Shoulder Exercises

Apart from looking aesthetically pleasing when they are well shaped, strong shoulders are important for a wide range of day-to-day activities requiring rotating the arms, extending them, and of course lifting. Given below are a few shoulder exercises that will help to tone and strengthen the shoulder muscles. Before starting any of these exercises, it is important to warm-up in order to avoid injuries.

Shoulder Rolls: Start by standing upright, your arms by your sides, holding light dumbbells. The squeeze your shoulders forward, then lift them upwards, then squeeze them backwards, then pull your shoulders downwards, and so on, making five rolls. Then reverse the whole thing by beginning with squeezing the shoulders backwards, then up, then in front, and finally down, which should be done five times. Start by doing one set and then increase it to two sets.

Shoulder Press Ups: You can stand upright, with your feet about shoulder width apart and your back straight. To begin with use light dumbbells or a barbell with light weights. Bend your elbows with the hands at ear level, and then press the weight up over your head, towards the ceiling. You can do 8-12 reps per set, and do two sets to begin with, increasing the sets as well as the weights as you grow stronger. This exercise can be made more challenging by doing them sitting on a stability ball, making sure to keep the spine straight while performing the exercise.

Lateral Lifts: Start by standing upright with your feet about shoulder width apart and your back straight. Holding light dumbbells to start with, allow your arms to hang by your sides. Then, tightening the muscles of your arms, bend your elbows slightly, and lift the dumbbells on either side, up to shoulder height, and then lower them back down. Repeat 8-12 times per set, and do two sets to begin with, increasing the sets and the weights as you get stronger. This one too can be done sitting on a stability ball.

Front Lifts: Stand upright with your feet shoulder width apart and your back straight. Hold light dumbbells, bend your elbows slightly, and lift both arms in front of you up to shoulder height, and then lower them back down. Do 8-12 reps per set, beginning with two sets. Increase the sets and the weights as you become stronger. When the weights increase, you can lift each arm singly at a time. You can sit on a stability ball for this exercise too.

Upright Rows: Stand upright with your feet shoulder width apart. Holding light dumbbells, allow your arms to hang down with the palms facing backwards. Now, bending your elbows, lift the dumbbells up to chest level, and then lower them back down. Repeat 8-12 times per set, beginning with two sets. Increase the weights and reps as you become stronger.

Wall Push Ups: Start by standing about eighteen inches away from a wall, facing it. Then put your hands on the wall at shoulder height. Next, bending your elbows, allow yourself to go towards the wall, and then push yourself away from the wall. Repeat 8012 times per set, increasing the number of sets to two or three, as you get stronger. You can increase the challenge of this exercise by using increasingly lower surfaces to do the push ups, such as the top of a counter, and then a tabletop, and so on.