25 Best Upper Body Warm Up Exercises to Help You Lift Harder

Are you the type of person who skips warming up before a workout? Maybe you don’t see the point or feel like it takes up too much time. Or, perhaps you’ve convinced yourself that stretching isn’t necessary because you’ll be “fine” once you get going. Unfortunately, this kind of thinking can increase your risk of injury and leave you feeling unprepared for your workout. Knowing how to warm up before lifting is essential—it gets your mind and body ready for action by promoting mobility, stimulating your nervous system, and enhancing blood flow to your muscles. Upper body warm-up exercises are especially important for preparing key joints and muscles, so in this article, we’ll look at some effective upper-body warm-up routines to help you get the most out of your performance.
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Do You Need to Warm Up for an Upper Body Workout?

Warming up before a workout is one of the most overlooked aspects of resistance training. It is much more prevalent on upper-body training days, as many lifters skip an upper-body warm-up and head straight to the free weight section. If you primarily focus on the muscles you will be training, you may think that you can skip the general warm-up. 

If your warm-up before a resistance training session is limited to a jog on the treadmill, you could be setting yourself up for an injury, especially if you are an advanced lifter. Even if the goddess of luck is on your side and you have never encountered an injury while training without warming up, you are putting unnecessary strains on your muscles and joints. An effective upper body warmup routine could include bodyweight and resistance band exercises. A good warmup ritual prepares your body and mind for your workout.

Do You Need to Warm Up Your Shoulders?

Yes, but don’t just take our word for it. “The shoulder is a complex structure,” says Florence Penny, a physiotherapist and the founder of Flow Physio London. “For stability, it relies heavily on the surrounding muscles and tendons. This dynamic stability allows for its wide range of motion, but it makes it more susceptible to injuries such as dislocations, strains and impingements.” 

Warm-up exercises make the shoulder joint more resilient to the demands of physical exercise by increasing the temperature and pliability of surrounding muscles and tendons. They’re significant for injury prevention in heavy weightlifting, competitive swimming, and any sport that puts strain on this fragile joint.   

Why Do Warm-Ups Work? 

If you’ve ever had a shoulder injury, you will know how frustrating it can be. “Any shoulder injury is painful, mainly because we use our shoulders far more often than we think,” says Katie Knapton, a physiotherapist and the founder of PhysioFast Online. 

“They’re essential for daily functioning. Shoulder injuries also tend to disturb sleep, because many people sleep on their sides. Shoulder injuries can also take a long time to heal. For example, if you’ve had a significant rotator cuff injury, it will probably take three months to really get back to normal.” 

How Should You Warm Up for Shoulder Exercises? 

A well-rounded shoulder warm-up routine should feature dynamic stretches and simple exercises that take your joints through a wide range of motion, which can increase blood flow to the surrounding muscles, reduce tendon stiffness, and increase your power output, according to a 2018 review in the journal Sports Medicine. They’re also a superior warm-up to static stretches. Pre-workout static stretches can hinder your performance and put you at risk of injury, the review authors noted.   

The dynamic stretches should cover all planes of movement: forward and backward flexion, adduction and abduction (raising your arms to the sides and lowering them back down), as well as internal and external rotation. Exercises should also take into account individual muscular imbalances and weaknesses. “[In many people], the upper trapezius and pectoralis major tend to be dominant, while the lower trapezius and rotator cuff muscles tend to be underdeveloped,” says Penny. As such, it’s always a good idea to combine shoulder warm-up exercises with upper back and chest movements. 

Get Your Heart Rate Up, But Don’t Tire Out the Muscle 

Dynamic stretches should be energetic enough to raise your heart rate and boost blood flow to the muscles, yet not so forceful that they are entirely driven by momentum. The purpose of warming up is not to exhaust the muscle, but to activate it. Ballistic stretching can do more harm than good. Studies have shown that aggressive movement such as this can increase your chances of muscle tears and tendon strains rather than alleviate them, according to a 2018 review published in Sports Medicine. 

What Does a Good Upper Body Warm-Up Look Like? 

