Flexible, mobile shoulders are KEY to performance, and a functional, pain-free life.

Today, I’ve got a quick and simple shoulder flexibility test for you. This isn’t going to cover everything, but it’s a solid starting point, and it’s super easy to do.

THE TEST

Try this: Reach one hand over your shoulder and the other hand up your back, aiming to touch them together.

Refer to the picture below for a visual guide:

How to score yourself:

• EXCELLENT = fingers overlap
• GOOD = fingers touch
• AVERAGE = fingers are less than two inches apart
• POOR = fingers are more than two inches apart

WHAT YOUR SCORE MEANS

This quick test can tell you a lot about your shoulder health and flexibility, which directly impacts your performance.

TOP ARM = Shoulder flexion + tricep flexibility

If your TOP arm feels tight, it can lead to: 

– Shoulder pain 

– Rotator cuff issues 

– Wrist and low back pain

BOTTOM ARM = Shoulder extension + internal rotation

If your BOTTOM arm feels tight, you’re more likely to face: 

– Shoulder pain

– Shoulder impingement 

– Shoulder instability or even dislocation

WHAT TO DO NEXT

If you scored excellent—nice work! (Just remember, this test doesn’t address shoulder strength and stability, which are also key for overall shoulder health. But we’ll save that for another time.)

If you scored average or poor, this is definitely something to work on. Everyone’s body is a bit different, and the ideal approach would involve a personalized evaluation to build a specific plan for you.

But if you’re tackling this on your own and haven’t started yet, a great place to begin is with short add-on sequences like the ones linked below:

–>> REGENERATE 2.0

With just 3 to 6 minutes a day, you can reduce pain, improve performance, and potentially change your life.

Here’s to improved shoulder health!

– Forest Vance – creator, REGENERATE 2.0