Shoulders · Bodyweight
Arms-up and Down
How to do the arms-up and down, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- time
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand tall with your arms at your sides. Rhythmically swing both arms up overhead and back down in a continuous, athletic motion, staying light on your feet and keeping the tempo steady.
- 1Your shoulders working through a full overhead range
- 2A steady rhythm with relaxed, loose arms
- 3Your core staying upright and stable as the arms move
Common mistakes
- Shrugging your shoulders up to your ears
- Arching your lower back as the arms go overhead
- Rushing so much that the movement loses control
Muscles worked
The arms-up and down works the front delts, upper traps, and side delts.
- Front DeltsSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- CalvesMinor
Kovo programs the arms-up and down for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More shoulders exercises
- How to do the battle rope alternating waves
- How to do the arm circles
- How to do the arnold press
- How to do the resistance band front raise
- How to do the resistance band lateral raise
- How to do the resistance band overhead press
Last reviewed June 2026.