4 Great Shoulder Exercises
From a male perspective the size of the shoulders has been used as a measure of our strength.Large broad shoulders give a look of power and are probably one of the first areas to noticed..Therefore shoulder exercises tend to get a lot of focus in the gym and hence expose the area to injury.. To reduce this risk of injury I would advise to warm up the shoulders extensively before any workout and to not overdo the amount of overhead presses in your routine. It is very easy to carried away and injure your shoulder (as I have found on a few occasions) and this can limit your ability to work your whole upper body.
So for building big solid shoulders or for just giving them shape and tone these are my favourite 4:
Standing Dumbbell Overhead Press – Used by many people, this exercise is a great way of exercising you shoulders. To begin, you will need to stand with your feet again set at hip length. As you ensure that your elbows are crooked, gently lift your arms until the dumbbells are at your ear . A good strategy is to inhale as your lower the weights whilst exhaling as your lift them over your head.Above all ensure that your posture is kept firm and straight during the exercise.
Lateral Raise – For the best results ensure that you are standing with your hips set at width length. Raise both your arms against your sides whilst maintaining a firm grip on each individual dumbbell with either hand. Pay attention to your arms and elbows—the latter should be slightly bent. Gently drop the dumbbells before repeating the proccess.
Front Raise – This is potentially one of the most challenging exercises for shoulders, and should be practiced with a lighter weight. With your dumbbells held in each hand, stand with your feet placed at your hips width. Raise your hands in front of your, gently rising until you reach your shoulder level—count to one. Slowly lower, and inhale.
Reverse Fly – The reverse fly targets the rear of the deltoid and again should be approached with caution.. My preference is to use a bench that can be adjusted to a 60-degree incline position. Hold a set of light dumbbells and lie prone on the bench. From this position raise the dumbbells up and out to the side.. From an elevated position your body should form a letter Y pattern. Looking from above your position your arms and body should form a Y shape. On the raising the weights the shoulder blades should move towards each other. Along with the rear deltoid muscles this exercise works your rhomboids and the middle section of your traps..
A shoulder workout should include exercises for all 3 muscles in the deltoid to get a balanced look and decrease the risk of injury.As far as sets and reps go, stick with what you can do safely. If you feel like you are straining and cannot maintain the form use lighter weights .
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