Training guide
A kettlebell halo is a slow circle of a light kettlebell round your head. Holding the bell upside down by the horns at your chest, you take it past one ear, behind your head and past the other ear back to your chest, then circle the other way. It's a warm-up drill: 5 slow circles each way with your lightest bell is plenty.
Halos are often sold as a cure for tight shoulders, but we found no study of the halo at all. What's known about moving through a full range, warming up and the shoulder muscles tells you what to expect, and we say where we're reading across from other exercises.
This guide shows the halo on the 3D figure, explains what it can and can't do for your shoulders and upper back, sets out the kneeling, plate and dumbbell versions and the figure 8 and around-the-body drills, and covers which bell, how many, and when to leave it out.
Hold a light kettlebell upside down by the horns in front of your chest, elbows close. Brace so your ribs stay down, then circle the bell slowly round your head, close to it: past one ear, behind your head, past the other ear and back to your chest. Do all your circles one way, then the other.
StrongFirst calls the halo a drill, not a skill, for a lighter load, and our move page treats it as a light shoulder warm-up.
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We found no muscle activity, movement or training study of the kettlebell, plate or dumbbell halo. A 2026 study of shoulder muscles in kettlebell exercises tested presses, rows and swings, not halos, and a review of 99 kettlebell publications never mentions it.
Moving a load through a full range improves range about as much as stretching across 55 studies, but any warm-up loosens you for a short while, and how far your arms go overhead also depends on your upper back. Halos may help you feel looser before you train; that's all anyone can say.
Light loads build muscle only when the sets go close to failure, and a few slow circles with a light bell are nowhere near. Build your shoulders with presses and raises.
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Your lightest bell: 5 circles each way in our kettlebell workouts' warm-ups, up to 2 or 3 sets of 5 to 8 slow circles each way (our move page's dose); StrongFirst suggests 3 to 5 each way. Keep the circle small and slow and your head still: dropped weights were the commonest cause of weight-training injuries in US emergency departments.
ACE holds the kettlebell by the horns directly in front of the chest and moves it around and behind the head back to the chest. StrengthLog circles it slowly, keeping it close to your skull, and StrongFirst says to move the kettlebell around your head, not your head to avoid the kettlebell. The horns are the sides of the handle; the bell sits upside down above your hands.
Your shoulders move through a wide arc, up in front, back behind your head and down the other side, while your shoulder blades glide; your elbows bend and straighten a little; your trunk and neck stay still. Breaking Muscle warns that it's easy to round your upper back forward as the bell passes in front and to arch your back as it passes behind.
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Coaching lists differ: StrengthLog names the front, side and rear deltoids, with the triceps, abs and obliques helping, and ACE lists most of the body. The nearest measured movements: raising the arm with a light dumbbell switches on the supraspinatus (a rotator cuff muscle), trapezius and deltoid together; circling the arm works all three parts of the trapezius; and a 6 kg kettlebell pressed overhead works the deltoids, trapezius and serratus anterior no differently from a dumbbell. None of these is a halo.
Comfortable reaching with both arms overhead, as our move page asks, and a bell light enough to circle slowly with control.
Normal overhead reach is about 168 to 172 degrees in adults aged 20 to 44 and 164 to 168 at 45 to 69, slightly more in women. It also depends on how upright your upper back is, and on bone shape that no exercise changes. If the bell has to travel through a painful arc as your arm goes up, the halo isn't the drill for you right now.
The halo has appeared only inside study protocols: one session of three low-intensity exercises, each repeated 10 times, in 35 healthy volunteers, with no significant adverse events; and a corrective programme of about nine exercises, 4 times a week for 8 weeks, that improved movement-screen scores in mixed martial arts athletes. Neither measured what the halo did. A scoping review of 99 kettlebell publications rated confidence in kettlebell effects overall as low to very low.
Raising the arm out to the side with a light dumbbell switched on the supraspinatus, middle trapezius and middle deltoid first and together in 24 shoulders. Circling the arm on a shoulder wheel used all three parts of the trapezius in 20 volunteers. Pressing a 6 kg kettlebell overhead worked the deltoids, trapezius and serratus anterior no differently from a dumbbell in 20 young men, and a bottoms-up press raised only serratus anterior activity over a normal press in 28 baseball players. A 2026 study of 20 men tested pressing, rowing and swinging, not halos. These tell you which muscles move an arm overhead, not what a halo trains.
