{
  "$schema": "https://openexercise.org/schema/v0/exercise.json",
  "aliases": [
    {
      "text": "Forward Shoulder Rotation",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Forward Elbow Circle",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Bent-Arm Shoulder Circle",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Forward Shoulder Roll",
      "kind": "common"
    }
  ],
  "anatomy": {
    "muscles": [
      {
        "muscle": "deltoid",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "rotator-cuff",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "trapezius",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "serratus-anterior",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "rhomboids",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "pectoralis-major",
        "role": "synergist"
      }
    ],
    "joints": [
      {
        "joint": "glenohumeral",
        "actions": [
          "circumduction"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "scapulothoracic",
        "actions": [
          "elevation",
          "depression",
          "protraction",
          "retraction"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "elbow",
        "actions": [
          "flexion"
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "classification": {
    "modalities": [
      "mobility",
      "calisthenics"
    ],
    "movement_patterns": [
      "mobility-drill"
    ],
    "mechanics": "compound",
    "force": "not-applicable",
    "kinetic_chain": "open",
    "laterality": "bilateral",
    "planes": [
      "sagittal",
      "frontal",
      "transverse"
    ],
    "contraction": [
      "dynamic"
    ],
    "level": "beginner"
  },
  "equipment": {
    "required": []
  },
  "external_ids": {
    "wger": "1004"
  },
  "id": "oec:forward-shoulder-circle",
  "instructions": {
    "setup": [
      "Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart and your spine in a neutral posture.",
      "Rest the fingertips of each hand lightly on the tops of your shoulders with your elbows pointing forward."
    ],
    "steps": [
      "Trace large, controlled forward circles with your elbows, moving them forward, down, backward, and back up to the starting point.",
      "Allow your shoulder blades to glide naturally along your rib cage through retraction, depression, protraction, and elevation.",
      "Continue rotating in a continuous, smooth rhythm for the prescribed repetitions or duration."
    ],
    "breathing": "Maintain steady, rhythmic breathing throughout the movement, inhaling as the elbows lift and exhaling as they circle down.",
    "cues": [
      "Draw big circles with the elbows",
      "Keep the neck relaxed",
      "Control the full circle"
    ],
    "common_faults": [
      {
        "fault": "Excessively shrugging the neck and tensing the upper trapezius.",
        "correction": "Keep your neck relaxed and draw the circles from the shoulder joint and shoulder blades rather than hunching your neck."
      },
      {
        "fault": "Hyperextending the lower back to compensate for limited shoulder mobility.",
        "correction": "Keep your abdominal wall lightly braced and your ribs anchored down while isolating movement to the shoulders."
      }
    ],
    "safety": {
      "precautions": [
        "Perform the circles within a comfortable, pain-free range of motion if you have a history of shoulder impingement."
      ],
      "spotter": "not-needed"
    }
  },
  "measurement": {
    "duration_counted": "total",
    "load": {
      "convention": "not-applicable",
      "kind": "none"
    },
    "profiles": [
      {
        "required": [
          "reps"
        ],
        "optional": [
          "duration",
          "rpe"
        ]
      },
      {
        "required": [
          "duration"
        ],
        "optional": [
          "reps",
          "rpe"
        ]
      }
    ],
    "records": {},
    "reps_counted": "total"
  },
  "name": "Forward Shoulder Circle",
  "previous_ids": [
    "oec:forward-shoulder-rotation"
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "generated": [
      "/name",
      "/summary",
      "/classification",
      "/anatomy",
      "/equipment",
      "/measurement",
      "/instructions",
      "/setup",
      "/relations"
    ],
    "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0",
    "review": {
      "status": "machine-generated",
      "model": "gemini-3.8-flash",
      "at": "2026-10-31"
    },
    "sources": [
      {
        "title": "wger: Forward shoulder rotation",
        "url": "https://wger.de/en/exercise/1004/view-base",
        "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
      }
    ]
  },
  "relations": [
    {
      "type": "variation-of",
      "target": "oec:forward-arm-circle"
    }
  ],
  "setup": {
    "position": "standing",
    "range": "full",
    "stance": {
      "kind": "parallel",
      "width": "hip"
    }
  },
  "status": "active",
  "summary": "A bodyweight mobility drill where the shoulders and elbows cycle in a forward circular motion with fingertips on the shoulders to mobilize the shoulder girdle."
}