Open Exercise

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Catalogue

Dowel Overhead Press

oec:dowel-overhead-press

A standing upper-body mobility exercise using a light stick or PVC pipe to promote shoulder active range of motion and overhead mechanics.

Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.

Also called: Standing Dowel Shoulder Press, PVC Overhead Press, Dowel Shoulder Press, Broomstick Overhead Press

How to do it

Setup

  1. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart and knees soft.
  2. Grip a wooden dowel or PVC pipe with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width.
  3. Rest the dowel across your clavicles in front of your neck, bracing your core and keeping your ribcage down.

Movement

  1. Press the dowel straight up overhead until your elbows are fully locked out and the dowel aligns with your ears.
  2. Smoothly lower the dowel behind your neck toward your upper trapezius, moving only through a pain-free range of motion.
  3. Press the dowel back up to full lockout overhead.
  4. Lower the dowel back to the starting position in front of your chest.

Breathing

Exhale as you press overhead, and inhale smoothly as you lower the dowel.

Cues

  • Keep ribs down and core braced
  • Reach tall at lockout
  • Never force uncomfortable range behind the neck

Common faults

Overarching the lower back to force overhead mobility.
Squeeze the glutes and pull the lower ribs down toward the pelvis throughout the movement.
Forcing the dowel too deep behind the head.
Widen your grip slightly or lower only as far as shoulder mobility allows comfortably.

Safety

  • Avoid forced behind-the-neck movements if experiencing active shoulder impingement or pain.

Muscles

  • Front deltoid prime mover
  • Upper trapezius prime mover
  • Serratus anterior synergist
  • Triceps brachii synergist
  • Rotator cuff stabilizer
  • Rectus abdominis stabilizer
  • Pectoralis major stretched
  • Latissimus dorsi stretched

Joints

  • Shoulder: Flexion, Abduction, External rotation
  • Shoulder blade: Upward rotation, Elevation
  • Elbow: Extension, Flexion
  • Thoracic spine: Extension, Isometric stabilization

Details

Movement
Mobility drill, Vertical push
Modality
Mobility, Flexibility
Mechanics
compound
Force
push
Laterality
bilateral
Kinetic chain
open
Level
beginner
Equipment
None
Record
Repetitions; or Duration
Load
none

Related

Sources

This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.

Data

dowel-overhead-press.json