There's no trunk data for the halo. Standing one-arm presses raised the activity of the side abdominal muscles compared with two-arm presses in 15 men, a clue that a load moving round your head asks your trunk to hold still. It doesn't show that halos build the trunk.
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Upper-body warm-ups improved performance across 31 trials. The review found no study of whether they prevent injury.
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From our move page, ACE and StrongFirst, which says to move the kettlebell around your head, not your head around the kettlebell, and to adjust the range and height of the circle to stay within your movement ability. Step 6 is our move page's caution.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Kettlebell halo
Across 55 studies, resistance training through a full range increased range of motion by a moderate amount (an effect size of 0.73, about 0.71 for the shoulder), except with body-weight-only training. Across 11 trials of 452 people, strength training and stretching didn't differ. In one 5-week trial, though, neither beat a control group for shoulder extension. Nobody has tested a halo.
Active warm-ups raised range for a short while about as much as stretching or foam rolling across 38 studies, and a 2025 expert consensus concluded that stretching isn't essential in a warm-up. So a halo may help you feel looser before training, as any warm-up would; nobody has shown it changes your range in the long run.
Slouching cut arm-raising range by 23.6 degrees in 34 adults; reaching fully overhead straightened the whole spine in 10 adults; and a rounder upper back went with slightly less shoulder range across 5 studies, though the links were weak. Upper-back mobility work belongs alongside any shoulder work (editorial).
Normal shoulder flexion, the arm forwards and up, is about 164 to 172 degrees in adults, a little less with age and a little more in women, in US reference values from 674 people.
Tight shoulders isn't a defined clinical term, and a 2026 opinion piece argues that range of motion, flexibility and stretching are different things. Range also depends on the shape of your bones, which no exercise changes.
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None of these versions has a 3D demo; the halo demo shows the grip and the circle.
The same circle kneeling on a pad, which makes arching your back harder to hide (coaching practice; editorial).
Sitting tall on a bench, which takes your legs out of it.
A weight plate held by its edges at 3 and 9 o'clock, circled the same way.
One dumbbell held upright by one end, circled the same way.
Pause with the bell behind your head and straighten your arms to press it overhead before finishing the circle: 2 to 3 sets of 5 to 8 circles each way with a light bell (its move page's dose). Overhead triceps extensions grew the triceps' long head more than arm-at-your-side ones (28.5 against 19.6% in 12 weeks, 21 adults); nobody has tested the halo version.
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Combinations people search for. Learn each part with its own guide first; there's no evidence about the combinations.
In a wide half squat with a flat back, pass the bell from hand to hand under one leg, round the outside and under the other, tracing a figure of eight: 2 to 3 rounds of 20 to 30 seconds each way, resting between rounds (its move page's dose; no demo). ACE rates it intermediate, and Breaking Muscle says it also warms up your legs and hip hinge (coaching; untested).
The same half squat, passing the bell from hand to hand between your legs: 2 to 3 rounds of 20 to 30 seconds each way (its move page's dose; no demo).
Standing tall, pass the bell from hand to hand round your waist, one way and then the other (no demo). It's sometimes called around the world; don't confuse it with our lying dumbbell around the world, a chest exercise.
The halo circles your head and works your shoulders; the around-the-body pass circles your waist and works your grip and trunk. That's the coaching description; neither has been measured.
The windmill is a slow hinge and turn under a bell held overhead on a locked arm, and the press drives a bell overhead: both are strength lifts with their own guides. The halo is the light warm-up before them (editorial).
5 circles each way, as our kettlebell workouts do, up to 2 to 3 sets of 5 to 8 slow circles each way (the move page's dose). StrongFirst suggests 3 to 5 halos in each direction and warns against doing them for high reps.
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Your lightest bell, lighter than the one you press (editorial). StrongFirst calls the halo a drill for a lighter load, and Breaking Muscle warns your swing bell may be too heavy for it. If you can't keep the circle small and slow with your head still, go lighter.
In the warm-up of any session where you press, swing, snatch or go overhead (editorial). We found no study of daily halos; as a light drill there's no reason to avoid them on other days if your shoulders feel fine.
Easy throughout: it isn't a set to push. Progress by making the circle smoother and slower with your ribs down, then try the kneeling version, rather than by adding weight (editorial). For stronger shoulders, add presses, raises and rows.
Our move page's caution: a wide, fast orbit turns the halo into a swinging weight beside your head. Keep the circles small and slow.
Keep your ribs down and your glutes gently tight, or kneel.
Move the bell, not your head.
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Stay tall through your upper back.
