Shoulders · Bodyweight
Elbow Touch and Lift
How to do the elbow touch and lift, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- HorizontalPull
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand or kneel tall with your arms raised out to the sides, elbows bent. Bring both elbows together in front of your chest, then open them wide and lift them up and back to squeeze the upper back and rear shoulders, moving under control each rep.
- 1Rear shoulders and upper back squeezing as the elbows open
- 2Shoulder blades pulling together at the back of the move
- 3A stretch across the chest as the elbows meet in front
Common mistakes
- Shrugging the shoulders up toward your ears
- Using momentum to swing the arms instead of controlling them
- Arching the lower back as the elbows lift
Muscles worked
The elbow touch and lift mainly works the rear delts and mid traps, with the upper traps, lower traps, and external rotators assisting.
- Rear DeltsPrimary
- Mid TrapsPrimary
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Lower TrapsSupport
- External RotatorsSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the elbow touch and lift 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.