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Balance
Balance

Shoulder Dislocates (Pass-Throughs)

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mobilityshoulder-mobilitydislocatespass-throughmovement-prepneuromotor

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Exercise demo
In one line

Hold a dowel or band wide and sweep it overhead from front to back and return — a dynamic drill that opens up overhead shoulder mobility. (The name is figurative — nothing actually dislocates.)

Detail

Hold a dowel, broomstick, or resistance band with a wide overhand grip in front of the thighs. Keeping the arms straight, sweep the implement up and overhead, continuing back behind the body, then reverse the path to the front. The wide grip lets the shoulders (Shoulder / Arm Range of Motion) move through a large flexion/overhead range; as mobility improves, the grip can be narrowed. (Despite the alarming name, nothing dislocates — it is a controlled mobility "pass-through.")

This develops active overhead shoulder mobility (Mobility vs Flexibility) needed for overhead pressing, snatches, and good posture, and is a common dynamic warm-up drill (see Dynamic Warm-Up (Mobility-as-Training)). A band (which can stretch) is gentler and safer for learning than a rigid dowel.

Coaching:

  • Use a grip wide enough that the arms can pass overhead without pain; narrow it only as range improves.
  • Keep the arms straight and the ribs down (don't arch the low back to fake the range).
  • Move slowly; stop short of any pinching.
  • Typical dose: ~8–10 controlled pass-throughs.

Key facts

  • Wide-grip dowel/band swept overhead front-to-back and back; narrow grip as mobility improves.
  • Develops active overhead shoulder mobility; name is figurative (no actual dislocation).
  • Band is gentler/safer than a rigid dowel for beginners.
  • Arms straight, ribs down, no pinching; ~8–10 reps.

Connections

Sources

Cited in text — not yet linked
Authored from established shoulder-mobility consensus.

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Atlas Connections

Shoulder / Arm Range of Motion
Arm flexion 135°, shoulder adduction 50°, shoulder hyperextension 45°, shoulder abduction 90–180°.
Dynamic Warm-Up (Mobility-as-Training)Closely related
A pre-activity routine of active, moving drills that take joints through increasing range while raising temperature and priming the nervous system — building usable mobility, unlike a static hold-and-relax stretch.
Arm CirclesClosely related
Circle the arms forward and backward through a growing range to warm and mobilize the shoulders — a quick, equipment-free dynamic warm-up drill.
Shoulder CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations)Closely related
Slowly trace the largest circle your shoulder can actively make, body braced and the rest of you still — a daily joint-health and active-mobility drill.
Mobility vs FlexibilityClosely related
Flexibility is how far a joint can be moved, often with outside help. Mobility is how much of that range you can reach and control with your own muscles. Build both by stretching and by strengthening through full range.
Resistance Bands & Tubing
Elastic bands and tubes that provide ascending (variable) resistance — light, cheap, and packable, they assist or resist almost any movement and are the go-to travel and minimal-equipment tool.