Barbell Shoulder Press
The barbell press is a complete shoulder workout to start off with since your muscles are at their strongest once you begin. You will want a spotter if you plan on using heavier weight settings since you can easily lean too far forward or back and fall to the ground. This exercise primarily targets your shoulders and traps, but your legs and abs are stabilizer muscles assisting with the pushing momentum. Perform at least five repetitions for each set to make your shoulders feel the burn.
Wide Grip Upright Rows
You want your hands in a wider grip if you plan on targeting your shoulders more than your traps. A narrow grip of course is for traps, but most people do not know there is a difference between the two. Both target the same muscles, but one places more emphasis on the shoulders than the other. You want to use moderate to heavy weight settings, and ensure that you do not swing your body to assist with the row!
Dumbbell Front Raises
The dumbbell front raise can be performed with both arms simultaneously, or with one arm alternating between each set or repetition. You can easily change up your routines since you have the different options to choose from, plus you could use a barbell as well. The front movement is designed to target your anterior deltoid.
Lateral Dumbbell Raises
As you might have already guessed it, the lateral raise targets your lateral deltoid head. You can easily perform this shoulder exercise by keeping your balance against a wall or incline bench. However, you can stand up straight and just use both arms simultaneously to lift the dumbbells. Make sure to start off with a little lighter weight since most people are weaker in their lateral raise compared to the front raise.
Arnold Presses
Arnold presses target all three shoulder heads and are a powerful compound exercise to try and see for yourself. Some may argue that there is too much range of motion (ROM), but if you want to train hard then what is wrong with that? There is no reason to settle for the same old exercises that your body begins to get sick of, which is why muscle building plateaus occur. The target muscles are your shoulders, triceps, and traps, but your upper chest and biceps receive a workout as well.
Seated Neutral Shoulder Press
Another great shoulder press variation to add into your arsenal of exercises to try out. The neutral grip refers to holding the dumbbells with your palms facing in towards your body, which is rather different from using a pronated grip. Some studies show that the deltoids receive a large emphasis while in the neutral grip, and that essentially means at least try them out and see if they work or not. They target your shoulders, traps, and triceps. Also, this is perfect for those experiencing slight shoulder discomfort.
Always Warm Up!
A proper warm up with dynamic stretching is capable of allowing people to reach max potential during their workout. Research performed by the Strength and Conditioning Research Journal shows that static stretching is only suitable for muscles and tendons, but dynamic stretching is better for your joints, and your shoulders are one of the most mobile joints in your body.
They are strong, but since your shoulders are used so much they become easier to tear. Never over extend your shoulder joints if you are not particularly flexible, and keep from performing shoulder training days after chest days. The reason why is because your shoulders are used for chest presses, and you always want at least 24 hours between targeting each muscle group.
The barbell press is a complete shoulder workout to start off with since your muscles are at their strongest once you begin. You will want a spotter if you plan on using heavier weight settings since you can easily lean too far forward or back and fall to the ground. This exercise primarily targets your shoulders and traps, but your legs and abs are stabilizer muscles assisting with the pushing momentum. Perform at least five repetitions for each set to make your shoulders feel the burn.
Wide Grip Upright Rows
You want your hands in a wider grip if you plan on targeting your shoulders more than your traps. A narrow grip of course is for traps, but most people do not know there is a difference between the two. Both target the same muscles, but one places more emphasis on the shoulders than the other. You want to use moderate to heavy weight settings, and ensure that you do not swing your body to assist with the row!
Dumbbell Front Raises
The dumbbell front raise can be performed with both arms simultaneously, or with one arm alternating between each set or repetition. You can easily change up your routines since you have the different options to choose from, plus you could use a barbell as well. The front movement is designed to target your anterior deltoid.
Lateral Dumbbell Raises
As you might have already guessed it, the lateral raise targets your lateral deltoid head. You can easily perform this shoulder exercise by keeping your balance against a wall or incline bench. However, you can stand up straight and just use both arms simultaneously to lift the dumbbells. Make sure to start off with a little lighter weight since most people are weaker in their lateral raise compared to the front raise.
Arnold Presses
Arnold presses target all three shoulder heads and are a powerful compound exercise to try and see for yourself. Some may argue that there is too much range of motion (ROM), but if you want to train hard then what is wrong with that? There is no reason to settle for the same old exercises that your body begins to get sick of, which is why muscle building plateaus occur. The target muscles are your shoulders, triceps, and traps, but your upper chest and biceps receive a workout as well.
Seated Neutral Shoulder Press
Another great shoulder press variation to add into your arsenal of exercises to try out. The neutral grip refers to holding the dumbbells with your palms facing in towards your body, which is rather different from using a pronated grip. Some studies show that the deltoids receive a large emphasis while in the neutral grip, and that essentially means at least try them out and see if they work or not. They target your shoulders, traps, and triceps. Also, this is perfect for those experiencing slight shoulder discomfort.
Always Warm Up!
A proper warm up with dynamic stretching is capable of allowing people to reach max potential during their workout. Research performed by the Strength and Conditioning Research Journal shows that static stretching is only suitable for muscles and tendons, but dynamic stretching is better for your joints, and your shoulders are one of the most mobile joints in your body.
They are strong, but since your shoulders are used so much they become easier to tear. Never over extend your shoulder joints if you are not particularly flexible, and keep from performing shoulder training days after chest days. The reason why is because your shoulders are used for chest presses, and you always want at least 24 hours between targeting each muscle group.
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