Upper body mobility is often overlooked by many people, but it's an important part of overall fitness. If you're wondering why it's such a big deal or what exercises you can do to improve your upper body mobility, this article is exactly what you're looking for. So upper body mobility: why is it important and how can you develop it? Let's find out…
Upper body mobility is important because it makes you more flexible and allows a wider range of motion for your body, thus improving your athleticism. Some upper body mobility exercises include standing arm swings, downward dog, and thoracic rotation.
If you'd like to know more details about the benefits and how to do the exercises, keep reading.

Upper Body Mobility: General Description
Upper body mobility refers to the ability of your upper body to move without any pain or muscle soreness. For your upper body to be fully mobile, your joints, muscles, and connective tissues must work together seamlessly. Don't confuse upper body mobility exercises with upper body flexibility exercises, though. They're quite similar, but not exactly the same. Mobility focuses on the ability of your upper body to complete its full range of motion while flexibility refers to the ability of your muscle to lengthen.
It's especially important for athletes and people who engage in activities that involve lots of movement in their upper body parts such as the shoulder. Lack of mobility will limit your athletic ability, stress your joints, and increase the chance of sustaining injury. You can test your upper body mobility if you'd like to give you an idea just how fit you really are. It's one thing to have strong muscles, and another thing to be fit.
Benefits of Upper Body Mobility Exercises
I've already mentioned the major benefits of upper body mobility exercises, but let's look at them in some detail.
About the Program
Our Overhead Mobility Program is a 6-week, 18-workout course that helps you permanently push past your mobility limitations and feel confident in your overhead stability.
Every week you’ll gain access to three workouts, each taking no more than 30 minutes to complete that can be done with basic gym equipment.
In total, there are over 60 unique exercises and 120 video tutorials to guide you through the course.
Additionally, there are 5 mobility tests at the beginning, middle, and end of the program designed to motivate you, track your progress and celebrate your results.
Who Is the Program For?
The Overhead Mobility Program is meant for ALL athlete levels - from beginners to competitive weightlifters.
However, it’s equally beneficial to the average person as well, even if they’re not actively training at the moment.
- 60 unique exercises and 120 video tutorials;
- 5 tests to check your mobility;
- Short sessions up to 30 minutes;
- LIFETIME access;
- Mobile friendly design;
Increased Flexibility
Let's start with the obvious. One of the big causes of upper body stiffness is the lack of fitness. Over time, our muscles and joints start to stiffen such that you can't easily stretch them anymore. This limits your range of movement and reduces your flexibility. Your muscles and joints need to be loose so that it's easy to move them in whatever direction you'd like.

Upper body mobility exercises are, hence, imperative because they help keep your movements fluid. By keeping your joints, muscles, and connective tissue loose, you are automatically increasing your flexibility.
Less Chance of Injury
When your muscles, joints, and connective tissue get stiff, that can be dangerous for you. It's not uncommon to see athletes sprain their muscles and joints by attempting movements that their bodies can't take. This part is especially important if you engage in activities that require lots of upper body movement. For example, if you use your shoulders a lot in whatever you do, chances are you'll run into trouble if those muscles around there are stiff and unyielding.
By loosening up with these exercises, you're freeing up your upper body to enjoy its full range of motion with a reduced risk of injury.
Functional Use
For both athletes and regular people, the upper body is a central part of our daily activities. We shake people, hug them, and sometimes carry stuff from the top shelf. Athletes involved in sports like boxing, gymnastics, and fitness all use their upper bodies. Performing upper body workouts is therefore essential not only to keep yourself fit, but to help you go about your normal activities. Quite the handy exercise…

Upper Body Mobility Exercises for Peak Performance
Now that you know why you should bother doing upper body mobility exercises, I've got a list of exercises you can do for peak performance…
Standing Arm Swings
Perhaps my favorite upper body mobility warmup, standing arm swings are quite effective for loosening up your shoulders. They target your shoulders specifically but are great for your general upper bodies today. It's a simple workout. Start by standing upright with your arms down by your side. Engage your core, make your elbows straight and flex arms muscles, then swing both arms up over your head and bring them back to the starting position. Then rinse and repeat, until you feel like your shoulders could rotate 360°.
Shoulder Pass-Through
High-To-Low Rows
Rotation With Dumbbell
Thoracic Rotation
Upper Body Rotation
Cat Camel
FAQ
What Causes Lack of Shoulder Mobility?
One major cause of poor mobility in your shoulders is something called adhesive capsulitis, which happens when the tissues around the shoulder area become stiff and/or inflamed. Other causes include previous injury or simply lack of exercising.
Why Do I Have a Limited Range of Motion in My Shoulder?
Again, it's most probably because you haven't exercised for a long time and the muscles and tissue around that area are getting stiff. You can do some upper body mobility warm up to loosen your shoulder up.
How Long Does It Take To Get Flexible Shoulders?
If you continue these upper body flexibility exercises regularly, you should start to feel a difference in about two weeks. Of course, the longer you continue the better the mobility.
Conclusion
Now you know about upper body mobility and what exercises you can do to keep your upper body as fit as possible with a full range of motion. You can mix them up and add them to your general workout routines to help stretch and strengthen your upper body for more workouts.
Now it's your turn. Have you ever had difficulty moving your upper body in any direction? Which of these exercises sounds like the most fun? Is there anything I missed? I'll read all your comments so lay it all out for me.
Also read:
References:
- 5 Quick Tests to Screen Your Mobility You Can Do at Home // TheUAP: https://www.theuap.com/blog/5-quick-tests-to-screen-your-mobility-you-can-do-at-home
- Why Being Flexible Is Great for Your Health // HealthLine: https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-flexibility
- 10 Great Upper Body Exercises for Women // HealthLine: https://www.healthline.com/health/upper-body-workout-for-women
- Four Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Injury // My Alive: https://www.myalive.com/four-ways-reduce-your-risk-injury
- Thoracic Mobility Exercises For A Strong, Pain-Free Back // HealthLine: https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/thoracic-mobility-exercises
Zinaida was in the national team of Ukraine in rhythmic gymnastics - she has 15 years of professional sport experience. Zinaida is certified in the field of functional training, rehabilitation, kinesiotherapy and specialize in work with athletes: recovery, rehab, functional, mobility, GPP, training. Education for athletes and coaches and specific program design to avoid traumatization.