Upper Body
Elbow exercises
The elbow joint is a hinge joint connecting the upper arm (humerus) to the forearm (radius and ulna). It allows flexion, extension, and forearm rotation (pronation/supination). Common issues include tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, and cubital tunnel syndrome.
323
Exercises
3
Movement ranges
Published population evidence
Elbow population reference statistics
Population reference evidence—not a normal range or tracking target.
These values summarize a source population measured under a specific protocol. They are not individual normal ranges, treatment goals, or personal tracking thresholds.
No published population reference statistics are available for this joint.
The legacy movement cards and reviewed exercise library remain available below.
Related exercise guides
Home-first options prioritize safe range, household equipment, and pain-aware progression.
Aqua Paddles Standing Bent-Elbow Chest Fly
You stand shoulder-deep in a pool with a webbed paddle strapped to each hand. With your elbows bent and tucked at your sides, you sweep your hands together in front of your chest, then back out.
10 reps
Arm Circles on the Pilates Arm Chair
A seated arm circle on a Pilates arm chair. You sit tall with your back on the chair and a spring handle in each hand, press your arms straight, then circle them.
10 reps
Baduanjin Piece 7
The seventh piece of baduanjin, a qigong form. You stand with the fists clenched at the hips, glare, drive one fist forward, and withdraw it to the hips.
10 reps
Band Biceps Curl
Curl a resistance band to strengthen biceps. Band provides progressive resistance that's easy on joints.
12 reps
Band Chest Fly
You stand in a staggered stance with a band anchored behind you at chest height, holding one end in each hand. You bring your hands together in front of your chest in an arc, then return slowly.
10 reps
Band Push Press
Stand on a looped resistance band holding the handles at shoulder height. Dip with soft knees, then extend the legs quickly to drive the handles overhead.
6 reps
Band Triceps Pressdown
Push a resistance band down to straighten elbows. Good triceps exercise that's easy on the elbow joint.
15 reps
Banded Scapular Retraction
You stand with one arm through a resistance band that is anchored to a wall at shoulder height. You pull your arm back and squeeze your shoulder blade toward your spine, then return. You repeat on the other side.
10 reps
Behind-the-Back Assisted Internal-Rotation Slide
Stand tall and reach both arms behind your back. Hold the hand of the working arm with your other hand and slide it up your back as far as is comfortable.
10 reps
Biceps Wall Stretch
Stretch your biceps using a wall. Good for improving elbow extension and reducing front-of-elbow tightness.
30s
Bosu Platform Tilt Push Up
Set a balance trainer dome-side down with the flat platform facing up and grip its outer edges. Extend into a push-up plank. Lower into a push-up and press back up, keeping the platform level.
8 reps
Boxing on the Pilates Arm Chair
A seated punching move on a Pilates arm chair. You sit with your back against the chair, hold the spring handles, and punch straight in front of your centre while keeping your shoulders on the back.
10 reps
Brachial Plexus Nerve Glide Sequence
You stand with your right hand folded up at your right collarbone and your head bent toward that arm. You straighten your head while the hand drops away, then repeat the sequence.
10 reps
Bullworker Chest Compression
You stand with your feet about a foot apart, holding a light spring bar level at shoulder height by its inner grips. You press your hands together to compress the bar, then ease off.
10 reps
Bunny Hop Kick-Up
You crouch and place both hands on a mat at shoulder width, with your feet close to your hands. Then you kick both feet up off the floor together and try to keep them up as long as you can.
6 reps
Butterfly on the Pilates Arm Chair
A seated side move on a Pilates arm chair. With arms wide in the handles, one arm reaches up and over while the other reaches down and back, then you pulse the lower arm.
10 reps
Chen Frontal Silk-Reeling (Tai Chi Front-Plane Wave)
A tai chi front-plane wave from the Chen style. You stand with the arms low, draw them up and across in a first loop, carry them through the centre into a second loop, and return, shifting weight between the legs.
10 reps
Chest Press With the Consecutive-Loop Elastic Band
You stand with each hand in a loop at the end of an elastic band that runs behind your upper back. You keep your hands at chest level, push them straight forward, hold briefly, and return under control.
10 reps
Cleopatra / Dumb Waiter Standing Shoulder Warm-Up
Stand tall with your elbows bent to 90 degrees and palms up. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and rotate your arms out to the sides, pause, then float your arms up. You may feel a gentle stretch across your chest.
10 reps
Clock Push-Up
Start in a standard push-up plank. Lower your chest under control, then press up explosively so your hands leave the floor and shift about thirty degrees. Land softly and continue around the full circle.
6 reps
Close Grip Push-Up
Push-up with hands close together to emphasize triceps. Good functional elbow exercise with bodyweight.