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Coaches say the halo is for a lighter load than your swing bell.
Keep your shoulders down and your neck relaxed, as our move page cues.
If the circle pinches as your arm goes up, make it smaller or stop: see your shoulders and neck below.
Pain in the middle of the range as you lift your arm out to the side was the most useful single sign of rotator cuff trouble in a clinical review (a likelihood ratio of 3.7), and with rotator cuff pain, raising the arm overhead hurts. If the halo pinches there, make the circle smaller and keep the bell in front of you, or leave it out, and see our shoulder impingement or shoulder pain when lifting your arm guide.
Weights dropping on people caused 65.5% of weight-training injuries seen in US emergency departments from 1990 to 2007, and head injuries were 11.2% of resistance-training cases in a later 10-year analysis; kettlebells weren't counted separately. A light bell, a small slow circle and setting it down when your grip tires keep the risk low, as our move page says.
Keep the circle small and your head still. See a GP if neck pain doesn't go away after a few weeks, or comes with pins and needles or a cold arm. Our neck pain guide avoids behind-the-neck presses and pulldowns.
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Keep shoulder pain to about 5 out of 10 or less during the exercise, back to its usual level by your next session, as our shoulder guides advise. A sharp pinch means lower, lighter or stop.
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Stop, put the bell down and sit; see the stop rule in the warning signs below (editorial).
Shoulder circles, 3 slow circles each way with each arm, and arm circles, 10 to 15 slow circles each way (their move pages' doses), then halos, 5 each way.
Thoracic rotations, 6 a side (its move page's dose); wall angels, 8 slow slides, and dumbbell scaption, 10 to 12 light reps (our shoulder mobility and stability routine); band pull-aparts, 15 reps (our kettlebell warm-ups); band external rotations, 2 sets of 12 to 15 each arm (our home shoulder workout); alternating kettlebell presses, 3 sets of 5 to 8 each side (our kettlebell clean and press workout); face pulls, 3 sets of 15 (our shoulder and back workouts).
3D demoThoracic rotationBeginner · No equipment
3D demoWall angelBeginner · A wall
3D demoBand pull-apartIntermediate · A band
3D demoStanding band external rotationBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoScaption raiseBeginner · A dumbbell
3D demoAlternating kettlebell pressIntermediate · A kettlebell
3D demoFace pullIntermediate · A bandAll three kettlebell workouts start with halos, 5 circles each way with a light bell; the shoulder mobility and stability routine covers the shoulder work halos don't.
A 30-minute full-body kettlebell workout: deadlifts, swings, cleans, presses, rows, halos and carries.
30 minIntermediate9 movesA kettlebell, A dumbbellKettlebell workout B: Turkish get-ups, goblet squats, single-leg deadlifts, floor presses, one-arm rows and an overhead carry, with one or two bells.
40 minIntermediate10 movesA kettlebell, A dumbbellA 35-minute practice session for the kettlebell clean and press: hinge and swing, the clean in three steps, then strict presses from the rack, with one bell.
35 minIntermediate12 movesA kettlebell, A dumbbellA 25-minute band routine for healthy shoulders: move the shoulder and upper back through their range, then strengthen the rotator cuff and shoulder blades.
25 minBeginner12 movesA wall, A bandMake the circle smaller and keep the bell in front of you, or leave halos out and follow our shoulder impingement guide, which avoids heavy overhead work while it's sore.
The NHS advises against making up your own strenuous exercises and says to avoid movements that cause pain, moving your shoulder only gently. Halos aren't a treatment for frozen shoulder (editorial).
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Keep the circle small, the bell light and your head still, or swap halos for shoulder circles until your neck settles (editorial).
After a recent shoulder dislocation, or shoulder or elbow surgery, follow your surgical team's limits first.
After a dislocated shoulder, the NHS says recovery usually takes 6 to 12 weeks.
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Standing halos with a light bell are fine if they're comfortable. The NHS says to stop if you feel uncomfortable, too hot or unwell.
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If you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise. The American Heart Association says these need immediate medical evaluation.
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For chest pain that comes on suddenly and doesn't go away, feels tight or like squeezing, spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness; arm pain that comes on suddenly with pressure, heaviness or squeezing across your chest; severe difficulty breathing, or a chest that feels tight or heavy; someone who faints while exercising; palpitations that don't go away, or come with chest pain, shortness of breath or feeling faint; or a headache that starts suddenly and is extremely painful, especially while lifting or straining. The NHS says a bleed on the brain may be more likely when lifting something heavy. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for a headache that's triggered or made worse by coughing, sneezing, bending down or exercising.
