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Shoulder CARs

3 slow shoulder circles per direction per arm, 2 rounds.

Slot
Mobility
Focus
Mobility
Time
5 min
Intensity
Low
Injury risk
Low
Intervals
2 rounds
Equipment
Floor space

How to do it

CARs (controlled articular rotations) are the biggest circles you can make with a joint, done very slowly. Stand tall and make a tight fist to keep your body still. Raise one straight arm in front of you, up past your ear, then rotate it back and down behind you as far as you can without twisting your body. Take about 10 seconds per circle. Do 3 circles in each direction per arm, 2 rounds. Make the circle smaller where the shoulder feels stuck or pinches.

Who it’s for

Shoulder range you actually control, rather than range you can be pushed into. Five minutes, no equipment, and useful before or after a session.

Common mistakes

  • Going fast. Ten seconds per circle. Speed is how you skip the parts that are stuck.
  • Twisting the body. The body stays still, which is what the fist and the tension are for. If your ribs are moving, the shoulder isn’t.
  • Forcing through a pinch. Make the circle smaller where it catches. The range comes back over weeks.
  • Only doing the easy direction. Both directions, both arms.

How to progress

Bigger circles as they become available, still slow. If a particular part of the circle stays stuck for weeks, that’s worth showing to a physio rather than working around.

When it fits

The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.

  • Base Lots of easy climbing, good movement and aerobic fitness.
  • Strength Stronger fingers and pulling, with weight you control.
  • Power Explosive moves, momentum and coordination.
  • Power Endurance Keep your power through one hard move after another.
  • Endurance Climb longer before you pump out, by moving efficiently.
  • Performance Peak for a trip or a comp: focus, reading problems, trying hard.
  • Deload Train less, let your fingers recover, keep moving.

Start with a ready-made block

A six-week strength plan with a deload, as a file for the app, and seven short emails on how to run it.