A good upper-body warm-up like the one below doesn’t rely on heavy weights. Instead, it uses just your bodyweight and/or resistance bands to create tension in the muscles in your:

• Back
• Chest
• Shoulders

ACE-certified personal trainer Tasheon Chillous, CPT, coach and personal trainer at Ascent Fitness in Tacoma, Washington, tells SELF. This tension then prepares your muscles to push or pull heavier weights during your actual workout, helping to increase the effectiveness of your workout and reduce your risk of injury in the process. 

A solid upper-body warm-up also increases your range of motion and thus allows you to perform movements in your workout in their full extent. This, in turn, boosts the strengthening benefits of your workout. 

Engaging Your Core and Stabilizers for Upper-Body Workouts

A good upper-body warm-up challenges your heart rate and activates your core and muscles around your spine. “We do a lot with our legs in our general day-to-day,” says Chillous, “from running to walking to climbing a flight of stairs. But we don’t often turn on our core or lower back.” That can be a problem, since your core and lower back are essential muscle groups that affect the functioning of your upper (and lower) halves. 

After all, you need a strong core to help you perform upper-body exercises like the overhead press and the row, since your core muscles help keep you stable and transfer power to lift that weight. With this upper-body warm-up, which Chillous created for SELF, you can turn on these vital muscles and then reap the rewards in your upper-body strength workout. 

When Should You Do an Upper Body Warm-Up? 

When should you do an upper-body warm-up? The answer is simple: Before any type of upper-half strength routine, says Chillous. Getting into such a habit will help reduce your risk of injury and ensure you’re prepared for the workout to come. 

This warm-up, which you can easily do at home, is designed to fire up your shoulders, back, and chest ahead of a strength workout. However, because this warm-up also incorporates a good dose of core work, you can use it for core activation, says Chillous.

Feeling ready to kick-start your workout with a great upper-body warm-up? Keep scrolling for everything you need to know.

Related Reading

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• Why Do Weights Feel Heavier Some Days
• Stretching vs Warming Up
• What Are the Benefits Associated With Warming Up Before Exercise?

25 Upper Body Warm Up Exercises That Make a Difference

1. Standing Straight-Arm Circles  

This exercise warms up the shoulder joints, improving mobility before upper body workouts. It activates the muscles of the back, including the lats and traps. 

How to do it: 

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. 
• Raise and extend your arms to the sides so they’re parallel to the floor. 
• Keeping your back straight and core engaged, move your arms in a small circular motion. 
• Make sure the movement comes from your shoulders, and that your body does not sway or tilt to the sides. 
• As your joints are warming up, gradually progress to larger circles. 
• Complete at least 15 reps, then switch directions. 
• Perform another 15 reps backward.  

2. Standing Shoulder Rolls  

This exercise loosens the muscles of the shoulders and upper back, helping to relieve tension before workouts. 

How to do it: 

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. 
• Keeping your back straight and core engaged, shrug your shoulders. 
• Make sure that you’re not tensing your neck muscles, pushing your head forward, or hunching your back. 
• Then squeeze your shoulder blades together and roll your shoulders back down. 
• Complete at least 15 reps, then switch directions. 
• Perform another 15 reps backward.  

3. Shoulder Swing (Lateral)  

This dynamic movement improves shoulder mobility and activates the muscles of the upper back, preparing them for more intense activity. 

How to do it: 

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. 
• Raise and extend your arms to the sides. 
• Keeping your arms straight, cross them in front of you, and then rapidly bring them back to the starting position. 
• Keep your core engaged throughout the movement to make sure you don’t give in to momentum and sway to the sides. 
• Complete at least 15 reps.  

4. Shoulder Swing (Back and Forth)  

This movement targets your shoulders and upper back to improve mobility before upper body workouts. 

How to do it: 

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. 
• Raise and extend your arms in front of you. 
• Keeping your arms straight, gently swing them back, and then rapidly bring them back to the starting position. 
• Keep your core engaged throughout the movement to make sure you don’t give in to momentum and sway back and forth. 
• Complete at least 15 reps.  

5. Shoulder Corkscrew  

This exercise improves shoulder mobility and warms up the rotator cuff muscles to prepare them for activity. 