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Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for sudden or very bad shoulder pain; not being able to move your arm; a shoulder or arm that has changed shape or is badly swollen; pins and needles that don't go away; or pain that started after an injury or accident, like a fall. In the US, contact your doctor or urgent care. See a GP if shoulder pain is getting worse or hasn't improved after 2 weeks. While your shoulder is sore, the NHS says not to make up your own strenuous exercises or use heavy gym equipment.
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Call 999 if someone has hit their head and has been knocked out and not woken up, can't stay awake, has a fit, has fallen from a height of more than 1 metre or 5 stairs, has problems with their vision, hearing, balance, walking or speech, or has new numbness or weakness. Get help from NHS 111 after a head injury if you're being sick or feel dizzy. If you're told to go to A&E, don't drive yourself.
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Speak to your GP first if you haven't exercised for some time or have medical conditions or concerns, as the NHS advises. Get advice before hard or straining work if your blood pressure is uncontrolled (140/90 or higher at a clinic, or 135/85 at home), or you have heart disease or chest pain when you're active, a pacemaker or defibrillator, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, a hernia, recent eye or tummy surgery, or you're pregnant, as our breathing guide lists.
With controlled high blood pressure, the American Heart Association considers low- to moderate-intensity strength training with proper breathing safe: breathe out as you lift.
With a pacemaker or defibrillator, the American Heart Association asks you to check with your doctor before upper-body strength training, because repeated arm movements can damage or dislodge the leads.
Nobody has tested a halo. Loaded exercise through a full range improves range about as much as stretching in general, though one trial found no shoulder change with either; any warm-up gives a short-lived boost; and how far your arms go overhead also depends on your upper back and your bones. Pages that call it research-backed point to an article we couldn't read and that has no abstract.
Light loads build muscle only when the sets go close to failure, and halos are a few slow circles with your lightest bell. Build your shoulders with presses and raises.
Untested: there's no study of the halo, and a review of upper-body warm-ups found no study of whether they prevent injury. For the rotator cuff, use band external rotations.
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It's a moving drill: your shoulders travel through a wide circle. Your trunk holds still, which may be where the idea comes from.
Untested. A load moving round your head asks your trunk to stay still, and one-sided overhead loads raised trunk activity in a pressing study, but nothing shows halos build the trunk.
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Coaches say the opposite: the halo is a drill for a lighter load, and your regular swing weight may be too heavy for it.
Hold a light kettlebell upside down by the horns at your chest, elbows close. Brace so your ribs stay down, then circle the bell slowly round your head, close to it, past one ear, behind your head and past the other ear back to your chest. Do all your circles one way, then the other.
Mainly your shoulders and upper back, with your trunk holding you still, but nobody has measured a halo. The closest studies show that light overhead arm movements use the deltoids, trapezius and rotator cuff together.
Nobody has tested it. Moving a load through a full range improves range about as much as stretching in general, and any warm-up loosens you for a while, so halos may help you feel looser before training. They won't fix a stiff shoulder on their own.
Not much, the way they're usually done. A light bell for a few slow circles is far from the hard sets that build muscle, so use presses, raises and rows for that.
Your lightest bell, lighter than the one you press; coaches call the halo a drill for a lighter load. If you can't keep the circle small and slow with your head still, go lighter.
5 circles each way in a warm-up, as our kettlebell workouts do, up to 2 or 3 sets of 5 to 8 slow circles each way, which is our move page's dose. StrongFirst suggests 3 to 5 each way and warns against high reps.
We found no study of daily halos. As a light warm-up drill there's no reason to avoid them on most days if your shoulders feel fine, but stop if they pinch.
Either: do the same number each way. Coaching sources finish all the reps in one direction, then reverse.
No study says so. If the circle pinches as your arm goes up, make it smaller or leave halos out, and follow our shoulder impingement guide. Pain in the middle of the arc as your arm rises is worth getting checked if it persists.
The halo circles the bell round your head; the figure 8 passes it from hand to hand round and between your legs in a half squat, working your grip and hips. The around-the-body pass circles your waist. Only the halo has a 3D demo.
Both work. Kneeling, on one knee or both, makes it harder to arch your lower back as the bell passes behind your head; standing is our demo.
Yes: hold a plate by its edges or a dumbbell upright by one end and circle it the same way. Keep it light, close to your head and slow.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
