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Band Dislocates

shoulders · resistance band or broomstick

Video thumbnail: Band Shoulder Dislocates

External video — Band Shoulder Dislocates by Theory of Motion Exercise Library.

How to do it
Setup
Grip a resistance band or broomstick with a wide overhand grip. Start wider than feels necessary — you can always narrow it on a later session, but starting too narrow is this drill's most common failure.
Execution
Keeping the elbows locked straight and the core braced, raise the band up and over your head, continuing the same arc down behind your back until your arms are behind you, then reverse. Use the first rep to calibrate your grip: if you complete the full arc with the low back staying flat and the shoulders staying down, not hiked toward the ears, your grip is wide enough — keep it there for the set. If the low back arches or the shoulders round forward to complete the arc, stop, walk your hands out further apart, and restart the rep.
Common error
Gripping too narrow and forcing the arc through anyway — this pushes the range into the lower back and shoulders instead of the shoulder joint's true rotation. Widen the grip before repeating the rep, never force it through.
Feel
A stretch across the chest and front shoulders as the band passes overhead, shoulder blades drawing together as it passes behind you, low back flat throughout. Any pinch, or the low back lifting off flat, means your grip is too narrow — widen it before your next rep, not after.

Wide overhand grip on a band or stick — raise it overhead and continue the arc down behind your back, then reverse, without bending the elbows.

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