An Exercise to Strengthen and Develop Your Shoulders While Standing on a BOSU

Your shoulders are the most mobile part of your body and they are involved in almost every movement you make. Thus, having strong shoulders is not only important in performing the activities of everyday life, but also in the prevention of injury and pain associated with weak shoulder muscles.

Your shoulders are made up of muscles that are primarily involved in the movement of your arms to the side, to the front, and to the rear of your body. Simple put, the muscles of your shoulders can be divided into three heads, and they are lateral, front, and rear.  It's crucial to strengthen the muscles of all three heads of your shoulders for optimal strength and injury prevention.  Read more...

Four Basic Exercises to Strengthen Your Upper Body

Exercise 1.  Lat Pulldown



The lat pulldown is a great exercise for strengthening and developing the upper back muscles that are critical for good posture.  People whose shoulders are slumped forward most likely have underdeveloped upper back muscles.

First, sit down and adjust the thigh pad to a position that firmly fits over your thighs.  Then select a resistance with which the last three repetitions are difficult to complete.  If this is your first time doing this exercise, it may take experimenting at several weights before you find the right resistance.  Next, grip the bar a little wider than shoulder width, sit down on the seat and place your knees firmly under the pad.  Start with your arms fully extended and your chest held high.  This is your start position. Now, pull the bar slowly down to the base of your neck while squeezing your shoulder blades back and together.   Slowly return the bar to the starting position.  (It should take about three seconds to pull the bar down and about two seconds to return the bar to its starting position). Proper breathing is very important, so remember to exhale as you pull the bar down and inhale as you return the bar to the starting position. Please click here to read more...

A Complete Shoulder Exercise Routine Using a Bosu

Watch as I demonstrate one of my favorite exercises for working my entire shoulder girdle.  Standing a Bosu to perform this exercise also strengthens your core, and increases the intensity of this movement immensely.

Two of My Favorite Exercises For Developing and Strengthening Your Shoulders

Your shoulder joint has more range of motion than any other joint in your body, and your shoulders are involved in every movement of your upper body.  Thus, having strong shoulders makes the activities of everyday life easier to perform.  The video below demonstrates two of my favorite exercises for developing and strengthening your shoulders.

5 Easy Rotator Cuff Exercises

I recently wrote a post about 3 exercises to help keep your shoulders healthy.  But, for those of you who already have shoulder pain here's the link to a great article on how to rehab your shoulders.  5 simple exercises you can do at home to help alleviate your pain in just a few weeks.

5 Easy Rotator Cuff Exercises

Three Exercises for Keeping Healthy Shoulders

Your shoulders are one of the largest and most complex joints in your body and also has the most range of motion of all the joints in your body.  There is hardly any upper body movement in which your shoulders are not involved.  Thus, having strong and healthy shoulders is critical to most of the things you do everyday from brushing your teeth to bringing home a bag of groceries.  

Below are three exercises I do on a weekly basis to keep my shoulders healthy and strong.  Use a resistance with which you can do 8 to 10 repetitions of which the last 3 repetitions are difficult to complete with proper form.

Arnold Press

Use a bench that has a back support for this exercise.  Sit upright, holding a dumbbell in each hand close together at nose height, with your palms facing inward.  This is your start position.  Rotate your palms forward and bring the dumbbells back to your ears.  Then, 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.

Lateral Raise

Start by holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of you.  Position your feet shoulder width apart, 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.

Upright Cable Row

 

The upright row strengthens and develops the top portion of your trapezius -the muscle at the top of your shoulders that attaches to your neck.  Perform this exercise at the cable machine.  Attach a straight bar, and placing the pulley at the lowest level.  Grip the bar at a position where your hands are about an inch apart, and stand upright with your arms fully extended.  Position your feet shoulder width apart, slightly bend your knees, and lift your chest high.  This is your start position.  Pull your hands to the top of your chest, while keeping your elbows slightly higher than your hands. Then return to the start position.  Exhale as you pull the weight upward, and inhale as you return to the start position.

