Strong, sexy shoulders. It’s not something women think about having for themselves. It’s our booty, abs, legs, and arms that we mostly focus on, and that’s for aesthetic purposes.
Yet it’s our shoulders that deserve a fair amount of attention and for a good reason. Strong shoulders permit a full range of motion in our arms and support pushing, pulling, and lifting movements. Simple actions such as passing food across the table or lifting a suitcase that is a little too heavy are aided by our shoulders.
In this post, I will show you the benefits of regularly training your shoulders, and how you can do so effectively.
Why Should I Train My Shoulders?
Shoulders that are strong and receive regular training ensure daily movements are smooth and more fluid. Most upper-body exercise involves your shoulder muscles to some extent. Having strong shoulders provides an excellent foundation for many other upper body exercises.
Injury prevention
If your shoulders are weak, they can be more susceptible to injuries, lack of mobility and movement. Weak shoulders can prevent you from performing chest and back exercises safely and efficiently. Developing strong shoulders can help prevent torn rotator cuffs and other structural injuries. If your shoulders are weak, you can even injure yourself while opening a cupboard drawer or putting something onto a high shelf.
Aesthetics
One thing about shoulder training is that it can really help to develop a feminine shape. Lifting weights builds muscle, and you can build enough muscle to change the shape of your physique. Beautifully toned, rounded strong shoulders can help create the illusion of a smaller waist and that X shaped frame or feminine curves.
What Muscles Make Up My Shoulders?
Before we get started, it’s essential to understand the structure of your shoulders. It’s a good idea to know what you are exercising to get the most out of them. The shoulders are predominantly made up of 3 different muscles; the anterior deltoid, the medial deltoid, and the posterior deltoid.
Anterior deltoid
This is the area of the shoulders that sticks out towards the front of the body and is the most commonly trained.
Medial deltoid
This is an absolutely vital area that is often targeted via the “shoulder press” exercise. It’s the area that sticks outwards at the sides, giving you that rounded, capped look. It’s this capped look that gives the illusion of strong shoulders.
Posterior deltoid (rear deltoid)
The third muscle in the deltoid “trio” – this deltoid area is easily the most overlooked and is rarely (if at all) targeted effectively.
It’s also important to mention the rotator cuff muscles that give the shoulder joint stability. This is particularly important to take care of if you are over 50! Your rotator cuff is comprised of four muscles: subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and teres minor. These muscles attach to the upper portion of your humerus bone and work together to stabilize it.
How Do I Develop Shoulder Strength?
So what are the best moves to hit all heads of your shoulders muscles and make them functional and strong? Read on to find out!
Overhead Barbell Press
A particular favorite amongst all fitness enthusiasts is the overhead barbell press. It’s excellent for developing all three deltoids. Standing straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and press the barbell over your head and back down towards your shoulders. This move is superb for sculpting the whole shoulder area contributing to strength and tone. You can use dumbbells if you can’t get a barbell.
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
This exercise is a real medial delt developer, the dumbbell should press is a basic exercise with maximum results. Standing or sitting straight up, hold the dumbbells by your side, raise your arms, and keep them straight so they are parallel with your shoulders. The shoulder press is brilliant for sculpting your medial and anterior deltoid muscles of your shoulders.
Dumbbell Shrug
The dumbbell shrug move is a basic one to perform. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hold two dumbbells by your side, shrug (lift) your shoulders upwards, be careful not to rotate the shoulders as this can cause injury, move them up and down. The shrug is great for sculpting the trapezius and the shoulders and helps your shoulders cope with load-bearing moves.
Barbell Front Raise
You will learn to love the burn of the barbell front raise. Great to finish your home or gym workout; this exercise really gives the anterior and lateral deltoid heads proper working! Using an overhand grip with a slight bend in the elbow, raise the bar in front of you up to your shoulder height, then return the bar slowly to its starting position.
Arnold Press
The Arnold Press, named after Arnold Schwarzenegger, is a little more tricky. Start with half of the weight you would use for the dumbbell shoulder press. Secure the dumbbells up to a position right in front of your shoulders and close to your body. Your palms should face you. To begin the move, ensure your arms are out to the side as you start the rotation, slowly begin to push the dumbbells toward the ceiling. When you reach the top, the dumbbells should touch. Keep your palms facing away from your body.
While the dumbbells are directly above your head, rotate your arms around all the way until your palms face you. Then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the exact original position. The Arnold press works in all 3 planes of motion, the transverse, frontal, and sagittal planes.
Reverse Flye
To perform the reverse flye exercise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Keep your back straight and bend forward slightly at the waist. With a lightweight in each hand, extend your arms and raise them away from your body. Do not lock your elbow. Squeeze your shoulder blades together as you do so. Do not raise your arms above shoulder height.
For more stability, you can also perform this exercise while seated.
Side-lying External Rotation (rotator cuff exercise)
Not many think to specifically exercise your rotator cuff, but it’s one of the most important exercises you can do to keep your entire shoulder structure strong.
Lay on your side, with your top arm bent at a 90-degree angle across your abdomen. Holding a light dumbbell, keep your top elbow close to your side and slowly raise the dumbbell towards the ceiling. The movement should be very small.
Simple Workout Plan for Strong Shoulders
If you’re new to working out your shoulders, you should choose a moderate weight that you can lift a maximum of 12 times without strain. Perform 3 sets of each exercise, and rest 45 – 60 seconds in between each set. For the rotator cuff exercise, it’s important you chose a very light weight for this. I’ve never used anything more than a 5-pound dumbbell for this exercise
Final Words
Shoulder training is more than just training your deltoids. Training your shoulders is imperative as a woman to keep shoulders musculature healthy and balanced, especially during later life. Make sure your rotator cuff muscles are strong, too, which is why I have highlighted the rotator cuff exercise.
Remember to use proper form when doing upper body exercise, keeping your spine neutral, and don’t try to work with more weight than you can handle. Always go for a weight that is comfortable but challenging.