Essential Shoulder Mobility Tests for All Climbers

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// TIMESTAMPS //
Who Cares About Shoulder Mobility? (00:00)
Test 1 (01:05)
Test 1 Results (02:01)
Test 2 (02:48)
Test 2 Results (03:36)
My Recommendations for Hyper- and Hypo-Mobile Shoulders (05:10)
An Important Note About Shoulder Mobility (06:22)
Outro and Bloopers (06:55)

// SHOW NOTES //
Episode 92

INTRODUCTION

Having good, symmetrical shoulder mobility can reduce injury risk while enhancing climbing performance. It’s pretty easy to understand why being super limited, or hypo-mobile, in your shoulders is a problem for climbers.

What many people don’t consider, however, is that it’s equally important to not have too much shoulder mobility, or hyper-mobility.

It’s a common misconception to think “the more mobility, the better!” But in fact, if you’re hypermobile, stretching is exactly what you don’t want to do.

So how are you supposed to know if your shoulders have too much, too little, or just the right amount of mobility? And what do you do about it once you find out?

Well, in this video I’m going to show you two tests that will help you determine your mobility, as well as my recommendations at the end. And yes, you need to do both tests you want an accurate result ;).

TEST 1

The first is a Functional Shoulder test. This involves functional movement patterns that require good shoulder, scapula, AND thoracic spine mobility.

Don't push this test or your mobility to the point of pain. It should be relatively comfortable. If you do immediate pain while attempting this test, you may have a separate shoulder pathology that may require a skilled professional to diagnose and treat.

To perform the functional shoulder test

Grab a friend, or use your phone to record your test.
If using a friend, you’ll also need a tape measure or ruler.
If using a phone, it should be set up looking at your back and needs a clear shot of your mid back region.
Make a fist with both hands, tucking your thumb inside the fist.
Place one of your arms behind your back and work your fist up as high as you can along your spine.
Reach your opposite arm behind your head and work it down as far as you can along your spine.
Have your friend measure the distance between your two closed fists.
Measurements should be made from the closest bony prominence.
Repeat, but switch arms!
This test can be repeated up to 3 times per side to increase accuracy

Now for the results. Take the measurement that your friend found and compare that to the length of your hand (from the base of your wrist to the tip of your middle finger).

If the measurement turns out to be equal to or slightly shorter than the length of your hand, you have normal mobility!

If your measurement was longer than the length of your hand, then you have a small deficit in your range of motion.
If you were touching hands together, you may have hypermobility in your shoulders.

Ran out of room!! For the rest, please check out the show notes:

// DISCLAIMER //
As always, exercises and rehab programs are to be performed assuming your own risk and should not be done if you feel you are at risk for injury. See a medical professional if you have concerns before starting a new training or recovery program.

// PRODUCERS //
Jason Hooper (PT, DPT, OCS, SCS)
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[HoopersBeta]

IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK! We missed our HB fam. How are everyone's shoulders feeling?

[LiamRappaport]

Glad to see I'm hypermobile in my shoulders too. The only area I really have problems with hypermobility is my wrists; sometimes if I don't engage enough I overstretch my whatevers and it hurts my wrists for a while.

[esmeegloria]

Such a lovely video, I’ve been struggling with hypermobility and it was very nice to find a joint that’s within normal range for once😂❤

[phoenixinthetrees]

I'm looking forward to the video on how to improve shoulder mobility. After a broken collarbone / torn labrum injury, I've never regained full mobility in my right arm... and perhaps never will, but I'm sure a few stretches would improve things.

[Vicitoriachi]

Thanks, man, for providing such valuable resources for us injury prone individuals. I've been prone to all kinds of sports injuries since my early twenties and it often forced me to stop doing the sports I loved. And it's so incredibly empowering to finally learn about the underlying issues and diligently work on them. Really, you (and Dave Macleod) are the true MVPs. Many thanks from Germany 🤝 (a beautiful free healthcare system will not buy you a Dr. of climbing PT, lol)

[hilannaelhalyn]

It's so good to have you back ! I really like those self test to help us know our body better. It is confirming I have to go back to the sweet shoulder circuit for the right shoulder...while waiting for your video on mobility for the left shoulder ! Like that dynamic filming btw :) thanks to you two guys !

[nikhilbhandari]

Love your videos! Video on shoulder subluxations / dislocation specific exercises please!

[heyyoumewe]

Thanks a lot for the helpful video! Would be really great to assess and make tests for other types of mobility/flexibility, typically the ones in your new video: "Research Correlates KEY MOVEMENTS to Climbing Ability… So We Made a Yoga Routine for Them".

[Benkkuful]

I really enjoy your videos! I just started my first year studying Physiotherapy a month ago.

[AVPML]

As always super-duper clean way of showing info and exlplaining.
Thank you guys so for this content

[Gytax]

Thanks for the video. Can you also make a video on hip mobility tests?

[davidtorres]

Overcoming jealousy with my stoke for my friend’s send… yea….. pretty hard.

[MiguelClimbs]

Youtube hasn't been the same without you guys!

[boulderfighters]

Really interesting video. I have not done the tests yet but I suspect that I have hypermobile shoulders. I kind of thought so far that it might be "good" like that. But then its good to know that you should do some strengthening exercises. I will do the tests to confirm though. Thanks again.

[apolyedapolyed]

Very informative and helpful, thank you.

[denisewenger]

Thanks for this video! Fantastic! How do you explain the GIRD symptomatic with climbers?

[Raxi]

Any tips and recommendations for climbers who have bad shoulder mobility? It's always been a sore spot for me that I came from a powerlifting background, so I have a really broad chest and shoulders, and therefore, I'm unable to do basic shoulder mobility things (e.g. eagle pose in yoga).

[Blue-pbkz]

I'm not sure I'm doing the first test right! Could you clarify if there's anything to do beyond reaching up/down? Are you meant to keep you bottom fist facing thumb side up? Is your bottom forearm meant to stay roughly horizontal? When I try the test, my forearm is at a totally different angle (if I were to open my fist, my fingers would be pointed straight up, while yours point sideways in all the demos, even the hypermobile example montage). As far as I can remember, I've been able to reach back and touch the tips of my middle fingers to the wrists on the opposing hand with just a little effort so I already know I'm not worried about a lack of mobility... But I was wondering if I was doing the test right, as my arms are not at the same angle, so in your drawings it looks like it's a test of mobility on the side that's reaching down, while I mostly just reach up a lot more. Thanks!

[frankheiser]

Thanks for this video! On test 2, is this test done while allowing the shoulder to protract and rotate up or is it performed with the scapular "pinned" flat in the neutral position?

I ask this because I have the tendency to let my shoulder "fall" forward and "in" to increase internal rotation on extreme gastone moves or when holding a wide position on slopers where I try to push my body into the wall my letting my shoulder do this and "diving" underneath the hold instead of keeping tension also from the upper back, lats, teres minor and major and rest of posterior chain.

[GHoen]

Is it normal to have a variance between shoulders? I seem to have just the right amount in my left shoulder, but my right shoulder seems a little bit hypomobile. Is this common? I assume that I would need to just work on mobility on the right side, correct?

Great video btw, I had no idea my right shoulder was so stiff compared to my left.