Primary muscles: Shoulders
Secondary muscles: Chest, upper back
Equipment: No equipment
BIG ARM CIRCLES INSTRUCTIONS
1. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Raise and extend your arms to the sides, without bending the elbows.
2. Slowly rotate your arms forward, making big circles.
3. Complete a set in one direction and then switch, rotating backward.
PROPER FORM AND BREATHING PATTERN
Stand with your spine nice and tall, inhale as you lift the arms and exhale as you rotate the arms around. Remember to engage your core muscles and keep your back and arms straight. With every breath you take your opening up the shoulders and chest and warming up the body. It’s important to keep this movement slow and controlled so that you can fully feel the stretch.
EXERCISE BENEFITS
Adding big arm circles to your workout routine is a great way to warm up your upper body and your shoulder joints. This exercise helps you release stress and tension in the upper back and can also help alleviate shoulder joint pain.
DEMONSTRATION
SETS AND REPS
Big arm circles are usually performed without weights and as part of a warm up routine. You can start with smaller circles and progressively increase their diameter. If you prefer you can also alternate arms. Perform sets of 10 to 15 circles in each direction.
CALORIES BURNED
To calculate the number of calories burned doing big arm circles, enter your weight and the duration of the exercise:
RELATED DYNAMIC STRETCHES
Try these other dynamic stretches to improve joint range of motion and increase your flexibility:
Knee circles
Hip circles
Arm swings
Neck rolls
