Band Dislocate
The band shoulder dislocate is a shoulder mobility drill: holding a light resistance band with a wide grip, you sweep both straight arms up, over your head and down behind your body, then back again. It takes the shoulders through their full overhead range and is commonly used as warm-up preparation before overhead lifting, swimming, throwing or gymnastics.
Also called: Band Shoulder Dislocate, Band Pass-Through, Banded Shoulder Pass-Through, Band Dislocates · Equipment: band · Pattern: isolation
Step by step
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and hold a light band in front of your thighs with an overhand grip, hands much wider than your shoulders.
- Brace your trunk lightly and keep your ribs down so the movement comes from the shoulders, not an arching back.
- Keeping both elbows straight, raise your arms in front of you and up over your head, pulling the band slightly apart as you go.
- Continue the arc behind you until the band reaches the back of your hips, moving slowly through the part behind your head.
- Reverse the same path back over your head and down to the front of your thighs.
- Move at a slow, even pace for the whole set, with no bouncing at either end.
- Once the full arc is smooth and comfortable, bring your hands a little closer together on later sessions.
- Arms long, elbows straight the whole way
- Ribs down, trunk still
- Pull the band apart as you pass overhead
- Slow and smooth behind the head
- Grip wide enough that the arc feels easy
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Posterior deltoid | Secondary | D |
| Pectoralis major: clavicular (upper) | Stabiliser | D |
| Pectoralis minor | Stabiliser | D |
| Rotator cuff | Stabiliser | D |
| Trapezius: lower | Stabiliser | D |
| Serratus anterior | Stabiliser | D |
| Anterior deltoid | Dynamic stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Bending the elbows to clear the head
Fix: Widen your grip until you can pass overhead with straight arms.
Arching the back
Fix: Brace lightly, keep your ribs down and move only at the shoulders.
Grip too narrow too soon
Fix: Start wide and move your hands closer only once the full arc feels easy.
Rushing or bouncing behind the head
Fix: Slow down and keep the same even speed through the whole arc.
One arm leading
Fix: Keep both hands level and move the band as one straight line.
What the research says
Rehab & prehab · first choiceGeneral fitnessSport performance
- Role — The pass-through is used mainly as warm-up preparation for the shoulders; there is no direct research on this drill for strength, muscle or range-of-motion outcomes.
- Warm-up dose — A systematic review found that long static holds of a minute or more per muscle were followed by small short-term drops in force and power, while dynamic stretching was close to neutral, which is why moving drills like this are common before lifting.
- Range of motion — A meta-analysis of 11 trials found strength training and stretching gave similar gains in range of motion over time, so full-range lifting also contributes to shoulder range.
- Sets and reps — A common approach is 1–3 sets of 10–15 slow reps before upper-body or overhead training.
- Progression — A common path is to narrow the grip gradually over weeks as the arc becomes easy.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the band dislocate in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.