Shoulder Workout Routine

A number of muscles surround the shoulder joint. Deltoid muscle is the biggest of all the muscles. This muscle has three heads, namely, anterior, lateral and posterior. The deltoid muscles are responsible for rotating and lifting the arms.

If you are of the opinion, that your upper body is weak, chances are high that it is because you do not work the shoulders properly.

It so happens that due to the structure of the joint and size of the muscles being small, working on these muscles is rather difficult as they can be injured easily. Therefore, a shoulder workout routine mainly consists of presses and raises.

The shoulder muscles can be easily injured and hence knowing the right technique is very important while working out. Remember to leave a gap of a day or two before doing any other upper body exercises.

The various shoulder exercises to be included in a shoulder workout are given below.

Dumbbell shoulder press exercise helps in adding mass and develop the shoulder muscles as well. Do this exercise with a dumbbell in each hand. Place the hands such that the dumbbells are placed a little above the shoulder level with palms of the hand facing each other. Press the dumbbells up towards the sky, till your elbows are locked. Slowly bring them down and repeat the exercise.

Hold dumbbells in both the hands. Bend your knees a little and keep shoulder width distance between your feet. Let the hands hang, such that the palms are facing one another. Using the shoulder muscles lift your arms, so that they are at shoulder level. Slowly bring the hands back to the starting position and repeat.

Hold dumbbells in either hands. Shrug your shoulders and hold in the position for a few seconds, then release. Repeat this exercise 10 to 12 times.

It is one of the best shoulder exercises without weight and should be included in any shoulder workout. To do this exercise, stand erect and place your hands on your thighs. Rotate your shoulders 10 times clockwise and 10 times anti-clockwise. It is also a good exercise to relieve shoulder pain.

Stand straight with a shoulder width distance between your feet. Hold the barbell with a pronated grip and let the barbell hang down. The distance between your hands should be as much as your shoulder width. Lift the barbell up straight, till it is about to touch your chin and your elbows are at shoulder height. Lower the barbell and repeat the procedure a few more times.

Example Workout

In your shoulder exercise routine, include the workouts that involve dumbbells as well as barbells, as they both work on different parts of the shoulders. If you suffer from shoulder injury, then consult your health care professional, before you do any shoulder workout.

Ensure you do some warm up exercises, before you start with the workout. As far as possible, do include shoulder stretches in your exercise regime. However, consult your trainer before starting anything new or making any changes in your workout schedule.