Stick Mobility Exercises

This video demonstrates some movement patterns that you can do with a long stick or dowel. Using a stick to take your shoulders through these and other movements can help you identify and work through restrictions in joint mobility. The most basic movement is called a shoulder dislocate, commonly used in gymnastics training. To do a shoulder dislocate, you want to start with your hands spread wide apart on your stick, then slowly raise it overhead and if your shoulders allow, finish with the stick behind your lower back, as demonstrated. Then bring the stick back along the same arc. The wider your grip on the stick, the easier it is to do a shoulder dislocate. It’s best to be ultra conservative when you are first starting. Ideally, you want to prevent your elbows from bending while you work with a stick in this fashion. If your elbows bend a bit, this is fine, as over time, working through these arcs of movement will improve joint mobility and tissue health to a point whe