Strong Sexy Shoulders
Shoulders are one of my favorite body parts. I love the way sculpted shoulders look in tank tops and halter tops. For me this has been and still is one of the hardest body parts to build. The last few months I’ve been using Wednesdays to focus on my shoulders.
This is what I know about shoulders. They are very complex made up of 4 joints (the main joint being a the ball and socket), a false joint (where the shoulder blade moves against the ribcage), two major muscle groups, and tendons and ligaments holding them all in place. Most upper body movement (weightlifting and life) engage the shoulders to some extent and because of their complexity and susceptibility to injury I think it’s best incorporate some exercises that target the different areas.
When I think of sexy shoulders what I’m actually thinking of is the deltoid. This is the muscle when developed that creates nice curved line that separate it from the rest of the arm. The deltoid has three parts the anterior (front), the medial or lateral (middle), and the posterior (rear). For a complete shoulder workout you will want to hit all three heads of the shoulder. Since the shoulders are prone to injury, I take it easy. That doesn’t mean I’m lifting marshmallows on sticks, I am just a little more cautious than I am with other muscle groups. I listen very closely to my body for signs of real pain not just signs of muscle discomfort.
The out-of-sight-out-of mind part of the shoulder is the “rotator cuff”. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles that surround the joint and stabilize the shoulders. I know they are also susceptible to injury and an important part of making strength gains for other exercises so I take a little time to train these lightly.
Strong Sexy Shoulders Workout
5 minute warm up – Whatever you are doing make sure you are engaging your arms, i.e., put the magazine down.
A. Front Raises
B. Shoulder Press
A. Lateral Raises
B. Shoulder Press
A. Rear Lateral Raise
B. Shoulder Press
For this particular workout I like to drop set - set of 12, set of 10, set of 8 or 6 (increasing the weight as you drop the reps) – because I find I can increase my weight more than I could otherwise. But I’ve also done it with 3 sets of 12 and 5 sets of 6.
Start out with lighter weights on your first sets to warm up and then increase your weight. A and B are preformed back to back without rest. Then rest a minute and repeat for a total of 3 times. Do this for each group so you work the entire shoulder front, middle, and back. You can still work to muscle failure but use caution and don’t go forcing a rep if you feel real pain.
I finish my shoulder workout with a few rotator cuff exercises using light weights usually 3 or 5 pounds.
External Shoulder Rotation – 3 sets of 12
Shoulder Internal Rotation – 3 sets of 12
Both of the above exercises can be done standing with cables or bands as well.
Don’t forget to stretchy stretch stretch. (Oh that was dorky.)
Have a great day!
xoxo
j
This is my (almost) sane quest for insane health. Let's 
Jenn,
I recently realized the importance of a good should exercise after years of neglecting that part of my body! Love the workout.. looks easy enough to do, and I imagine it really works the right muscles. Heck, I recently realized the importance of weight-training all together (better late than never?).
Love the blog- keep up the good work
Alexi
Hi Alexi!
Thank you so much. So glad to hear you are adding strength training to your routine. I checked out your blog…FANTASTIC!! That coffee bean thingy looks really good. I thought I was creative….ha!!! Keep in touch!