Mike Reinold – Inner Circle – How to Improve Overhead Shoulder Mobility

Mike Reinold – Inner Circle – How to Improve Overhead Shoulder Mobility

Today I’m going to show you a new drill to help clean up your overhead shoulder mobility.

I train people with various backgrounds every day. Time and time again, I see people struggling to achieve a healthy overhead position.

Why Do You Have Poor Shoulder Mobility?

Whether it’s years of poor lifting, poor posture or simply neglecting a lack of range of motion, this wreaks havoc on your shoulders.

I also see similar mobility restrictions in many kettlebell lifters. When you perform overhead lifts such as Turkish Get Ups, kettlebell presses, snatches, and clean and jerks, it’s very easy to “complete the task” using subpar mechanics. Often you’ll see people hyperextending their lumbar spine to achieve the overhead position.

Here’s the problem, when you do this, you’re robbing Peter to pay Paul. When you hyperextend your lumbar spine, you are basically borrowing mobility from your low back just to complete an overhead task. This is a recipe for low back pain and is absolutely not a safe way to lift.

Here is an overhead shoulder mobility drill that will help you achieve a better overhead position.

The beauty of this drill is that it locks down your lumbar spine in a slightly flexed position so you cannot borrow mobility from your low back.

MOBILITY TIP! When possible, try to perform mobility drills that enable you to stabilize one area so you can mobilize another. This helps you eliminate unwanted moving parts and will hopefully allow you to target the area in which you’re trying to gain range of motion.

Here’s the progression from the video:

1. Start in the prayer position and perform several line oscillations like in the video.

2. Move your hand up on top of the Swiss ball and perform some more oscillations.

3. Place your hand directly on top of the Swiss ball with your elbow locked out. Press down hard on the ball for :5. You should feel your lats waking up when you do this. After you press down, perform some light oscillations for about :15 to :25.

Perform 3 to 5 sets of this on both shoulders.

After you perform this drill, you will need to cement this new found range of motion. This is a perfect opportunity to perform some Turkish Get Ups, overhead walks with a kettlebell or some seated wall slides.

Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Looking for more mobility drills to improve your shoulder mobility? Check out this recent Mobility Monday video with a simple and unique way to improve your overhead shoulder mobility by just using a cage and your own bodyweight. This drill is excellent for opening up your lats, hips, obliques, triceps and pecs.