Shoulders · Bodyweight
Standing Elbow Circle
How to do the standing elbow circle, 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
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand tall and raise your arms out to the sides with elbows bent. Draw slow circles with your elbows, moving through a full range at the shoulder. Reverse direction after several reps to mobilize the shoulder joint in both directions.
- 1Shoulders loosening as the elbows trace wide circles
- 2Smooth motion through the full range of the joint
- 3Light work across the upper back and delts
Common mistakes
- Rushing the circles or jerking the arms
- Shrugging your shoulders up toward your ears
- Arching your lower back to make the circles bigger
Muscles worked
The standing elbow circle works the upper traps, front delts, side delts, rear delts, and external rotators.
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- Rear DeltsSupport
- External RotatorsSupport
- Mid TrapsMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
- Internal RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the standing elbow circle 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.