How To Build Shoulders

Summary: To build those impressive shoulder muscles that make a man seem so cut, it is important that to over work the muscle tissue in the shoulders is the worst thing you can do. Working the shoulders once a week between workouts on other parts of the body is what is most recommended by professionals. However, following a specific workout pattern can add to the effectiveness of building muscle tone in the shoulder area. The end result can begin to be achieved in as little as eight w...

To build those impressive shoulder muscles that make a man seem so cut, it is important that to over work the muscle tissue in the shoulders is the worst thing you can do. Working the shoulders once a week between workouts on other parts of the body is what is most recommended by professionals. However, following a specific workout pattern can add to the effectiveness of building muscle tone in the shoulder area. The end result can begin to be achieved in as little as eight weeks when the exercise regimen is executed properly. A very effective way to begin to bulk up those muscles in the shoulders is marked out below and is highly recommended by professional bodybuilders throughout the world. It is important to not become too repetitious in the working of the shoulder muscles and it is advised to develop two different work-out plans and to alternate the use of each weekly. So plan 'A' would be used for the first week; then plan 'B' for the second; continuing to rotate the exercise plans accordingly. A good example of either plan is a series of exercises that are both heavy and light to the muscles to be toned; i.e. the shoulders in this case. Warm-up exercises are critical when working the shoulders as it is when working all muscles and this regimen has those warm-up activities already built in. *Also, it is important to remember that to increase the intensity of the workout, one should not add to the number of sets or the number of reps. suggested; rather they should simply cut down the rest time between each from one minute to thirty seconds as is determined to be workable by the trainee. To begin, a suggested plan 'A' starts with "Dumbbell Shoulder Presses.' These are accomplished by: - Sitting on a bench with your back completely straight. Two dumbbells are held just above shoulder height with your palms facing out. - Press straight up until the dumbbells almost touch together. - The return the dumbbells to the starting position. This exercise is suggested to be done in three sets with eight to ten reps. in each for maximum warming up and working of the shoulder muscles. Following this, is an exercise known as "Upright Rows." These are done by: - Standing with your feet slightly apart and holding the dumbbells with an overhand grip in front of the thighs. - Raise the dumbbells to chin level. - Return to the starting position. This should also be done in three sets with eight to ten reps in each for maximum effect at working the shoulder muscles. Finish the first plan with "Dumbbell Lateral Raises" which are accomplished by: -Standing straight with a dumbbell in each hand, held with the palms of each facing each other. -Raise the dumbbells out to each side to reach shoulder level. -Then return to the starting position. -This working of the shoulder muscles should be repeated in three sets but should have between ten and fifteen reps in each set. The next week, plan 'B' should commence and that includes the following exercises. To begin, you will start with "Dumbbell Front Raises." - Stand straight with your back straight and the dumbbells grasped in an overhand clutch holding each in front of the thighs. - Raise each dumbbell one at a time to shoulder height; alternating arms. - Return to the starting position. This is an excellent warm-up for the second week's plan as only one arm is working the shoulder muscles at a time and should be done in three sets with ten to fifteen reps in each. Follow with "Bent Over Lateral Raises" by: - Standing bent at the waist with your knees slightly bent, grasp the dumbbells with the palms facing inward and the elbows slightly bent. - Raise dumbbells at your sides. - Return to the starting position. This exercise is an excellent workout for the shoulder muscles and works wonders at building mass in the same. It should be done in three sets with ten to fifteen reps in each for maximum effectiveness. Finish plan 'B' with "Sitting Presses" (also known as "Smith Machine Presses.") Begin by: - Sitting on a bench with your back straight. - Grip the barbell with your palms facing forward. - Press the barbell straight up. - Return to the starting position. This is an extremely powerful exercise that will definitely enhance the shoulder muscles as you proceed to build them up. So to conclude, working your shoulder muscles on an alternating rotation of exercises as are described above and not overworking them during any given time period will produce the results you are ultimately seeking to achieve.