Upper Body Warm Up Before Lifting
Ten minutes for neck, shoulders and upper back: mobilise the joints, activate the scapulae, then lift. Use it before pressing or pulling.
Routines
Day 1 — Shoulder & Scap Prep
Neck, shoulder, and scapular mobility with light activation.
Day 2 — T-Spine & Chest Opener
Dynamic chest/shoulder openers and thoracic rotation with scapular activation.
About this plan
Two ten-minute sequences for the neck, shoulders and upper back, to be run before pressing or pulling.
Version one starts at the top — neck side stretch, trap and neck stretch, arm circles, wrist circles and external shoulder rotation. Version two is more dynamic: arm swings, a dynamic chest stretch, a chest and front-of-shoulder stretch and a shoulder stretch behind the back.
The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body and pays for it in stability, which is why a warm-up matters more here than almost anywhere. The external rotation work in version one targets the small muscles at the back of the shoulder that hold the joint centred. They are quiet in most people, particularly anyone who spends the day reaching forward, and they are what stops the head of the humerus drifting forward under a heavy press.
Wrist circles are not filler. Bench pressing, overhead pressing and any push-up variation all load the wrist near end range, and a stiff wrist changes where the elbow points, which changes where the load goes.
The neck work opening version one is unusual in a lifting warm-up and belongs there. The levator scapulae and upper trapezius hold tension from a day at a desk, and tight upper traps change how the shoulder blade moves during a press.
Use version one on a day when you feel stiff and version two when you are already warm. Both take ten minutes.
The dynamic chest stretch is the last thing before you lift. Swinging the arms open and closed moves the chest through range with the muscle active, which is what you want before pressing rather than a long passive hold.
Train this plan in the app
LoadMuscle carries all 2 routines with a demo for every exercise, and logs your sets as you go, so next session you can see what to beat. Free on iPhone and Android.
Want something built around your own schedule and equipment instead? Try the free workout planner.
