Seated Elbow Squeeze

Seated arms movement. Lift your elbows to shoulder height and gently draw them back, squeezing the shoulder blades together before returning to the start.

Times practiced Times practiced How many times people completed this movement in workouts in the app, from August 18, 2026 to October 15, 2026. How we get this number: 342
Popularity rank Popularity rank Its place among 142 movements, ranked by times practiced. How we get this number: #136of 142
Difficulty Difficulty How demanding the movement is, from 1 (gentlest) to 5. How we get this number: 1/5
Clarity Clarity How clearly the steps and the video specify the movement, from 1 to 5. How we get this number: 5/5
Time: 30 sec
Equipment: Chair

Focus zonesArms Back

How to do it

Lift your elbows to shoulder height and gently draw them back, squeezing the shoulder blades together before returning to the start.
You should feel the muscles across your upper back waking up while keeping your shoulders relaxed.

About Seated Elbow Squeeze

Seated Elbow Squeeze starts with the elbows near shoulder height and draws them gently back before returning. The movement focuses attention on the upper-back action while you maintain a steady seated posture.

What to focus on

Draw the elbows back gently rather than pushing the chest forward.
Control the return as carefully as the squeeze.

Make the movement smaller

Lower the elbows and use a smaller backward movement.

A mistake to watch for

Lifting the shoulders toward the ears during the squeeze. Lower the arm position and relax before repeating.

Practice time and pacing

The app assigns 30 seconds to Seated Elbow Squeeze. Use that as a time block, with pauses whenever you need them. Move at the demonstration’s controlled pace; the timer is not a repetition target. Watch the full movement once before following along.

Set a firm chair on a nonslip surface and leave room for the arm and leg movements shown. A chair without wheels keeps the setup steady.

Where you will practice it

You will find this movement in Seated Sunrise Flow, at step 2 of 16. It first appears on day 17 of the Seated Beginner 30-Day Plan. The day count below follows the extended version; shorter days can use fewer movements.