Build strong, supple shoulders using this 1 move — I’ve taught weightlifting and mobility for years, and it rarely fails

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Try the martini glass press-down

Up close image of male topless showing muscles
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The martini glass press-down sounds too sexy for a move that essentially torches your shoulders. This mobility exercise builds strength and suppleness in your shoulders while testing your mobility to the maximum. Sadly, it doesn’t involve liquor, but it does involve making your shoulders far more stable, and that’s pretty sexy…right?

I use this move as a warm-up exercise for overhead presses, overhead squats, reverse presses, and lat pulldowns — it rarely, if ever, fails me — but you could use it as a standalone exercise with or without load.

I will caveat this by saying it isn’t anyone’s idea of fun, but if you have stiff shoulders, go easy and stop if you experience sharp or pinching pain. With patience and time, you’ll see marked improvements in your shoulder movement, which translates to other weightlifting exercises and even daily activities like holding something over your head. Let’s look at how you do it, and why.

How to do a ‘martini glass’ press-down

I like to use a PVC bar for this move, but you could use anything from a broom handle to an Olympic bar — it just needs to be pole-like so that you can position it horizontally overhead. That said, I've seen resistance bands used, although you'll have to focus on pulling the band apart to initiate movement, which creates more tension, but doesn't replicate the relaxed grip we're looking for.

How:

  • Stand with your bar horizontal in both hands and press it overhead
  • Position your feet hip-width apart, engage your core muscles and stand tall without arching your back or leaning
  • Turn your palms up so that the bar rests across your hands, but you are not gripping it. Walk your hands outward until you form a martini glass shape with your arms, palms flat
  • Take a deep breath. As you inhale, bend your elbows and begin to lower the bar behind your head, squeezing your shoulder blades together as you draw the bar down behind you
  • Lower as far as you can, pause, then exhale as you press the bar overhead and extend both elbows
  • Try 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps.

Overhead resistance band press

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Naturally, your body will fight this movement pattern, as it won’t feel natural within your mechanics to move the bar behind you and keep your back straight. The most common mistake I see is pressing the hips forward and excessively leaning backward, or jutting the head forward to make space. Try to relax your hands and shoulders and focus on drawing your elbows downward toward your hips while squeezing both shoulders together.

Shoulder health is crucial at any stage of life, whether you enjoy lifting heavy weights or not. For that reason, mobility and stretching will help you increase range of motion, strength, stability, and flexibility to help safeguard these extremely mobile joints against injury.

Moving your shoulder blades into depression (a downward motion) and retraction (drawing together) is important for posture and safe shoulder positioning; you'll do both during this exercise.

The martini glass move is challenging, so don't worry too much about how far you can lower the bar and focus on initiating the movement using the steps above; the range of motion should come eventually.

If you enjoy heavy weightlifting and often find yourself performing exercises that involve maintaining weights overhead, especially moves like presses and overhead squats, this one is for you. That said, I use this exercise with my 72-year-old dad, and it benefits him just as much with his sticky shoulders.

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Sam Hopes
Sam Hopes
Fitness Editor and Coach

Sam Hopes is a level 3 qualified trainer, a level 2 Reiki practitioner and fitness editor at Tom's Guide. She is also currently undertaking her Yoga For Athletes training course.

Sam has written for various fitness brands and websites over the years and has experience across brands at Future, such as Live Science, Fit&Well, Coach, and T3.

Having coached at fitness studios like F45 and Virgin Active and personal trained, Sam now primarily teaches outdoor bootcamps, bodyweight, calisthenics and kettlebells.

She also coaches mobility and flexibility classes several times a week and believes that true strength comes from a holistic approach to training your body.

Sam has completed two mixed doubles Hyrox competitions in London and the Netherlands and finished her first doubles attempt in 1:11.

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