10 reps
Clubbell Shoulder Abduction and Internal Rotation With Asymmetric Forearm Wrap
A standing arm sweep holding a clubbell in each hand. You lift both arms out to the sides at shoulder height, sweep them forward across the chest, and finish with one forearm covering your face.
8 reps
Counter Push-Up
Push-up performed against a counter or elevated surface. Intermediate step between wall and floor push-ups.
12 reps
Crane Pose, Bakasana, the Straight-Arm Arm Balance
A crane pose. The knees are tucked close to the underarms and the body balances on the hands with the arms pressed as straight as possible.
30s
Crow Pose, Kakasana, the Bent-Arm Frog Stand
A crow pose, or frog stand. The knees rest on the bent upper arms, the hips ride high and the body balances on the hands.
30s
Crucifix
You stand upright with a weight in each hand at your sides. You raise your arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the ground. You hold your arms there for as long as you can.
30s
Dual Vector Reverse Throw With the Consecutive-Loop Elastic Band
You stand with one foot through the middle loop of an elastic band, with the last loop wrapped around your upper arm. You lift your hand upward and outward as if cocking the shoulder, then slowly bring the arm down across your body.
10 reps
Eccentric Wrist Extension
Lower a weight slowly using wrist extensors. The gold standard exercise for tennis elbow rehabilitation. Focus on the slow lowering phase.
12 reps
Elbow Bend and Straighten
Simple active range of motion exercise for the elbow. Gently move your elbow through its full range to maintain or improve mobility.
15 reps
Elbow Circles
Stand with your hands on your shoulders and your elbows at shoulder level, pointing out. Slowly draw a full circle with your elbows, breathing out as it starts and in as it finishes.
10 reps
Elbows Back
Stand tall and place your hands on your lower back with the fingers pointing down. Gently pull your elbows back, aiming to bring them together. Hold briefly, then release your hands down.
10 reps
Finger Extension with Band
Open your fingers against a rubber band resistance. Balances grip muscles and helps prevent overuse of flexors.
20 reps
FlexBar Wrist Extension
You sit with your forearm resting on your thigh and your wrist past the edge, palm down, holding a flexible FlexBar in one hand. You let the wrist drop, then lift it back up. You repeat on the other side.
10 reps
FlexBar Wrist Pronation Against a Bar Braced on the Table
You sit with your elbow on a tabletop and grip a flexible resistance bar with one end braced on the table. You rotate your forearm against the bar, then return.
10 reps
FlexBar Wrist Ulnar Deviation With the Elbow on a Table
You sit with your elbow on a table, gripping one end of a flexible rubber bar with the other end resting on the table. You tilt your wrist toward the little-finger side against the bar, then return.
10 reps
Forearm Rotation
Rotate your forearm palm up and palm down to maintain pronation and supination mobility. Important for daily activities like turning doorknobs.
15 reps
Front Plate Raise
You stand tall holding a weight plate at its sides with both hands, arms nearly straight at your waist. You slowly raise the plate in front of you to a little above shoulder height. Then you lower it with control.
8 reps
Full Push-Up
Standard push-up from toes. Fundamental exercise for upper body pushing strength and elbow stability.
12 reps
Gada Push-and-Pull Swing
A momentum swing with a long bamboo-style mace. You push it upward to fall, brace your core, pull hard just before the lowest point and quarter-turn it back up.
8 reps
Gentle Arm Swings
Let your arm swing gently using momentum from your body. Promotes blood flow and reduces stiffness with minimal effort.
45s
Gentle Grip Isometric
Squeeze a rolled towel gently to activate forearm muscles without heavy gripping. Good early exercise when grip is painful.
15s
Hand Gripper
Squeeze a spring-loaded hand gripper for grip strength. Good for building crushing grip progressively.
12 reps
Hand-Release Push-Up
A bodyweight push-up on the floor. At the bottom, lift both hands briefly off the floor, put them back under the shoulders, and push up to the top.
10 reps
Hangboard Half-Crimp Edge Dead Hang
A hang from a fingerboard edge in the half-crimp grip. You press three fingers at ninety degrees with the thumb under the pointer, lift your feet and hang your body weight.
30s
Hangboard Open-Hand Edge Dead Hang
A hang from a fingerboard edge in the open-hand grip. You set your pointer and pinky fingers out with the middle fingers between, lift your feet and hang still.
30s
Hangboard Sloper-Surface Dead Hang
A hang from the rounded surface of a fingerboard. You drape your whole palms and four fingers flat over the top, lift your feet and hang straight down.
30s
Ikkyo-Undo (Aikido First-Teaching Exercise)
Aim: easy shoulder movement and leg control. Good for: Standing warm-up; Shoulder mobility; Gentle leg bending.
