Spiraling Teacup - Shoulder Mobility and Strength

As someone with a history of shoulder pain, I have a long, long list of shoulder strengthening exercises that are typical and boring (post on those coming soon). 

...and then, one day, as I was preparing for my first 10K open water swim (and internally starting to panic that going that far in open water may be too much for my old, busted shoulders (it wasn't)), I found this guy. 

Actually, I found one exercise that he promoted for MMA fighters of some sort, but it is also a solid, general exercise for athletes who need to work on shoulder mobility and strength. 

I personally worked my way up to a cup on a saucer, but never actually used tea.

You might look like a clown doing this in public, but it's fun and makes you feel like you are preparing for a Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon fight sequence instead of a swim around a lake.

Oh, and if you are dying to know the backstory of this exercise (which he references during the first 15 seconds of that video), you can find it here.