: Landmine Press, Kettlebell Windmill

Build a session with Landmine Rotational Press

Step 4: ramp-up sets

Ramp up your first overhead lift.

First main lift

Kettlebell Overhead Press

Shoulders

One arm at a time lets each shoulder find its own path overhead. Two ramp-up sets with a lighter bell.

How to do it

  1. Clean a kettlebell to the rack position at your shoulder.
  2. Press it overhead until the arm is straight and the bicep is near your ear.
  3. Lower it back to the rack.

Cues

  • Elbow under the bell
  • Biceps by the ear

Common mistakes

  • Leaning away from the bell: brace and squeeze the glutes.

Swap for: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Landmine Press

Build a session with Kettlebell Overhead Press

First main lift

Barbell Overhead Squat

Quads

The most demanding overhead position. Start ramp-up sets with an empty bar.

How to do it

  1. Hold a bar overhead with a wide grip and arms locked.
  2. Squat down while you keep the bar over your mid-foot.
  3. Stand back up with the bar still locked out.

Cues

  • Push up into the bar
  • Bar over mid-foot

Common mistakes

  • Bar drifting forward: use an empty bar or a dowel until your shoulders allow it.

Swap for: Front Squat, Goblet Squat

Build a session with Barbell Overhead Squat

First main lift

Landmine Press

Shoulders

Pressing up and forward at an angle loads the shoulders hard without needing full overhead range.

How to do it

  1. Hold the end of a landmine bar at your shoulder, standing in a slight split stance.
  2. Press the bar up and forward until your arm is straight.
  3. Lower it back to your shoulder.

Cues

  • Press up and forward
  • Ribs down

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back: stay stacked over the front foot.

Swap for: Kettlebell Overhead Press, Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Build a session with Landmine Press

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Kettlebell press day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets16 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentBattle Ropes, Barbells, Kettlebells

You press kettlebells overhead.

Circles and the windmill prepare the overhead position, then two ramp-up sets.

Press day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Battle Rope SlamSeconds. 2 × 30 5 15 s
Arm CirclesSeconds each way. 1 × 20 5 0 s
Plate HaloEach direction. 1 × 8 4 0 s
Kettlebell WindmillPer side. 1 × 5 4 0 s
Kettlebell Overhead Press2 warm-up sets firstPer arm. 3 × 6–10 2 90 s
How to run it
Warm-up, then the press.
How to progress
Add reps up to 10, then go up one bell size.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Overhead squat or snatch day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets16 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentBattle Ropes, Dumbbells, Barbells

You do overhead squats or Olympic lifts.

Pullovers and bear crawls open and load the shoulders, then three ramp-up sets starting from an empty bar.

OHS day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Battle Rope SlamSeconds. 2 × 30 5 15 s
Dumbbell Lat Pullover 1 × 10 4 0 s
Plate HaloEach direction. 1 × 8 4 0 s
Bear CrawlSeconds. 1 × 20 4 0 s
Barbell Overhead Squat3 warm-up sets first 3 × 3–5 2 2 min
How to run it
Warm-up, then the squat.
How to progress
Add weight in small jumps when all sets reach 5 reps at 2 reps in reserve.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Shoulders pinch overhead

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets16 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Landmine

Pressing straight overhead feels tight today.

More range work and a landmine press instead of a vertical press.

Landmine day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Arm CirclesSeconds each way. 1 × 20 5 0 s
Dumbbell Lat Pullover 2 × 10 4 15 s
Landmine Rotational PressPer side. 1 × 6 4 0 s
Bear CrawlSeconds. 1 × 20 4 0 s
Landmine Press2 warm-up sets firstPer arm. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
How to run it
Warm-up, then the landmine press.
How to progress
Add reps up to 12, then add a plate.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What does mobility mean in a warm-up?

Moving your shoulders through the range the session needs, with control. For overhead lifts that means getting your arms straight overhead without arching your back.

How long should a shoulder mobility warm-up take?

Five to eight minutes, then ramp-up sets of your first lift.

Should I stretch my shoulders before lifting?

Use moving drills like circles, halos and pullovers before you lift. Long static holds fit better at the end of the session.

Why can't I get my arms fully overhead?

Often tight lats or a stiff upper back. Pullovers open the lats; if pressing straight up still pinches, the landmine press works at an angle you can load.

Is a mobility warm-up enough before pressing?

Not on its own. Ramp-up sets of the press itself are the last step, because they rehearse the lift at rising weight.