Shoulder circles are a quick warm-up for the shoulders and upper back. Standing tall, you lift both shoulders toward your ears, roll them back and down while drawing your shoulder blades together, then relax and go again. The app lists them as a warm-up before other shoulder work, and they need no equipment.

How to do the shoulder circles

Stand up straight with your feet about hip width apart and your arms hanging loosely by your sides.
Lift both shoulders straight up toward your ears.
Roll them back, drawing your shoulder blades gently together behind you.
Let them sink down away from your ears, keeping that gentle squeeze for a moment.
Relax fully so the shoulders settle back where they started, then begin the next circle.

What you should feel

Easy movement across the tops of the shoulders, with light work between the shoulder blades as they draw together. Nothing should pinch or grind.

Common mistakes

Jutting the chin forward as the shoulders go back.
Squeezing so hard that your lower back arches or your ribs push out.
Racing through small circles instead of making each one slow and full.
Bending the elbows or pulling the arms back. The arms stay loose.

How often

As a warm-up, many people do 10 to 15 slow circles before the rest of their shoulder program, or a few rounds through the day to break up long spells of sitting. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain or a painful clunk in the shoulder or around the collarbone.
Pain, pins and needles or numbness spreading down your arm or into your hand.
Pins and needles in your arm or hand that do not go away after you stop, or part of your arm or hand goes numb. Get medical advice the same day. If one side of your face or body suddenly goes numb or weak, or your speech becomes slurred or muddled, call emergency services, even if it goes away.

From the clinic

These are close to backward shoulder rolls, which flow from one circle straight into the next. The voice guide here adds a short squeeze of the shoulder blades at the bottom of each circle and a full relax before the next, so each circle ends with the shoulder blades back and down. The video is filmed from the front, a little to one side, and the movement is small. Forward shoulder rolls go the other way, and you can do either one sitting on a chair.

After shoulder surgery, including a rotator cuff repair, or after a shoulder fracture or dislocation, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and do only the movements and range they have cleared. Many plans allow only passive movement at first, where the arm is moved for you and its muscles stay relaxed. After neck surgery or a broken bone in the neck, check with your surgeon or physio before you start. A broken collarbone needs the same check first.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Shoulder circles