Kneeling Shoulder Rock

MobilityBWMat

Quadruped rocking drill that loads the shoulder in a closed-chain, weight-bearing position — builds shoulder stability and mobility together, borrowed from Original Strength and gymnastics prep work.

Demo: Original Strength style demo

Sets

2

Reps

10-12 rocks

Rest

20s

Contraindications

Wrist pain in weight-bearing extension — reduce range or use fists/parallettes.

Setup

On hands and knees, hands under shoulders, fingers spread wide.

Execution

  1. 1Rock the hips back toward the heels while keeping arms straight and shoulders active
  2. 2Rock forward past the hands, allowing the shoulders to flex further and wrists to extend
  3. 3Keep the core braced throughout — this is not a passive stretch, shoulders stay 'switched on'
  4. 4Repeat rocking forward and back for reps

Key cues

  • Keep the arms actively pushing into the floor, not just passively resting
  • Spread the fingers wide for a stable base
  • Rock through a full pain-free range, forward and back
  • Keep the core braced, don't let the low back sag

Common faults

  • Letting the elbows bend and shoulders go passive
  • Sagging through the low back during the rock
  • Rocking through a tiny, guarded range instead of full available motion
  • Wrists collapsing instead of staying stacked

Tweaks

  • Add a pause at full forward rock to load the wrist/shoulder end range
  • Progress to a single-arm variant for added stability demand
  • Combine with Original Strength's baby crawling pattern for a full sequence

Progressions

Wrist Push-Ups (Against Wall)

Muscles

Primary: Shoulder Stabilizers, Serratus Anterior

Secondary: Wrist Flexors/Extensors, Core

Notes

Doubles as wrist-loading prep for handstand and crawling work.

Sources

Attribution: Original Strength (Tim Anderson) / gymnastics prep community