This 10-minute routine boosts upper-body mobility and strengthens your shoulders — no, it’s not cat-cow or child's pose

a woman performing standing dumbbell shoulder presses — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Whenever someone tells me they have a tight back or stiff shoulders, I recommend a quick mobility routine to loosen things up, and it's helpful whether you enjoy running, yoga, or lifting weights in the gym.

Strong, open shoulders also contribute to your posture and help reduce upper back pain, so I highly recommend focusing on the muscles in and around your shoulders as well as your hips and glutes.

The best part is, you only need to roll out one of the best yoga mats to cushion your joints, and you don’t need anything else. This short but accessible routine has transformed my shoulder mobility and health — here’s how you do it.

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What is the routine?

You don't need to lift heavy weights for this routine; it's about building stability and range of motion in your shoulders by moving them through different planes of motion under tension and targeting these muscles at different angles to build strength and balance.

I recommend very light weights or even Pilates balls or water bottles; I use a 2kg in the video, but you can even opt for 1kg. Move slowly and with control rather than rushing your reps so that you can really maximize the movements and feel yourself activating the working muscles.

It's about building stability and range of motion in your shoulders.

Aim for 8-10 reps per exercise per side, working one side of your body through the whole routine, then the other. If you need to, take a brief rest between exercises, but no more than 10 seconds. Take a short rest after you complete the moves on one side, move to the opposite arm, and complete 3-4 sets total.

You may feel a gentle burn in the shoulders, but you shouldn't feel as though you can't lift the weight or complete the given reps; if that's the case and you can't go any lighter with the load, reduce the reps.

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1. Shoulder openers

Openers focus on outward rotation as you move your weight away from your midline. If you have very tight shoulders, you'll know straight away, as you won't be able to open your forearm very far, which will limit your range of motion. This is quite intense for your shoulders, so only move as far as your body allows.

It's crucial to keep your shoulder pulled back and down before you begin, essentially setting the shoulder in place. Once you've done this, keep your elbow pulled in close to your side next to your hip and avoid letting it travel away from your body at any time. As you reach your end range, your elbow will try to move, but don't let it.

If you hunch over or sit for long periods, exercises like the shoulder opener are top-tier to have on standby because they help open the shoulders and undo the effects of prolonged sitting. Consider this an "anti-desk" exercise.

2. Shoulder sweeps

Sweeps hit the lateral deltoid, which means the medial shoulder head. Hold your weight with your palm facing forward, keep a soft bend in your elbow, then arc the dumbbell from your hip to an overhead position. Keep your shoulder pulled down away from your ear and focus on a controlled sweep up and down.

Unlike lateral raises, you'll use a full range of motion to drive the weights up. Performed on your stomach, this helps hit the rear deltoids and upper back, but for this variation, perform kneeling or standing to build strength and control in your frontal plane (this occurs using a sideways motion).

3. Curl to press

Curls target the biceps, while the Arnold press uses shoulder rotation to hit all three shoulder heads, the upper chest and upper back as you drive the weight overhead while rotating the weight in your hand.

First, curl the weight toward you so that your palm faces you, then, as you press the weight, turn the palm away from you and extend your arm overhead; reverse the motion back down.

Again, this isn't about lifting heavy, so focus on each part of the movement like it's a sequence to move through. As you curl, keep your elbow close to your body, as your rotate and push upward, it can be helpful to place the opposite hand on your shoulder so that you can feel the movement and what your joint is doing.

I wouldn't go any heavier than 2kg for this to prevent it moving from a mobility exercise to a regular curl and press.

4. Steering wheels

Again, we're looking at rotation under load, but this time your arm is extended at shoulder height and moving clockwise and counterclockwise, just like a steering wheel.

Keep your shoulder relaxed away from your ears, grip the dumbbell, then focus on twisting in both directions as far as you can in each direction. It can sometimes feel spicy in the anterior and lateral deltoids, upper traps, rotator cuff (muscles that support the scapulae), forearms and wrists, so you're likely to want to put the weight down fairly quickly.

For that reason, use a weight that allows you to build endurance and focus on 8-10 reps in both directions per arm.

The 'why'

This short dumbbell mobility routine should increase stability, flexibility and range of motion in the upper body, which can act as a warm-up and a strengthening exercise. You're looking at abduction and adduction (moving the limbs away from and toward the body, respectively) and rotation.

We want to relieve tension using light weights and to counteract the time spent hunched over desks or tech. We now know that sedentary time can lead muscles to become weak, tight, or internally rotated. When your shoulders are internally rotated, the back becomes tight and weak, meaning muscles that support posture, like the rhomboids and serratus, may take a beating.

So what does this look like? Poor posture, tight and overworked upper back muscles, hunching, weak shoulders, or a strained neck, for example.

The shoulders are the most mobile joints in the body, so they can move in many directions. To keep them strong, move them in as many ways as you can; this will help with push or pull-based exercises, or any activities that involve swinging, throwing, or running.

This routine will teach you to focus on performing functional movements while keeping your muscles under tension and maintaining your posture. The more you focus on your movements, the better your coordination, control and stability will become.

If you have a shoulder-related injury, any pre-existing health conditions, or injuries, or if you experience pain, speak with a qualified personal trainer or medical physician first before trying this routine.

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