Tip: Upper-Body Day? Do This Drill First

Wake up your upper back, shoulder stabilizers, and more with this simple warm-up exercise.

The Floor Slide

The floor slide will dynamically stretch the pecs and the front of your shoulders. It'll activate the often dormant upper back and shoulder-stabilizing muscles. You need to wake these up if you're training upper body! It'll also train you to depress and retract the shoulder blades.

This position has huge carryover to exercises like rows and pulldowns, but also the bench press and squat setup.

How to Do It

  • Lie on your back with the arms angled up to about 45 degrees.
  • Start the movement by pulling the elbows down towards your hips, like a lat pulldown, while lightly pressing the forearms into the ground at all times.
  • Press your arms back up, like a shoulder press, to start position, and repeat.
Eirik Sandvik is an innovative athletic-performance specialist. His profound experience with injuries fuels his passion for finding the best strategies and solutions for overcoming setbacks. Eirik works with elite athletes in a variety of sports, from MMA to Figure fitness.    Follow on Instagram