Get Your Shoulder Workout On.

Today was a "long" run day for me...aka three miles.  I actually decided to just go 3.1 miles to complete a 5k.  Usually on a Sunday I would do some lifting as well but I decided to just go for my run around the neighborhood, come home, do some ab work and roll out with my foam roller.  

So let's just pretend that I lifted today and I decided to workout my upper body, specifically my shoulders. There aren't many upper body exercises you can complete without the strength and range of motion of your shoulder muscles.  The rotator cuff is comprised of four small muscles which work in conjunction with the deltoid.  The deltoid encapsulates the shoulder joint and with the rotator cuff,  they work together to stabilize the shoulder joint. 

There are many ways to strengthen these muscles groups so I have picked out a few of my favorites.  I have learned that it's just as, if not more effective for me to work with a lower weight and do more repetitions than trying to lift as heavy as I can.  The deltoids and rotator cuff muscles are small so the motions you use in these exercises will feel a bit more difficult even if you aren't using very much weight.  

I have to always preface my photos because I feel like a doofus taking them...well, having my mom take them of me.  I want to look cool and like I've said before smiling is so not cool in fitness photos.  So instead of smiling I tend to just smirk or look blindly into the camera and they come off looking rather ridiculous.  So just focus on the exercises and not so much on the dork performing them.

Shoulder Press (Military Press)
**See, Military presses aren't as fun as I make them look so don't let me be deceiving.  
Start with your elbows at 90 degrees at about ear level and press them straight up from the starting point.  Lower back down to your ears and repeat.  With all of these exercises, take your time and just get in a good rhythm.  You always want to be in control of the weight and not feel like the weight is controlling you. 




Lateral Raise
Start with the weights at your side with your palms facing in.  With straight arms or a slight bend in them, raise the dumbbells so they are parallel with the ground.  Your palms should be facing the ground at the top of your exercise.  Lower both dumbbells back down to their starting point and repeat. 



Front Raise
Start with the dumbbells in front of you facing your body just like you did for the lateral raise.  With straight arms, raise both dumbbells until they are parallel with the ground.  Just like the lateral raise, your palms should be facing down when you're at the top of your exercise.  Lower both dumbbells back down to their starting point and repeat. 







External Rotators

This exercise you will be seated on a bench or I suppose you could sit on the ground too.  Start with the dumbbell in your left hand and bend your left knee so your foot is flat on the bench or ground.  Using your knee as a stabilizer, start with your elbow at a 90 degree angle on the inside of your knee with your palm facing down. From there you are just going to raise the dumbbell so that your forearm is facing towards the ceiling.  Your elbow should stay at a 90 degree angle the entire time.  Lower back down to the starting point and repeat.  This is a difficult motion for your rotator cuff so use something light and do more reps. 

A good workout for your shoulders would be:
Military Press: 3 set of 15 repetitions 
+
External Rotators: 3 sets of 25 repetitions

Lateral Raises: 3 sets of 25 repetitions 
+
Front Raises: 3 sets of 25 repetitions

I realize I'm repeating myself when I say use a lighter weight for higher rep workouts.  You can always decrease your reps and pick a heavier weight too.  Take a little bit longer rest in between sets if you're going to use heavier dumbbells. 

After this workout, you'll have shoulders like boulders as my friend would say.  Have fun and remember to keep good form, good posture and always breathe while lifting.  Feel free to add in some cardio and stretching to get a well rounded workout in.  Have fun having hurt so good shoulders!