If your shoulders are achey during your press-heavy workouts, you might be in dire need of a better warmup routine. Especially since the shoulders are such a delicate joint, it pays to give them some extra attention before heading over to the weight rack or bench station.
Move beyond the standard arm circles and band pull warmup with this five-move series from Athlean-X trainer Jeff Cavaliere, C.S.C.S. The routine, which he calls “The Fluid Five,” is designed to hit all three heads of your deltoid (the front, mid, and rear delts) while taking the shoulder joints through all three planes of motion. Even if you’re only going to be pressing in the sagittal plane, your shoulders will be the better for it.
All you need for the routine is a weight plate. Remember this is a warmup—you should probably leave the bigger plates on the rack, especially if you’re not as strong or you have preexisting issues with your shoulders. Instead, grab a weight you can move comfortably; the goal is to feel better after running through the series, not wiped out from the work before you even start your first working set.
The Fluid 5 Shoulder Warmup Series
- Plate Halos
Perform 8 reps clockwise, 8 reps counterclockwise
Cavaliere says this is such a great movement because it warms up your rotator cuffs by taking your shoulders through external rotation.
- Plate 8s
Perform 8 reps
This exercise takes you into the frontal plane.
- Plate Shovels
Perform 8 reps per side
“Make sure to lean forward a bit to ensure the focus is shifter to the rear delts,” says Cavaliere. “Get that plate up and over the shoulder like you’re throwing dirt to get some added work for the rotator cuff.”
- Plate Pressouts
Perform 8 reps
When you bring this movement into the equation, you begin priming your shoulders for the elevated arm position you’ll use in many shoulder-focused exercises, according to Cavaliere.
- Rocking Pressouts
Perform 8 reps
Don’t be afraid to create some momentum during this exercise.
Want even more shoulder-strengthening work? Check out this warmup series, which uses a resistance band. Then, you’ll be ready to crush your next shoulder-building workout feeling better than ever.
Brett Williams, NASM
Brett Williams, a fitness editor at Men’s Health, is a NASM-CPT certified trainer and former pro football player and tech reporter who splits his workout time between strength and conditioning training, martial arts, and running.
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