Daily Overhead Lifts for Mobility
The best general approach to overhead mobility is to include overhead movement every day.
The effort to move and hold the arms overhead, and to set a strong, stable position IS mobility training that creates a foundation for and solidifies your more direct mobility work.
Mobility also requires stability, and stability is essentially a skill, which requires consistent practice.
You can get far more of that practice in less time with more frequent exposure, which also means less time between exposures for your body to settle back into its less mobile, less stable condition. You’re teaching your body that the overhead position is safe, comfortable and normal instead of something unusual and dangerous.
Include at least one exercise weekly from the categories shown here, and remember that every day includes days outside the gym.
Including overhead activity of some kind on your days outside the gym is even more critical for those of you who only train 3-4 days/week. These days off are a good time for things like hanging and carrying that can be done with little to no equipment, but also dynamic range of motion work as you would do in a warm-up is valuable and can be done anywhere with zero gear.
Double-arm exercises are generally a better choice than single because single allows more compensation, but try to include dumbbell/kettlebell work with both arms simultaneously because it’s more demanding on both mobility and stability for the arms to be independent and will improve symmetry.
Include at least one of each category at least once weekly:
OVERHEAD SQUAT
Snatch, overhead squat, snatch balance, press in snatch, push jerk in snatch
JERK
Split jerk, power/push jerk, pause jerk, jerk behind the neck
PUSH PRESS
Push press, snatch push press, push press behind the neck
PRESS
Press, snatch press, press in snatch, press in clean, press in split, DB/KB press
OVERHEAD CARRY
Snatch/clean grip barbell, barbell with hanging weights, DB/KB 1- and 2-arm, carry + OHS
VERTICAL PULL
Pull-up, chin-up, pulldown, pulldown behind the neck, 1- and 2-arm hang from bar
Many more options in these categories. You can find ideas in my free exercise library.
The effort to move and hold the arms overhead, and to set a strong, stable position IS mobility training that creates a foundation for and solidifies your more direct mobility work.
Mobility also requires stability, and stability is essentially a skill, which requires consistent practice.
You can get far more of that practice in less time with more frequent exposure, which also means less time between exposures for your body to settle back into its less mobile, less stable condition. You’re teaching your body that the overhead position is safe, comfortable and normal instead of something unusual and dangerous.
Include at least one exercise weekly from the categories shown here, and remember that every day includes days outside the gym.
Including overhead activity of some kind on your days outside the gym is even more critical for those of you who only train 3-4 days/week. These days off are a good time for things like hanging and carrying that can be done with little to no equipment, but also dynamic range of motion work as you would do in a warm-up is valuable and can be done anywhere with zero gear.
Double-arm exercises are generally a better choice than single because single allows more compensation, but try to include dumbbell/kettlebell work with both arms simultaneously because it’s more demanding on both mobility and stability for the arms to be independent and will improve symmetry.
Include at least one of each category at least once weekly:
OVERHEAD SQUAT
Snatch, overhead squat, snatch balance, press in snatch, push jerk in snatch
JERK
Split jerk, power/push jerk, pause jerk, jerk behind the neck
PUSH PRESS
Push press, snatch push press, push press behind the neck
PRESS
Press, snatch press, press in snatch, press in clean, press in split, DB/KB press
OVERHEAD CARRY
Snatch/clean grip barbell, barbell with hanging weights, DB/KB 1- and 2-arm, carry + OHS
VERTICAL PULL
Pull-up, chin-up, pulldown, pulldown behind the neck, 1- and 2-arm hang from bar
Many more options in these categories. You can find ideas in my free exercise library.