How to do it: 

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. 
• Raise and extend your arms to the sides so they’re parallel to the floor. 
• Keeping your back straight and core engaged, begin by slowly twisting the arms inwards and outwards.
• Make sure that you drive the movement from your shoulders, and that your body does not sway or tilt to the side. 
• Complete at least 15 inward and 15 outward twists.  

6. Band Pull-Apart  

Band pull-aparts engage the upper back and rear shoulder muscles to improve posture and stabilize the shoulders prior to upper body exercises. 

How to do it: 

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. 
• Holding one end of a light resistance band in each hand, raise and extend your arms in front of you.
• Keeping your arms straight, squeeze your shoulder blades and move your arms to the sides. 
• Once your upper body forms a letter T, hold the position for a second or two, and then return to the starting position under control. 
• Make sure you move in a slow, controlled manner, without yanking the band or swaying back and forth. 
• Complete at least 15 reps.  

7. Banded Face Pull  

This exercise warms up the upper back and rear deltoid muscles, helping to improve shoulder stability and posture. 

How to do it: 

• Attach a light resistance band to an anchor point located at or slightly above your eye level (or attach a triceps rope to a cable machine and select a very light weight). 
• Facing the anchor point, hold the band in both hands and move a few steps away to ensure sufficient tension.
• Keeping your back straight and core engaged, begin by squeezing your shoulder blades and pulling the band towards your face. 
• Your elbows should naturally flare to the sides. 
• Once the band gets close to your face, hold the position for a second or two, and then slowly return to the starting position.
• Don’t yank the band, hunch your back or let your body sway to the sides. 
• Complete at least 15 reps.  

8. Banded Overhead Reach  

This exercise targets the shoulders while also improving the mobility of the upper back. 

How to do it: 

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. 
• Wrap a light mini loop resistance band around your wrists, then raise and extend your arms in front of you. 
• Make sure your arms are separated so you can maintain slight tension in the band throughout the movement. 
• Keeping your back straight and core engaged, raise your arms straight up over your head. 
• Slowly return to the starting position.  

9. Jumping Jacks  

This classic full-body movement gets your blood pumping and body warm for exercise. 

How to do it: 

• Stand upright with a shoulder-width stance and your arms at your sides. 
• Bend your knees slightly and jump into the air. 
• As you jump, spread your legs to be more than shoulder-width apart. 
• Stretch your arms out and over your head, so your hands almost clap together. 
• Jump back to the starting position. 
• Repeat.  

10. Downward Dog  

This yoga pose helps stretch the entire body while also targeting the shoulders and upper back. 

How to do it: 

• Get down on all fours so that your hands are under your shoulders. 
• Your hips should be above or slightly before your knees. 
• Lift your knees and tuck your toes against the mat or floor. 
• Use the leverage to extend your legs and lift both knees into the air. 
• Extend and lengthen your spine while pressing through your palms and balls of your feet. 
• At the top, your upper and lower limbs should be fully extended, and your body should resemble an upside-down “V.” 
• Pull your pelvis up toward the ceiling. 
• Hold for 10 seconds while making sure you breathe correctly. 
• Slowly return to the starting position and repeat for reps.  

11. Hip Rotation  

Hip rotation is a dynamic movement that will loosen up your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and lower back. 

How to do it: 

• Stand upright with a shoulder-width stance. 
• Bend your arms and place your hands behind your head. 
• Slowly lift your right leg off the floor and bring it towards your chest. 
• As your knee reaches chest level, circle it across your body, then back down to the starting position. 
• Repeat on the left leg. 
• Alternate between legs to perform the recommended reps.  

12. Incline Push-Up  

Although this move primarily targets your pecs, you will also feel your back, shoulders, core, and triceps.  

How to do it: 

• Get into a high plank position with your hands placed on a box, bench, or step. 
• Your hands should be shoulder-width apart and placed under your shoulders. 
• Make sure your body is in a straight line throughout the exercise. 
• Keep your core and glutes engaged. 
• Bend at your elbows to lower your chest toward the bench. 
• Push through the palms of your hands to straighten your arms. 
• Repeat.  

