Sculpt Your Shoulders

Strong sculpted shoulders are an asset and give an indication of your personality. Strong shoulders and back help you lift heavy loads and work for extended periods of time. However sculpted shoulders are not built in a day and it will take some time and effort to build up shoulder muscles, deltoids—anterior, middle and posterior, trapezius and rhomboids. The shoulders are difficult to train and will need the correct methods as well as the correct posture to get perfect results.

The right approach is to start with low weights and then progress to heavier weights. The trick is to exercise a set of muscles one day and allow them to rest the other day while focusing on another set. This allows the body to heal and grow.

Shoulder exercises can be done with dumbbells and with barbells. Here we outline 3 basic steps which will sculpt your shoulders. You can then carry on with barbells to further accentuate the shoulder muscles.

Lateral Raise: With a dumbbell of appropriate weight (weight you can comfortable lift without straining), stand with feet slightly apart or sit on a bench, elbows slightly bent and below shoulder joints, hands facing body, chest elevated. Flex the deltoid (shoulder) muscles by raising arms to the side and lowering in such a way that when raised elbows and weights are parallel with shoulders. Raise and then lower focusing on elbows and not the weight in your hands.

Overhead Press: Sit on a bench, pick up a pair of dumbbells, hold them raised at shoulder height, palms upwards and then push inwards towards and slightly above the head. Lower the dumbbells keeping weight balanced above elbows and stop when elbows are parallel to shoulder joint.

Seated rowing on a machine: Pull back weight, sit down on pad, align upper body in a straight up position, feet on the ground and keep shoulder blades in neutral at rest position. Start by rowing elbows back in line with your shoulders and contract deltoids as much as you can. Exercise focusing on rear and front deltoids alternately.

Doing these three exercises will get you a sculpted shoulder over a period of time. Then you can progress to the use of barbells with heavier weights to accentuate the deltoids and further enhance the prominence of each of the muscles.  You can do behind the neck press and upright row with barbells to further accentuate shoulder muscles.

Barbells permit usage of heavier weights while dumbbells permit each hand and shoulder to be exercised individually with rotation and twists so that all sets of muscles come into play and the weaker side can be given additional exercise to attain symmetry.  What we aim at is not just rock solid physique and strength; fluidity in motion through synchronized use of muscles is equally important.

Incidentally, muscle building is much like music. In the beginning are the simple steps and as you gain skill and strength you proceed to variations on the theme. Veterans of muscle building have been known to train muscles so that they actually ripple and shimmer at will. How would you like to get to that stage?

While doing these do not ignore the rotator cuff muscles which are vital for strong shoulders. You can do internal and external rotator cuff muscle strengthening exercises. Get started today and observe for yourself, as you progress how you are developing that trapezoidal shape you always yearned for. This is just the start. There are a host of other exercises  like Arnold press, bent over lateral raise, lying side lateral raise, cable laterals and shrugs that you will be working your way through which will aid in getting a symmetrical sculpted look.