Flexible, mobile shoulders are one of the biggest keys to long-term performance and staying pain-free.
And yet, most people don’t realize they have a shoulder problem until it manifests as pain, clicking, weakness, or loss of strength in presses and pull-ups.
Today, I want to give you a quick-and-dirty shoulder flexibility test you can try right now.
This won’t tell you everything about your shoulders—but it’s an excellent starting point.
It takes less than 30 seconds and gives you real insight into how your shoulders are doing.
Here’s the test.
1 – Raise one arm overhead and reach down your back.
2 – At the same time, bring the other arm up behind your back.
3 – Try to touch your fingertips together.
Now, here’s how to score it:
— Excellent: Your fingers overlap
— Good: Your fingertips touch
— Average: Your fingertips are less than 2 inches apart
— Poor: Your fingertips are more than 2 inches apart
What your result means:
— If the top arm felt tight, that usually points to limited shoulder flexion and tight triceps.
— If the bottom arm felt tight, that often indicates restricted shoulder extension and internal rotation.
If either arm was tight, you’re more likely to experience:
– Shoulder discomfort or instability during training
– Limited range of motion in presses or pull-ups
– Rotator cuff irritation
– Shoulder pain or impingement over time
What to do next:
If you scored excellent, great work.
Just remember—this test doesn’t evaluate strength or stability, which are just as important for truly bulletproof shoulders.
Those are things I specifically address in my daily shoulder routine.
If you scored average or poor—and you’re not actively working on this—now is the perfect time to start.
That’s exactly why I created my newest program:
It’s a 28-day plan built for people who want to:
– Relieve shoulder pain
– Restore mobility
– Train hard without limitations
It takes 8 minutes or less per day.
No fancy equipment required.
Includes follow-along videos and PDFs.
And this week, it’s on sale.
When you grab it, you’ll also get my 10–20–30 Tactical Kettlebell Program completely free as a bonus.
If you took the test and want a simple, proven way to improve your score, reduce pain, and protect your shoulders long-term, click here to check it out.
Talk to you soon,
— Forest