13. Bear Hold  

A bear hold, also known as a bear plank, might look harmless, but it will set your core on fire. It is a great exercise to perform at the beginning of a workout as it will remind you to keep your core contracted throughout the training session. 

How to perform a bear hold: 

• Get into an all-fours position with your wrists under your shoulders and knees directly under your hips. 
• Tuck your toes and lift your knees a few inches off the floor. 
• Your back should be flat, and weight evenly distributed on your hands and toes. 
• Hold for 10-20 seconds. 
• Return to starting position. 
• Rest for five seconds and repeat.  

14. Doorway Chest Stretch  

It is a great warmup exercise to perform at the beginning of a chest workout. 

How to perform doorway chest stretch: 

• Stand in an open doorway.
• Raise your left arm to the side, bent at a 90-degree angle. 
• Rest your palm on the door frame. 
• At the starting position, your upper arm should be parallel to the floor and the lower arm perpendicular. 
• Slowly lean forward until your feel a stretch in your shoulder and pec. 
• Hold for 10-20 seconds. 
• Return to the starting position.
• Switch sides. 

‍Pro tip: You could also use a pole or a cable pulley machine for this exercise.  

15. Overhead Lat Stretch  

Stretching the lats at the beginning of a back workout can help you establish a better mind-muscle connection. 

How to perform overhead lat stretch: 

• Grab a stable object near your head height, with an overhand grip. 
• While maintaining a neutral spine, extend the same side leg behind you as you lean forward until you feel a stretch in your lats. 
• Keep your hips square throughout the exercise. 
• Work through the tension in this position by internally and externally rotating your torso.  

16. Overhead Press  

• Stand on one end of the resistance band with your feet wider than hip-width apart. 
• Take hold of the other end of the resistance band and raise your hands to shoulder level, with your wrists above your elbows. 
• Engage your core and glutes, and press the band overhead. 
• Lower it to your shoulders under control.   

17. Front Raise  

With the resistance band still secured under your feet.

• Hold the band in both hands in front of your hips. 
• Keeping your arms straight, raise your arms in front of you and overhead. 
• Return to the start under control.  

18. Row  

• Wrap the band around a stationary post or pillar. 
• Step away from the anchor point until the band is taut and your arms are extended. 
• Keep your shoulders down and a slight bend in your knees. 
• Using your back muscles, pull the band to your torso, brushing your sides with your elbows as they move backward. 
• Return to the start under control.  

19. Shoulder Dislocates  

Another great shoulder warm up exercise, shoulder dislocates, use a PVC pipe or long resistance band to enhance shoulder mobility and improve joint health. Shoulder dislocates are great for training shoulder stability, making them a good push day warm up for bench press or shoulder press. 

How to do shoulder dislocations: 

• Take hold of a PVC pipe or long resistance band in a wide grip. 
• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, the pipe resting in front of your thighs. 
• Keeping your arms straight, lift the bar up and over your head, taking it as far behind you as you can, aiming to touch your back with the pipe. 
• Keep your core tight, ribcage down, and glutes squeezed throughout (ensuring your ribcage doesn’t flare out). 
• Return the pipe to the starting position, taking it back over your head and keeping your arms straight. 
• Repeat for 10 reps.

Note: To make this exercise more difficult, bring your grip in closer. The narrower your grip, the harder the exercise will be.  

20. Walk Outs With Press Up  

A full body upper body warm up exercise, walks outs with an added press up are not only great for warming up the chest, triceps and shoulders, but will fire up your core, and engage your hamstrings and hip flexors. As it activates so many muscles in your body, the walk outs with press up is ideally suited as an upper body warmup for any upper body workout. 

