4 Shoulder Mobility Drills for Pain-Free Pressing and Dips
If your shoulders feel tight, cranky, or painful during pressing and dips, it’s rarely because you’re “brokenMore often, it’s because your shoulders lack usable rotation and stability in the positions you’re asking them to work. This is especially true of people who sit at a desk all day or look down at their phone all of the time, constantly putting their shoulders into internal rotation.
The good news?
You don’t need complicated rehab drills or endless stretching.
These four simple shoulder mobility drills cover internal rotation, external rotation, overhead range, and strength at end range, the exact combination most lifters are missing.
I use these with clients, in my own training, and before upper-body sessions when I want my shoulders to feel strong and pain-free.
I’ve also experienced pain in the front of the shoulders doing a lot of weighted dips during the pandemic, a physio diagnosed it as bicep tendonitis. This is where the bicep tendon is irritated and getting caught in the shoulder joint, these are the movements I used to build tolerance back up in my shoulders.
1. Internal Rotation Band Stretch
Internal rotation is one of the most commonly restricted shoulder movements — especially if you bench, dip, or press regularly.
This banded stretch gently opens up the back of the shoulder capsule and improves how the humerus sits in the socket during pressing.
How to do it:
Anchor a light band behind you
Elbow stays tight to your side
Gently rotate the hand inward
Lean forward slightly to increase the stretch but keep your chest up
Keep it smooth - no forcing the range and hold it for a minute.
Why it matters:
Limited internal rotation often shows up as shoulder discomfort at the bottom of presses or dips. Improving it can instantly make pressing feel smoother. This stretch will feel uncomfortable but hold it for a minute and you will get instant relief.
2. External Rotation Stretch with a Broomstick
External rotation is just as important - especially for shoulder health and long-term strength and it is another range in which most will find themself restricted.
Using a broomstick allows you to guide the arm into range without loading the joint aggressively. This builds controlled mobility, I am using a mini barbell in the video, you can also use a PVC pipe or something similar - Start wider than you think you have too.
How to do it:
Elbow stays bent and supported
Use the broomstick to gently rotate the arm outward
Keep the shoulder down and relaxed
Move slowly and stay well within control
Why it matters:
Strong, mobile external rotation improves shoulder stability and reduces strain during benching, overhead pressing, and dips.
Don’t be cranking this back aggressively either, I’d hold it for 30 seconds relax into it and then try for some additional range.
3. Shoulder Dislocates with a Broomstick
Despite the scary name, shoulder dislocates are one of the best drills for restoring full overhead range when done correctly.
They take the shoulder through flexion, rotation, and extension in one smooth movement. They also take the scapular through elevation, depression and retraction if you do them correctly, you can see at the top I shrug (elevate my scapula) and then depress and retract.
How to do it:
Hands wide on the broomstick
Straight arms
Move slowly from front to back
Adjust hand width to stay pain-free
Why it matters:
This drill keeps the shoulders moving well overhead — essential if you press, do pull-ups, or train upper body consistently. When I initially hurt my shoulders I bought a really long stick and I put it by my kettle, everytime I put the kettle on I’d do a set of 10.. within a week I’d made noticeable improvements just accumulating sets throughout the day.
4. Bottom Position Dip Hold
Mobility without strength is a short-term fix.
This drill ties everything together by building strength and stability at the bottom of a dip, where most people feel shoulder pain.
How to do it:
Lower into a dip only as deep as you can control
Stop before pain or loss of position
Hold the bottom position for time
Focus on shoulder stability, not depth
Why it matters:
Dips don’t hurt shoulders - lack of strength at the end range does.
This teaches your shoulders to tolerate load in deep ranges safely.
How to Use These Drills
You don’t need to overthink it.
Perform 2–3 rounds
Spend 30–45 seconds per drill
Use them before upper-body sessions
Or on rest days as a quick shoulder routine.
Total time: 5 minutes
Final Thoughts
Healthy shoulders aren’t built by avoiding hard training.
These four drills improve:
Internal rotation
External rotation
Overhead mobility
End-range strength
Do them consistently and your pressing, dips, and overall shoulder comfort will improve fast.
If you want help structuring your training around pain-free strength progress, this is exactly the kind of work I build into my coaching programmes and 1-1 personal training in York.