 

My Exercise Routine For Building Strong Shoulders

Your shoulders are the most mobile joints in your body, thus it's important to keep your shoulders healthy and strong.  Watch as I demonstrate my favorite exercise routine for building strong shoulders in the video below.

You can checkout more of my exercise routines at Forever Fit and Firm.

Two Of My Favorite Shoulder Exercises

 

Arnold presses and lateral raises are two of my favorite exercises for strengthening and developing my shoulders.  Take a look as I demonstrate how to properly perform these two movements.

My Three Staple Exercises

Image by United States Marine Corps Official Page via FlickrRecently,  a client asked me if I could only do three exercises, what would they be?  After some consideration, I said I would do pullups, pushup, and barbell squats.  I told the client that he could target all the major muscle groups with these three exercises.

Let's look at these three exercises and see if they would be a complete whole body workout.

Pullups target the major muscles of the upper back, the biceps,  and the forearms.  The core muscles are also worked as long as pullups are done in a smooth and controlled manor.

Pushups target the major muscles of the chest, the shoulders, and the triceps.  The core muscles are also strongly used when pushups are done with strict form.

Barbell Squats target the quads, hamstrings, and the glutes.  Squats are also one of the best exercises there is for developing core strength when done properly.

There you have it.  These are the three exercises I would do if I was limited to doing only three.  What three exercises would you do?

4 Exercises To Help You Shape And Tone Your Upper Body

I'm posting some of my favorite routines to help you get in the best shape of your life this new year. Here are 4 exercises that will help you shape and tone your upper body. I recommend you do 3 sets of 10 repetitions of each exercise. You should select a resistance with which the last 3 repetitions are hard to complete. Do this routine every third day for the next 6 weeks and you will be amazed at your results.



LAT PULLDOWN

The lat pulldown is a great exercise for strengthening and developing the muscles in your upper back which are critical in having good posture. People whose shoulders are slumped forward most likely have under-developed upper back muscles. First sit down and adjust the thigh pad to a position that firmly fits over your thighs. Then select a resistance with which the last three repetitions are difficult to complete. If this is your first time doing this exercise is may take experimenting at several weights before you find the right resistance for you. Next, grip the bar a little wider than shoulder width, sit down on the seat and place your knees firmly under the pad. Start with your arms fully extended and your chest held high. This is your start position. Now, pull the bar slowly down to the base of your neck while squeezing your shoulder blades back and together. Slowly return the bar to the starting position. (It should take about 3 seconds to pull the bar down and about 2 seconds to return the bar to its starting position). Proper breathing is very important so, remember to exhale as you pull the bar down and inhale as you return the bar to the starting position.

DUMBBELL ROW

The Dumbbell Row is also for the muscles of the upper back. Hold a dumbbell in one hand, and place the opposite knee on a bench. Lean forward and place your other hand on the bench. Step to your side with the other leg and bend your knee slightly. Proper form is very important on this exercise so, be careful that your lower back is not rounded. Hold the dumbbell fully extended beneath your shoulder. This is your starting position. Now slowly pull the dumbbell to underarm height and squeeze your shoulder blade toward your spine and return slowly to the start position. The breathing pattern is to exhale as you pull the dumbbell towards you and inhale as you return to start.

DUMBBELL CHEST PRESS

The dumbbell chest press is one of the best exercises for developing and strengthening the muscles of your chest and the front of your shoulders. Again, you will have to experiment to select the proper weight to use. Pickup a dumbbell in each hand and sit on the end of a bench. Place the dumbbells end -up on your knees, then lay back on the bench and position the dumbbells at your sides at chest height; this is your start position. Press the dumbbells up over your chest until your arms are fully extended being careful not to lock your elbows. Slowly return the dumbbells to the start position. Your breathing pattern is to exhale as you press up and inhale as you return to the starting position














LATERAL RAISES

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.