How to Develop Strong and Healthy Shoulders

Strong and healthy shoulders are key to overall upper body strength and ease of doing the everyday activities of life.  Your shoulders are the most mobile joints in your body and are involved in every upper body movement.  This mobility also makes your shoulders more susceptible to imbalances in strength and flexibility than any other joint.

To understand how to keep your shoulders strong and healthy you have to know a little about the anatomy of your shoulders.  The following is a simple a explanation of the anatomy of your shoulder joint so you can see the major players in it's health and  movement.  Please click here to see the entire post.

Two Great Exercises To Develop Strong Sexy Shoulders

Arnold Press- Middle

Arnold Press - Start

Whether you are male or female you always look sexier with strong sculpted shoulders.  Here are two basic exercises that will strengthen and develop your shoulders.

Arnold Presses

Arnold Presses made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger strengthens and develops your shoulders.  This is one of my favorite exercises.  Use a bench that has a back support to do this exercise.  Sit upright, hold a dumbbell in each hand close together at nose height with your palms facing in.  This is your start position.  Rotate your palms forward while bringing the dumbbells back to your ears and press the dumbbells overhead until your arms are fully extended.  Now, bring the dumbbells back down to ear level and return to your start position.  Exhale as you rotate the dumbbells forward and press up and inhale as you bring them back to the start position.

Arnold Press - Finish

Lateral Dumbbell Raises

Following Arnold Presses, I do lateral dumbbell raises to sculpt my shoulders.  Start by holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of you.  Position your feet shoulder width, slightly bend your knees, and hold your chest high.  This is your starting position.  Bend your elbows slightly and raise your hands out to your sides about shoulder height with your palms facing down then return to your starting position.  Be careful to that your forearm and your elbow at the same level at the finish of this movement.  Your breathing pattern is to exhale as you raise your arms up and inhale as you return to start.

Lateral Raise - Finish

Lateral Raise - Start

I recommend beginners do 2 sets of 10 repetitions of each exercise and those more advanced do 3 sets of 10 repetitions of each.  Remember to use a resistance with which the last 3 repetitions are difficult to complete.  Add these two movements to your fitness routine for strong and sexy looking shoulders.

Exercise of the Week; Lateral Dumbbell Raise

The lateral dumbbell raise develops and strengthens your shoulders. Start by holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of you. Position your feet shoulder width, slightly bend your knees, and hold your chest high. This is your starting position. Bend your elbows slightly and raise your hands out to your sides about shoulder height with your palms facing down then return to your starting position. Be careful to keep your forearm and your elbow at the same level at the finish of this movement. Your breathing pattern is to exhale as you raise your arms up and inhale as you return to start.

Combine this exercise with the 3 previous (lat pulldown, seated low row, and dumbbell chest press) exercises for a routine that works all the major muscle groups of your upper body. Do this routine 2 times each week to keep your upper body tone and strong.

If you are new to weight lifting do 1 to 2 sets of 10 repetitions of each exercise. If you have some experience with strength training do 3 to 4 sets of 10 repetitions of each exercise.