How to do walk outs with press-ups:

• Stand upright with feet under your hips. 
• Hinge at the hips, leaning down to place your hands on the ground as close to your feet as you can get them. 
• Aim to keep your legs straight, but bend your knees slightly if required to reach your hands to the floor. 
• Taking small steps, walk your hands forward, bracing your core to prevent your hips from dipping. 
• Stop when your hands are directly under your shoulders, and your body is in a plank position. 
• Keeping your core braced and glutes squeezed, perform a press up, lowering your chest down until it is just above the ground, driving your elbow back, and keeping them close to your sides. 
• Press back up to plank position, then walk your hands back towards your feet, letting your hips rise, and keep your legs straight or with a slight bend if required. 
• When your hands reach your feet, slowly stand upright to return to starting position. 
• Repeat for 5 reps.  

21. Shoulder External Rotations  

We spend a lot of time with our shoulders in an internally rotated position (Especially if you’re guilty of sitting at a desk all day!), but we don’t spend much time working external rotation. This leads to short chest muscles, overstretched back muscles, and rolled-forward shoulders, which are undesirable. 

It’s essential to warm up and train external rotation not only to help you lift more weight, but to help you lift it properly and without injury. Shoulder external rotations are the ideal shoulder warm-up to do just that. 

How to do shoulder external rotations: 

• Tie a lightweight long resistance band around the rig at chest height. 
• Standing side on to the band, take hold of the free end with the hand furtherest away from the rig. 
• Bend your arm so the elbow is bent at 90-degrees, elbow close to your side. 
• Keeping your upper arm pinned into your torso, externally rotate your arm as far out as possible. 
• Pause for a second, then rotate it back in. 
• Repeat for 10 reps, then repeat on the other side.  

22. Scapular Pull Ups  

If you’ve got pull-ups, rows, or lat pulldowns programmed for your upper body workout, scapular pull-ups are a great upper-body warm-up exercise to activate the lats, rhomboids, and traps. Not only that, scapular pull ups build scapular mobility (the ability to retract the shoulder blades), working to improve posture and helping you keep good form during exercises. 

How to do scapular pull ups: 

• Jump up to the pull up bar, taking a full overhand grip with hands just wider than shoulder width. 
• Arms should be straight, with legs hanging straight below you. 
• If you can’t jump up, use a box to help you. 
• Rotate your shoulders outwards to engage your lats, then shrug you shoulders down, pulling your shoulder blades towards your waist, squeezing your lats as you do so. 
• Hold the position for a couple of seconds, then release, letting your shoulder blades relax and your shoulders come back beside your ears. 
• Repeat for 10 reps.  

23. Thread the Needle  

This stretch targets the shoulders and upper back to improve mobility and release tension before upper body workouts. 

How to do it: 

• Start in a tabletop position with your shoulders stacked directly over your wrists and hips over your knees. 
• Reach your right arm underneath your left and across your body with your palm facing up. 
• Bend your left elbow as you gently lean into your right side; you should feel a stretch in the back of your right shoulder. 
• Hold this pose for 1 breath; that’s 1 rep. 
• Do 5 reps, then switch sides and repeat. 

This stretch helps release tension in your neck, shoulders, and upper back and increases mobility in your thoracic spine, making you ready to move with less tightness in those areas, says Chillous.  

24. Squat Thrust  

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core engaged, and hands at your sides. 
• Squat and place your hands on the floor so that they're about shoulder-width apart. 
• Jump your feet back to come into a high plank position. 
• Jump your feet back in toward your hands, and stand. 
• That's 1 rep. Do 6 to 10 reps, engaging your core and glutes throughout. 

This burpee modification warms up your shoulders and also provides a dose of cardio, which gets your heart rate up for your workout, says Chillous. Make it easier by walking your feet in and out from your hands instead of jumping them. You can also place your palms against a counter and then perform squat thrusts by jumping your feet in and out from there.  

25. Bear Hold  

• Get into an all-fours position with your wrists under your shoulders and knees directly under your hips. 
• Tuck your toes and lift your knees a few inches off the floor so that you feel your core engage.
• Your back should be flat, and your weight evenly distributed on your hands and toes. 
• Hold for 5 to 25 seconds. 

A plank variation, this move fires up your spine, shoulders, deep core muscles, and core stabilizers, says Chillous.

Related Reading

• Warmup Exercises for Seniors
• Stretches Before Running
• Warm Up Exercises Before Running
• Dynamic Warm Up for Athletes

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