10 reps
Incline Push-Up Depth Jump
Place the feet on a box and the hands on the floor between two steps. Lower, then push off the floor so the hands land on the steps, and repeat back down.
6 reps
Internal Rotation at 90 Degrees Abduction With a Band
Stand with your arm out at shoulder height and your elbow bent to 90 degrees, holding a band handle. Keep your upper arm still and rotate your forearm forward until it is level.
10 reps
Jori Rumali Pair Swing
You swing a pair of heavy wooden clubs one after the other. Each club arcs over and away from the shoulder, then is pulled to rest on the upper chest. The second club starts its arc as the first lands.
8 reps
Jump Rope Side Swing Cross
Aim: to build coordination and conditioning. Good for: Home cardio with a jump rope; Arm and wrist coordination; Conditioning intervals.
20s
Kneeling Arm Drill
A kneeling arm drill. You start half-kneeling with the left foot in front and the right knee down. You swing the arms in long pendulum blocks, closing the arm angle as the pace builds, then switch knees.
20s
Kneeling Reverse Fly With a Cable or Band
You kneel tall on a mat with a handle in each hand and your arms extended in front at shoulder height. You breathe out and pull your arms backward and downward in a wide arc to hip level with your palms turned up.
8 reps
Legless Rope Climb Arms-Only Ascent, the Hand-Over-Hand Pull
A rope climb using arms only. Grip the rope high, hang with your feet clear, and pull up hand over hand with your arms and back.
8 reps
Median Nerve Glide
Gentle movement to mobilize the median nerve. Can help with carpal tunnel symptoms that may accompany elbow issues.
8 reps
Medicine Ball Biceps Curl
You stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, holding a medicine ball in both hands in front of you with straight arms. You bend your elbows to curl the ball toward your chest, then lower it.
8 reps
Medicine Ball Chest Pass
Throw medicine ball explosively from chest. Power exercise for return to sport. Only when pain-free.
8 reps
Medicine Ball Floor Press
You lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, holding a medicine ball over your chest in both hands. You press the ball upward, then lower it with control.
8 reps
Medicine Ball Front Raise
You stand holding a medicine ball between both palms in front of your body, arms slightly bent. You raise the ball forward and up, then lower it back down.
8 reps
Medicine Ball Overhead Press
You stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, holding a medicine ball at chest level with both hands. You press the ball overhead, then lower it back to your chest.
8 reps
Medicine Ball Push-Up With Both Hands on the Ball
You hold a plank with both palms on the sides of a medicine ball and your shoulders directly over it. You slowly lower your body toward the ball with your torso rigid until your chest nears it, then press back up.
8 reps
Medicine Ball Side Toss
Rotate and throw medicine ball to the side. Power exercise for rotational sports. Only when pain-free.
6 reps
Medicine Ball Triceps Extension
You stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a medicine ball overhead with both hands and straight arms. You lower the ball behind your head by bending your elbows, then straighten them again.
8 reps
Near-Far Focus Convergence Exercise With a Raised Finger Moved Toward the Nose
You sit upright and hold your right arm straight out at eye level with your index finger raised. You focus both eyes on the fingertip. Then you slowly bend your elbow to bring the finger toward your nose and back out again.
10 reps
Neutral Wrist Carry Hold
Hold a light object with wrist in neutral position. Teaches wrist control and builds grip endurance safely.
30s
One-Arm Medicine Ball Slam
Stand in a staggered stance holding a medicine ball in one hand. Wind it overhead while extending through the hips, knees and ankles, then slam it down.
6 reps
Open Hand Finger Pumps
Open and close your hand gently to promote blood flow to the forearm and reduce stiffness. Not a grip strength exercise.
20 reps
PNF Diagonal Flexion Pattern With a Band
Hold a resistance tube handle with the other end fixed to a low anchor. Sweep your arm on a diagonal from out at your side up and across your body to over your shoulder, turning your palm as you go, then reverse.
10 reps
Parallette Archer Push-Up
Start in a straight-arm push-up between two wide parallettes. Sink toward one side so that arm bends while the other stays straight, then press back to centre.
8 reps
Persian Meel Alternating Pair Swing
An alternating swing with a pair of wooden clubs. You hold both vertical in front of your chest, swing one to your back on the shoulder muscles while the other stays in front, then switch.
8 reps
Pike-to-Cobra Push-Up
From a push-up position, lift the hips into an inverted V. Swoop the upper body down and forward under the hands, then rise into a cobra with the arms extended.
8 reps
Plank Up-Down
Start in a straight-arm plank. Lower one forearm to the floor, then the other, then press back up one arm at a time, changing the leading arm each time. You may feel your stomach, shoulders, arms and buttocks working.
8 reps