Stick Pass-Through
What Is the Stick Pass-Through?
Stick Pass-Through is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and also engages the chest and the muscles that control the shoulder blades. It is a beginner-level movement in which you hold a light stick, such as a PVC pipe, dowel or broomstick, in a wide overhand grip and sweep it with straight arms from in front of the hips, over the head and down behind the back, then return the same way.
The drill is used to prepare the shoulders for overhead work and to keep them moving freely. It is a staple of weightlifting and CrossFit warm-ups, where it often sits alongside other stick drills before the Barbell Snatch, the Barbell Overhead Squat, overhead pressing or kipping gymnastics. It also works as a short daily routine for people whose shoulders feel stiff from desk work. The stick adds almost no load, so the point is controlled range of motion rather than strength.
As the stick rises, the shoulders flex overhead and the shoulder blades rotate upward. As it passes behind the body, the arms open out to the sides and the shoulders turn outward, which takes the chest and the front of the shoulders to length. Grip width sets the difficulty: a wider grip is easier, and a narrower one demands more range. Unlike the Band Pass-Through, a rigid stick cannot stretch, so the hands stay at a fixed width and both arms must pass at the same time. That makes the stick version the stricter of the two, and it makes progress easy to track, because the same hand position on the same stick means the same range every session.
The drill suits lifters, CrossFit athletes and anyone who wants freer overhead movement. If you cannot complete the arc with straight elbows even at your widest grip, start with the Band Pass-Through, Arm Circles or the Serratus Wall Slide, or take the stick only to overhead and back until the full path comes easily.
Muscles Worked
- Deltoid
- Primary
- Pectoralis Major
- High
- Lower Trapezius
- Medium
- Serratus Anterior
- Medium
- Upper Trapezius
- Medium
- Teres Minor
- Low
- Biceps Brachii
- Minimal
Instructions
- Hold a light stick, such as a PVC pipe, dowel or broomstick, with an overhand grip and your hands well outside your shoulders.
- Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart, arms straight and the stick resting in front of your hips.
- Brace your core and keep your ribs down.
- Keeping your elbows straight, raise the stick forward and up until it is directly overhead.
- Continue the arc back and down, letting your arms open out to the sides, until the stick rests behind your lower back.
- Keep your head still and your lower back from arching as the stick passes behind you.
- Reverse the path, bringing the stick back overhead and down to the front of your hips.
- Move slowly, and widen your grip before the next rep if an elbow bends or your shoulder pinches.
- Repeat for the planned number of reps.
Common Mistakes
Bending the elbows
Bending the elbows to get the stick around shortens the lever and skips the shoulder range the drill is meant to train.
Gripping too narrow
A grip narrower than your shoulders can pass through forces the front of the shoulder past a comfortable range and causes most of the other faults.
Arching the lower back
Flaring the ribs and arching the lower back as the stick goes behind you hides limited shoulder range and shifts stress to the spine.
Rushing the arc
Swinging the stick through quickly uses momentum to get past the tight point instead of moving through it with control.
Shrugging or pushing the head forward
Hiking the shoulders toward the ears or poking the chin forward lets the neck do work the shoulders should be doing.
Letting one arm lead
Letting one side pass first twists the stick and torso and hides a difference between the two shoulders.
Injuries
Stick Pass-Through is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The stick adds almost no load, so problems come from range rather than weight, and nearly always from a grip that is too narrow for the shoulders' current mobility.
The front of the shoulder takes the most strain as the arms pass behind the body, where the joint is near the end of its range with the arm raised and turned outward. Because a stick cannot give the way a band does, a grip that is too narrow forces the shoulder further into that position instead of letting the hands drift apart. Pinching on top of the shoulder as the stick passes overhead, an arching lower back or elbows that bend to get the stick around are all signs the grip is too narrow.
Start with a grip wide enough that the stick passes overhead and behind you easily with straight elbows, and narrow it by a small amount only while the arc stays smooth and pain-free. To regress, widen the grip, take the stick only to overhead and back, or switch to the Band Pass-Through, whose stretch gives a little at the tightest point. To progress, narrow the grip gradually over weeks or pause briefly overhead and behind the body.
Stop if you feel sharp pain, pinching, painful clicking, a sense of the shoulder slipping, or numbness or tingling in the arms or hands. Anyone with a previous dislocation, known shoulder instability or recent shoulder surgery should get clearance from a physical therapist or physician before using this drill.
- Primary Focus
- Shoulders
- Equipment
- Other
- Modality
- Stretching
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the Stick Pass-Through
The Stick Pass-Through is also known as:
- PVC Pass-Through
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What kind of stick should I use?
Any light, straight stick long enough for your hands to sit well outside your shoulders works. A PVC pipe is the usual choice because it is light, cheap and smooth, and a wooden dowel or a broomstick with the head removed works just as well.
- Q: Should I use a stick or a band?
A band gives a little at the tightest point, so the Band Pass-Through is the friendlier place to start. A stick holds your hands at a fixed width, which makes it the stricter version and better suited to people who already move smoothly with a band.
- Q: How do I find the right grip width?
Start with your hands as wide as the stick allows, then move them in a little at a time until the stick only just passes over with straight elbows. Use a grip slightly wider than that point for your reps, and mark the stick with tape so you can repeat and track it.
- Q: How many reps should I do?
As a warm-up, one or two sets of 10 to 15 slow reps is usually enough, or a few rounds of 5 to 10 mixed with other stick drills before snatches or overhead squats. End the set while the arc still feels smooth.
- Q: Does a pass-through dislocate the shoulder?
No. The "shoulder dislocates" nickname describes how the movement looks, not what happens in the joint, which stays in place when the grip is wide enough and the arc is pain-free.