If you’re looking for shoulder exercises to build a strong upper body, you’ve come to the right place. When most people think of weight training (opens in new tab)They may consider doing glute exercises or ab exercises (opens in new tab)But shoulder exercises aren’t talked about often.
Your shoulders are used in every upper body movement. Fun fact: When you lift off the cupboard for a bowl while making oatmeal or stretch your arm to reach for your water at your desk, you’re using your shoulders. Not to mention when we carry heavy bags, drag suitcases and lift weights. Essentially, you need strong and mobile shoulders to help you run effectively.
in Research from british journal of sports medicineOne hour a week of shoulder-specific strength training (including exercises such as front raises and lateral raises) was sufficient to effectively reduce neck and shoulder pain in office workers (who have tight and weak shoulders at their desks). Thanks for sitting all day).
back exercises (opens in new tab) Can work for the same reasons – but if you’re keen to work other areas of your body, don’t miss our guide to resistance band exercises (opens in new tab)Dumbbell Exercises and Kettlebell Exercises (opens in new tab) as well.
Ready to exercise your shoulders? We turned to our favorite PTs to share their favorite shoulder-strengthening moves. The list includes:
Shoulder Exercises: So, Which Are Best?
There are three main muscles that make up your shoulders. these:
- anterior deltain front of the shoulder that connects to the chest
- lateral deltas, sides of shoulders
- rear delt, joins back, back of shoulder
The best shoulder exercises will depend on which part of your shoulder you want to target. It will also depend on your goals, such as whether you want to get stronger shoulders, get bigger or have more stamina. In this article on weight training, we explain exactly what that means.
Remember, the only way to build strength is to work against resistance. This means using your own body weight or external weights such as dumbbells, kettles or resistance bands. Ideally, you’ll be doing anything up to 15 reps of the exercise before resting for the best strength gains.
Shoulder Exercises: 5 to Try Tonight
1. Arnold Press
Named after Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Arnold press targets total shoulders for full strength. These are recommended by every single trainer we spoke to.
“It moves the shoulder capsule in different ranges by flexing and pressing the weight,” says Jess.
How to do: Sit on a bench (ideally with a back rest) holding a dumbbell in both hands. Keep your feet flat on the floor and engage your core. With palms facing in, bring the dumbbells up to shoulder height.
Begin turning your hands so that your dumbbells are facing away from you. As you do this, press your hands overhead. You should end up with the dumbbells touching the top. Slowly lower back while rotating the hands backward so that your palms are facing inwards.
how long: Aim for 60 seconds.
2. Seated Overhead Press
Similar to the Arnold press, the overhead press involved pushing a dumbbell overhead. Georgi says, “Doing the exercise reduces the risk of overextending through my lumbar spine. It also makes it a little more challenging on the shoulders because you can’t use your legs to propel the weight.”
How to do: Sit on a bench (ideally with a back rest) holding a dumbbell in both hands. Keep your feet flat on the floor and engage your core. With palms facing out, bring the dumbbells up to shoulder height.
Press your hands straight overhead so that the dumbbells touch the top. Then slowly lower back down.
how long: Aim for 60 seconds.
3. Taking the Front
Front raises are all about control, targeting the front of the shoulders. Go slow and feel the burn.
How to do: Begin standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and a small bend in the knee. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, resting it against the front of your hips or thighs. Roll shoulders back and down and without kicking legs or arching back, raise your arms up in front of you so they’re parallel to the floor, palms facing down. Slowly lean backward.
how long: Aim for 60 seconds.
4. Reverse Flies
The reverse fly targets the back of your shoulders, which is important for better posture and reducing pain. You may have to go lighter than you expect with this exercise, but challenge yourself.
How to do: You can do these standing, but sit on the edge of a bench or box for more stability. Hinge at your hips to lower your upper body down toward the floor.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms down, at a 60-degree angle. Roll your shoulders back and down and squeeze the dumbbells between the shoulder blades to lift them up. Slowly lean backward.
how long: Aim for 60 seconds.
5. Lateral Raises
The lat raise is one of the best exercises to target the side of your shoulders. Again, you may have to be light with this exercise, but the key is control: Don’t bounce your legs or swing your arms.
How to do: Begin standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and a small bend in the knee. Hold a dumbbell in each hand by your side. Roll shoulders back and down and raise your arms out to the sides without kicking your legs or arching your back. Keep a small bend in the elbows and stop when your fists are in line with your shoulders. Lower down slowly.
how long: Aim for 60 seconds.
Why is it important to train shoulders?
Weight training is often wrongly associated with being “bulky,” which puts some women off the gym. That said, it’s also not proven, and instead appears to improve your bone density, muscle mass, metabolism, and more.
Training your shoulders specifically is the key to good mobility – just think about how many times you use your shoulders on a daily basis and you’ll know that moving with ease is key.
Finally and as above, research from british journal of sports medicine showed that shoulder-specific strength training can also help reduce neck and shoulder pain.
How can I build shoulder muscles at home?
Simple — try a combination of the five moves above — that’s an Arnold press, seated overhead press, front raise, reverse flyes and lateral raise — and aim for three rounds of the movements. In each round, try 12 reps per motion.
To improve your strength, it’s important to gradually increase the amount of weight you’re lifting week by week. This is called progressive overload and will increase your shoulder strength over time instead of maintaining your current fitness level.
If you don’t have access to weights at home, using your body weight can be effective if done correctly.
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