Around the World Exercise: Build Strong, Healthy Shoulders!

The around-the-world exercise is a versatile and effective movement that strengthens multiple muscle groups and improves overall shoulder health.

I have been doing around-the-world exercises for years because I tore my labrum in my second year of college basketball and have been doing shoulder rehab ever since.

The around-the-world exercise helps me maintain a full range of motion and I do them with moderate-light weight (around 10 pounds for three sets of 15 reps).

What is the Around the World Exercise?

The around-the-world exercise is a dynamic, circular movement that targets shoulder mobility, stability, and strength.

This exercise involves moving a pair of light dumbbells in a smooth, controlled arc around your body, mimicking the shape of a circle.

The movement pattern challenges multiple muscles across the shoulders, upper back, and chest, making it an excellent addition to any fitness routine focused on improving shoulder health.

Its name reflects the continuous motion that “travels” around your body, engaging both primary and stabilizing muscles to maintain control.

This exercise not only builds strength but also enhances coordination, flexibility, and body awareness.

As a low-impact movement, it is ideal for athletes rehabbing shoulder injuries or individuals looking to prevent shoulder pain while building functional strength.

Around the World Exercise Muscles Worked

The around the world exercise primarily targets the deltoids (shoulder muscles) and the trapezius (upper back).

The scapula, or shoulder blade, plays a crucial role in the around the world exercise.

Proper scapular movement and stability are essential for maintaining shoulder health and maximizing the benefits of this exercise.

1. Scapular Stability: During the around the world exercise, the scapula must remain stable to provide a solid base for shoulder movements. This stability helps prevent excessive strain on the shoulder joint and reduces the risk of injury.
2. Scapular Mobility: The scapula needs to move smoothly and in coordination with the arms to allow for the full range of motion required by the exercise. Proper scapular mobility ensures that the shoulder joint can move freely and effectively, enhancing the overall effectiveness of the exercise.
3. Muscle Engagement: The muscles that control the scapula, including the serratus anterior, trapezius, and rhomboids, are actively engaged during the around the world exercise. Strengthening these muscles improves scapular control and contributes to better shoulder function.

Additionally, it engages the pectorals (chest muscles), rotator cuff muscles, and the core, including the obliques and the rectus abdominis.

The dynamic nature of this exercise also involves the lower body to a lesser extent, helping to stabilize and balance the movement.

How to Do the Around the World Exercise with Dumbbells

To perform the around the world exercise with light dumbbells, follow these steps:

1. Start Position: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a light dumbbell in each hand, arms extended down by your sides and having your palms facing forward.
2. Movement: Lift both dumbbells simultaneously, bringing them up to the sides of your body and then overhead. Continue the circular motion by moving the dumbbells back down.
3. Repetitions: Aim for 10-15 repetitions in each direction, maintaining a controlled and steady pace throughout the movement, especially lowering the weight with a 3-5 count to maximize muscle engagement.

Benefits of the Around the World Exercise

The around-the-world exercise offers a wide range of benefits, making it a valuable addition to any workout routine.

From improving mobility to enhancing strength, this exercise promotes overall shoulder health while benefiting other parts of your body. Here’s a deeper dive into its advantages:

Improved Shoulder Mobility and Stability

The around-the-world exercise helps increase the range of motion in the shoulder joint while simultaneously enhancing stability.

The controlled, circular motion promotes flexibility by encouraging the shoulder muscles to move through their full range, reducing stiffness and improving joint function.

Stability improves as the supporting muscles, like the rotator cuff and scapular stabilizers, are engaged throughout the movement.

A Convenient At-Home Shoulder Exercise

One of the standout benefits of the around-the-world exercise is its accessibility.

It requires minimal equipment—just a pair of light dumbbells—making it an excellent shoulder exercise to do at home or while traveling.

Despite its simplicity, the movement delivers significant results, helping to build strength and mobility without the need for heavy weights or machines.

Strengthens Multiple Muscle Groups

This exercise targets the shoulders, chest, and core simultaneously, making it a compound movement that maximizes efficiency.

The deltoids (shoulders), pectorals (chest), and obliques (core) work together, promoting balanced muscle development.

This makes it especially useful for people looking to enhance functional strength for sports or daily activities.

Enhances Coordination and Proprioception

The fluid, circular motion of the around-the-world exercise challenges coordination and proprioception—the body’s ability to sense its position and movement in space. By requiring careful control of the dumbbells, this exercise improves neuromuscular connections, which can enhance overall body awareness and movement efficiency.

Prevents Shoulder Injuries

Regularly performing the around-the-world exercise strengthens the stabilizing muscles of the shoulder, which are often neglected in traditional weightlifting exercises.

Strengthening these smaller muscles, including the rotator cuff and scapular stabilizers, reduces the likelihood of shoulder impingements, dislocations, or strains.

For athletes, this makes it a key movement for injury prevention.

Whether you’re an athlete or simply want to move better in everyday life, the around-the-world exercise improves performance by enhancing shoulder strength, mobility, and control.

This translates to smoother, more powerful movements in sports like basketball, swimming, and tennis, as well as in functional tasks like lifting objects overhead.

How to Safely Progress

To safely progress with the around the world exercise, follow these steps:

1. Start with Light Weights: Begin with light weights to ensure proper form and technique. Focus on mastering the movement before increasing the load.
2. Gradually Increase Weight: Once comfortable with the movement, gradually increase the weight in small increments to continue challenging your muscles.
3. Incorporate Variations: To add variety and increase difficulty, try performing the exercise in different positions, such as kneeling or in a staggered stance.
4. Combine with Other Exercises: Integrate the around the world exercise into a broader workout routine that includes other strength and mobility exercises to ensure balanced muscle development and prevent overuse injuries.

Incorporating the around the world exercise into your fitness regimen can significantly improve your shoulder mobility, strength, and overall athletic performance.

By following the steps and progression tips outlined above, you can safely and effectively make this exercise a staple in your workout routine.

Improving mobility to perform this exercise pain-free should be a primary goal before gradually adding weight to enhance shoulder strength.

Additionally, prone swimmers are a great complementary exercise for the around-the-world shoulder movement.