SHOULDER EXERCISES
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- TONING
- Isometric Lat-Pull
- Stand with your shoulders low and relaxed, chest and rib cage lifted, and abdominals
contracted. Raise your arms over your head and cross your wrists. Make two fists with your
hands.
- Contract the muscles in your arms, shoulders and upper back and hold the contraction.
- Press your elbows down slowly to each side, squeezing your shoulder blades together,
until your fists are level with your shoulders.
- Continuing to contract the muscles, raise your arms to the starting position.
- This exercise works your upper back, shoulders and arms without weights, so you can
perform the movement anywhere, anytime. Imagine you're holding a heavy object in each hand
and use your mind to work the muscles.
- Pushups
- Lie face down on the floor and position your hands at 6 inches apart, 24 inches apart,
or as wide as possible for the close, medium or wide variations, respectively.
- Your palms should be down, in contact with the floor. Your legs and body should be
straight and your head should be in line with the spine.
- Press yourself upwards, fully extending your elbows and supporting the lower body on the
toes. Alternately, this exercise can be performed with the knees bent - supporting the
lower body on the knees.
- Return to the starting position.
- Strengthens chest, triceps and deltoids
- Pushups - Inverted
- Stand on your hands with your legs straight and supported against the wall. Your hands
should be at shoulder width apart and your arms should be fully extended.
- Lower your head toward the floor by flexing your elbows.
- Push your body back to the starting position.
- Strengthens the chest, triceps and deltoids.
- Pushups - Legs Elevated
- Position your hands at 6 inches apart, 24 inches apart, or as wide as possible for the
close, medium, or wide variations respectively.
- Your palms should be down, in contact with the floor. Your legs should be elevated on a
bench or chair and your body should be straight.
- Press yourself upwards, fully extending your elbows.
- Return to the starting position.
- Strengthens chest, triceps and deltoids.
TONING WITH RESISTANCE
- Lat-Pull
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Using tubing or resistance bands, hold one
end of the band in each hand and raise your arms straight over your head.
- Press your elbows down slowly to each side, squeezing your shoulder blades together,
until your fists are level with your shoulders.
- Slowly straighten your arms up until they are back to the starting position.
- If you don't feel resistance when you press your elbows down, adjust the band/tube so
there is less slack.
- Strenghtens the shoulders, arms and upper back.
- Military Press
- Sit at the end of a bench or chair with feet flat on the floor. Using tubing or a
resistance band, place the band under both feet and step on it firmly. Hold each end of
the band with your fists at shoulder level.
- Lean forward slightly at the hips so the tubing/band does not rub against the bench or
chair.
- Straighten the arms, pressing your hands toward the ceiling.
- Lower the hands back to shoulder level.
- If you don't feel resistance when you straighten your arms, adjust the band/tube so
there is less slack.
- Strengthens the shoulders and upper back.
FREE WEIGHTS
- Flys - Flat Bench with Rotation
- Lie on a flat bench with knees bent and feet on the edge of the bench.
- Tilt pelvis so lower back is touching the bench and abdominals are contracted.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand at chest height, elbows bent below the bench, palms facing
in.
- Press arms up above chest, rotating shoulders so palms face forward at the top of the
movement.
- Bend elbows and lower to starting position.
- Strengthens chest, anterior deltoid and triceps.
- Military Press
- Stand with feet shoulder width apart, or sit at the end of a bench with feet flat on the
floor. Contract abdominals and lift rib cage to keep torso upright.
- Grasp a bar or dumbells with an overhand grip. Lift the weight to shoulder height,
elbows pointing down to your sides.
- Straighten the arms, pressing the weight overhead.
- Keep shoulders down by pressing shoulder blades together.
- Lower the weight to the shoulder level and repeat.
- Strengthens shoulders and upper back.
- Rear Dumbbell Raise
- Sit on the edge of a bench with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, a set of
dumbbells on the floor behind your heels.
- Bend from your hips until your chest is resting on your thighs and back is flat.
- With arms at your sides, grasp a weight in each hand, palms facing each other with
elbows slightly bent.
- Maintain torso and arm position and, leading with your elbows, lift weights up to
shoulder height in an arc so palms are facing the floor.
- Keep elbows higher than weights and use your upper back muscles, not your arms, to do
most of the work.
- Return to the starting position and repeat.
- Strengthens chest and upper back.
- Row - Bent Over
- Place a barbell or dumbbells on the floor in front of you.
- With your feet about shoulder width apart, bend down and grasp the weight with an
overhand grip, approximately 12-14 inches apart.
- Bend your knees slightly and keep your back parallel to the floor as you lift the weight
to your chest.
- Lower the weight down in front of you until it is at arm's length, then raise the weight
back to the chest.
- Do not let the weight touch the floor as you exercise.
- Keep your head up and your lower back slightly arched.
- Row - Single Arm, Bent Over
- Place a dumbbell on the floor in the front of the bench. Put your right leg back,
keeping your knee straight.
- Bend your left leg slightly as you bend down and grasp the dumbbell with your right hand
with palms facing inward.
- Place your left hand on the bench and keep the arm straight.
- With the dumbbell in your right hand, hanging straight down, bend you elbow and raise
the weight straight up to the side of your chest, keeping your arm in close.
- Return to the starting position and repeat with the opposite side.
- Row - Upright
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Grasp a barbell or dumbbells with an overhand
grip.
- With the weight at arms length and your back straight, inhale and raise the weight to
just below chin level. Keep your elbows out to the side.
- Pause momentarily, then exhale and return the weight to the starting position.
- Seated Shrug
- Sit at the end of a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each
hand with a palm inward grip and your arms at your side.
- Raise your shoulders as high as possible.
- Return to the starting position and repeat.
- Shoulder Press - Behind the Neck
- Sit at the end of a bench with your feet flat on the floor, or stand with your feet
shoulder width apart.
- Grasp a barbell 4-6 inches wider than shoulder width, then press the barbell overhead,
placing it behind your head and resting it on your shoulders.
- Press the weight overhead, extending your arms straight up. Your elbows should remain
pointing outward.
- Slowly lower the weight to the starting position.
- Shoulder Raise - Bent Over
- Bend over from the waist with your knees slightly bent.
- Grasp the dumbbells, keeping your elbows and arms straight and palms facing one another.
- Raise the dumbbells laterally (outward from your body toward the side) until the arms
are parallel to the floor.
- Slowly lower the arms back down and repeat.
- Shoulder Raise - Front
- Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, grasp a barbell or dumbbells with an
overhand grip.
- Let the weight hang at arm's length against your upper thigh.
- Raise the weight straight out in front of you until it is just above shoulder level.
- Lower the weight to the starting position.
- Shoulder Raise - Lateral
- Sit on the end of a bench with your feet flat on the floor, or stand with your feet
shoulder width apart.
- Grasp a dumbbell in each hand, and place at arm's length to your side with palms facing
inward.
- Raise the weights laterally (to the side) and upward until slightly higher than shoulder
level.
- Your elbows should remain slightly bent.
- Lower the weight to the starting position.
- Shrug
- Grasp a barbell with both hands using an overhand grip about 24 inches apart, or hold a
dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing inward and the weights hanging at arm's
length at your sides.
- Raise your shoulders as high as you can up towards your ears.
- Return to the starting position and repeat.
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