Strong shoulders not only allow you to perform a variety of movements effectively, but they can also transform the look of your body. And the appearance of toned arms often depends on defined shoulders. The shoulders give the arms a nice shape and are helpful when playing Vave login. Shapely shoulders can also make your waist appear narrower, whether you’re aiming for an hourglass or triangle silhouette.
Most upper-body exercises work the shoulders to some degree. The muscles don’t work in isolation as most people think. You may know this if you’ve ever injured your shoulder – it plays an important role in many movements.
These are the three best exercises for building up your shoulders:
To make sure you’re not “cheating” the movement and that your form is correct, it is advised to have a professional teach you proper technique and make sure you are focusing on the muscles you want to use when performing the exercises.
OUR EXERCISES
Shoulder press
The shoulder press can be performed with a barbell, dumbbell, or machine. If you’re using a barbell, you should start in the front rack position with the barbell at shoulder height, feet hip-width apart, and torso tensed.
Lateral lifting
Lateral lifts are performed from a standing position with a dumbbell in each hand. Raise your arms sideways to shoulder height with your elbows slightly bent, and palms facing the floor, then lower them back down.
Make sure you perform these exercises in a controlled manner and don’t swing the dumbbells upward, Storey-Gordon says. The exercises are very modest. You probably won’t be able to lift as heavy as you would with other exercises or increase the weight often.
Lateral bent-forward lift
For this exercise, take a dumbbell in each hand, stand hip-width apart, and bend your hips, so your torso forms an angle of about 45 degrees to the floor, keeping your back straight and knees slightly bent. This is your starting position.
Keeping your head and neck in line with your back, raise your arms to shoulder height at your sides with your elbows slightly bent, palms facing inward, and then lower them back down. You can do these exercises with dumbbells, but I prefer cables or bands because you get more consistent tension.
She advises performing the last two exercises, in particular in higher repetition categories with lighter weights (10 to 20 reps per set), rather than lower repetition categories with heavy weights, to get the best results.
AND SOME MORE…
1) DIPS
For this exercise, you will need a chair or bench, sofa, or steps. Sit on the end of the seat and position your hands next to your buttocks. The backs of the hands point upward. The arms are slightly bent, and the back is straight. Extend the legs so that the buttocks are no longer on the seat. Then slowly bend the arms until the buttocks almost touch the floor. Then press back up and repeat the exercise.
2) BICEPS CURLS
Biceps curls are also known as arm curls and are considered a classic dumbbell workout. For this, take a dumbbell in each hand. Fix the elbows at the waist, and from here, slowly bend and stretch in a controlled manner. Important: Be sure to tense your core with your abdominals and buttocks to maintain a stable stance while also working your abs and glutes.
3) PUSHUP 2-2-2 IN THREE POSITIONS (ARMS WIDE, MEDIUM, AND CLOSE TOGETHER)
The term “2-2-2” in the exercise name means that you will do 3 sets of 2 pushups each, placing your arms differently in each: close, medium, and wide. The close pushups work your triceps more, while the wider pushups (i.e., with your hands placed wider) work your chest muscles more.
4) LATERAL RAISES WITH DUMBBELLS
For this exercise, you take one or two dumbbells, which you hold in a neutral grip. Your arms hang down at the sides of your body. Your back is straight, and you tend to form a slightly hollow back to protect your spine. As you exhale, bring both arms up in a controlled manner until they are level with your shoulders and parallel to the floor. Then inhale and return your arms to the starting position.
5) DIAMOND PUSHUPS
The focus here is not on the chest but strongly on the triceps. Form your hands into a diamond by lightly crossing your fingers and rotating your hands outward at about 45 degrees. With your back straight, go down so that your upper arms are horizontal and your nose is almost touching the floor. Then take all the strength out of your triceps and push yourself cleanly upward.