Skip to content
ascend.
Exercise guide

Elbow Circles

How to do the Elbow Circles with correct form, the muscles it works, and where it fits a training plan you actually stick to.

IsolationBeginnerPull
Primary muscles

Shoulders

Secondary

Traps

Equipment

Bodyweight

Step by step

How to do the Elbow Circles

  1. 1

    Sit or stand with your feet slightly apart.

  2. 2

    Place your hands on your shoulders with your elbows at shoulder level and pointing out.

  3. 3

    Slowly make a circle with your elbows. Breathe out as you start the circle and breathe in as you complete the circle.

In Ascend

Log it, see it on your body.

Every Elbow Circles set you log feeds Ascend's anatomy heatmap — so your shoulders volume is visible at a glance — and counts toward your bodyweight-strength tier.

Related

More shoulders exercises

Ascend Club

The app is free. Club adds the coach, leagues and analytics.

Core tracking stays free forever — the climb, streaks, logging and your league tiers. Club is for when you want the full coach, worldwide competition and the depth, at about the price of one coffee a month.

See Club plans

14-day free trial · no card to start

 FreeClub
Tracking, the climb and streaks
Per-set logging, PR detection, wearables
Muscle-league tiers
The AI coachnudgesFull conversation
Worldwide leagues and challenges
PR projections and deep analytics
Unlimited crews
Themes, export and higher AI limits