Shoulder muscles: the best exercises
Do you want to develop your shoulders and learn different exercises to strengthen this area of your body? Don't move and follow us. Our reference coach, Lucie Delattre, gives you all her tips for working out in this particular niche.
It is true that it is an area that we do not always think about, yet our shoulders allow us to do a lot of things every day. And then, unlike other muscles in our bodies, our shoulders often appear in the mirror and are an integral part of our image (remember the pictures of the individual class, the slightly frozen smile ... "little". Shock to me).
All this to say that taking care of your shoulders and giving them a little attention, shape and tone is quite understandable, and even recommended, especially for fighting tendonitis (for example) or osteoarthritis. To give you a hand at (re)conquering this area of your body and its muscles, here are some exercises you can do at home or at the gym.
The "shoulders" program for the development of your deltoid
To start working out your shoulders, especially the deltoids, these muscles that make up your shoulders do not do heavy loads or very complex exercises. It is best to start slowly, then ramp up the training and continue for the duration.
The deltoid is the main muscle of your shoulders: it covers them and is shaped like a triangle. It is divided into three parts and is located in the front, above and behind the shoulders. These muscles are used differently depending on the movements they perform, often using them simultaneously, but not necessarily with the same force.
Some of the exercises we'll break down for you in a few moments (patience, patience!) will work the anterior or clavicle (located on the front of the shoulder), lateral or acromial bundle (found above), posterior or spinous (behind) the deltoid bundle. But it is possible to work all these muscles at once and we will explain how ...
Special shoulder exercises to do at home
Conditioning sports instructor Lucie Delattre describes some exercises you can do in the middle of your living room. The key to good training: variety of exercises, rhythms, amplitudes and efforts. "You can do a combination of exercises at home: this allows you to work different shoulder muscles," Lucy says.
➔ "Superman"
At first, introduce us to "Superman": On your rug, place yourself on your stomach, arms up, close to your ears, forehead resting on the floor. At the same time, lift both arms off the floor, then lower them down again. Another exercise in the same position, lift the arms off the floor, bring your elbows to the ribs and then return to the extended position of the arms on each side of your head. "These exercises work the shoulders, as well as some of the back muscles, like the traps."
➔ "almost board of directors"
Another exercise that must be done at home, derived from the plank: put yourself not on your elbows, but on your hands and feet. Your hands should be placed under your shoulders, arms extended, and the body aligned from head to toe (in short a beautiful rectangle). You're going to take your hands off (each one in turn or else it's a drama), put them to the side or in front of your body and return them to their original position. This exercise uses your body weight and thus puts your shoulders in resistance and contribution.
➔ "commando"
Another exercise, also derived from the plank, but to a greater degree than the exercise we just described: "Commando" (yes, it's a little scary): get into the "plank" position, this time on the elbows (hence the position from the classic plank) . You will place yourself on your hands to the right, then left, and back on your forearms. Remember to switch the arm that pushes the ground and the forearm that goes down. And so...this exercise works your shoulders and chest, and pushes you off the floor, with your body weight (we never said it would be easy). You can also make a "half plank" version, that is, on your knees. But either way, keep the tummy well sheathed.
Dumbbells shoulder muscles
We often equate using dumbbells with biceps work, but these extensions can also allow you to strengthen other areas of your body, such as your shoulders. If you don't have dumbbells, water bottles (of different sizes depending on your level) will work just fine. Yes, water bottles (packed as needed) are also suitable. It is even better for our planet. No, on the other hand, don't insist, the beer bottles don't work (and why wouldn't the bottle be full for every effort made while we were there?).
If you're new to bodybuilding with your shoulders, Lucy recommends one-kilogram dumbbells. "One of the easiest exercises to work your shoulders with dumbbells is to stand with your arms along your body and raise your arms symmetrically to the side, even horizontally." You can perform several series of ten to twenty movements.
The sports teacher explains that, in the course of her session, it is interesting to diversify the work between dynamic and static efforts. "Once you've made your arm movements up and down, you can try to leave your arm horizontal and the dumbbells in your hand and do rotational movements." Holding a weight at arm's length and holding it will engage your shoulders. "Remaining a few seconds still and then working in motions, and reversing, is in my opinion very exciting for the full work of the area one would like to intervene in." When you feel comfortable with the one-kilogram dumbbells, you can move on to the models above!
Tie your shoulders with an elastic band
Another accessory you can bring to your shoulder muscles: the rubber. There are different resistances and like dumbbells, start at the lowest level.
An exercise Lucy suggested: Stand with your arms outstretched and an elastic band wrapped around both hands. Spread the rubber band on the side in turn, with the right hand, then the left hand. Not easy eh? Yes, but during this time your shoulders are working fine. "The same movement, which plays with resistance to flexibility, can be performed with the elbows to the body, with both arms at the same time." Come on, let's do it again, three sets of twenty!
Some rubber bands are grooved - this form will be useful to you in the exercise - and can be stretched according to eight levels. To start, Lucy suggests that you use the lowest resistance elastic and don't tighten it as much as possible. As the sessions and your bodybuilding program progress, you will be able to tighten your rubber band and possibly get a more resistant one...
Work your shoulders in the weight room: pulley and bar
If you want to work on developing your shoulders in the gym, on machines, this is good for you: you can take advantage of the advice of sports professionals, who will be able to guide you towards the use of specific machines and exercises.
➔ with reel
One of the most commonly used machines for strengthening your shoulders in general consists of a pulley that can be more or less loaded. “We stand, perpendicular to the machine, back straight, hand of the outer arm on the handle, we will come in and raise the load with the arm on the side, which rises to a certain degree,” Lucy Delattre points out. "As with dumbbells, it's more or less the same principle, you can do work that consists of both static and dynamic movements."
➔ on a weight bench
Another action to strengthen your shoulders: Sit on a weightlifting bench, hands on the bar (loaded according to your means), bar in front of chest, elbows close to sides, push load up, lower bar at back of neck, then back up and in front of chest. And so on. “As part of this exercise and for any effort in general, you really have to be careful to keep your back straight and stomach well wrapped and think about lengthening your spine.”
In general, Lucie Delattre recommends a warm-up at the beginning of a session and a muscle tightening at the end of the session. Thus you will avoid breakdowns and other inconveniences related to bodybuilding work.
All of these movements, some of which can be easily performed at home, are training tracks, and other exercises are there to perfect your work! The important thing is to diversify it to properly function the different muscles in this area. So feel free to combine the possibilities, to change the rhythms and intensity, you will progress fast!
We give you, the beginning is sometimes a bit daunting and we don't guarantee that you won't have some aches and pains...but between us the game is worth it. In addition to reshaping your curves and shape — and seeing them in the mirror every time you brush, shave or apply makeup — you'll keep little ailments that can threaten your joints. This is still an excellent reason to motivate yourself!
