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Best Ways to Tone Your Shoulder Muscles

 

Performing massive shoulder presses definitely helps in broadening your shoulder muscles. However, to reap the best benefits, you should focus and work on all the different muscles around your shoulder joint, including:

  • Deltoids- Deltoids are those three muscles that cover the outside of your shoulders.
  • Traps- Traps are those muscles that run from your neck down to your spine to your shoulder blade.
  • Lats- These are the large muscles that run from your spine to your armpit.
  • Rotator cuff- These are the muscles that help in keeping your arm bone in your shoulder’s socket.

For focusing all these essential muscles, you are required to perform various exercises from standard shoulder presses to bear planks.

 

Best Exercises To Broaden Your Shoulder Muscles

Halo: 

For performing halo, you need to start by kneeling on your knees. Keep your knees slightly wider than your hips. Hold dumbbells in both your hands and keep them directly in front of your chest; keep your elbows pointed down to your side. Slowly circle your dumbbell around your head and bring it back in front of your chest. Here you have completed one rep. Make sure you complete three sets with ten reps in each direction. Rest only when needed.  This exercise increases your shoulder mobility, increases blood flow and synovial fluid at the joint, and increases motion.

 

Banded Pull-Apart:  

Start by standing on your feet, keep them shoulder-width apart, hold a resistance band, extend your arms in front, and raise them to your shoulder height. Engage your core and pull your fist out to stretch the resistance band you are holding in your hand. Slowly return to the starting point. Now you have completed your first rep. After that, complete two sets with ten reps each. Take a break only when needed. Make sure you perform three sets with five reps each. This exercise will strengthen your upper back and the stabilizer muscle in your shoulder joint.

 

Upright-Row: 

Stand with your feet under your hip, keep your legs straight. Hold dumbbells in both of your hands; your palms should be facing your body, and weights should be touching your quads. Now slowly pull your elbow up and out wide to lift the dumbbells to your chest. Reverse the movement to return to the starting point. Complete three sets with 15 reps each. Take a break only when needed. This exercise will target your lateral deltoids and add shoulder width.

 

Inverted Push-Ups: 

Start by taking an upside-down “V” position, keep your feet flat, your hands pressed to the floor, and keep your hips in the air. Now slowly bend your elbows out wide and touch your head to the floor. Press and push through your hand to return to the starting point. Here you have completed your first rep. This exercise is quite effective for strengthening your triceps and challenging your back and abs area muscles by boosting your upper body condition. 

 

Tabletop Lift: 

Start by taking a sitting position, keep your legs bent, keep your feet flat on the floor, place your arms straight and behind your body, and keep your palm pressed into the mat with your fingertips facing your glutes. Lift your hips. It should happen until you are parallel to your ceiling. Pause at the top for 5 seconds and slowly get back to the position. Here you have completed your first rep. Make sure you do three sets with ten reps each. Take a break only when necessary. This exercise helps strengthen the deep core muscle on your abdomen and strengthens your muscles in the lower back and shoulder.

 

Front Raise: 

Start with your knees bent, keep your feet staggered, the right foot should be placed forward and flat on the floor, keep your left foot back, and the heel should be lifted upwards. Place the middle of your resistance band looped underneath your right foot and hold the other two ends by your hand. Without bending your elbows, slowly raise your arms in front of your body equal to your shoulders height. You slowly come back to the starting point. Here you have completed your first rep. Make sure you meet three sets with 12 rep each. Take a break only when necessary. This exercise targets your shoulder muscles, biceps, and upper chest muscle, and it will strengthen and build your shoulders’ mobility and tone your upper body.

 

Prone V-Ups:  

Start by taking the plank position. Come in an upside-down v position by walking your feet towards your hands. Make sure to take short steps and keep your back and torso straight. Walk back to retake the plank position. You have completed the first rep. Make sure you meet three sets with ten reps each. Take a break only when necessary. This exercise works on your triceps, pectoral muscle, and your shoulder muscles. They also strengthen and build your lower back and abdominal strength. 

 

Lateral Raise:  

Start by standing with your knees slightly bent, keep your feet staggered, the right foot should be placed forward and flat on the floor, keep your left foot back, and the heel should be lifted upwards. Place the middle of your resistance band looped underneath your right foot and hold the other two ends by your hand. Without bending your elbows, slowly raise your arms to your side and keep them equal to your shoulders height, then slowly come back to the starting point. Here you have completed your first rep. Make sure you complete three sets with 12 reps each. Take a break only when necessary. This exercise targets your shoulder muscles, biceps, and upper chest muscle. This exercise strengthens, builds your shoulders’ mobility, and also tones your upper body. 

 

Conclusion: 

It is highly recommended to perform this shoulder exercise 3 times a week or at least for a day. Make sure that you increase the weight and intensity level as you progress. To increase your shoulder’s size, you should focus on deltoids and perform a full range of exercises. Take a few breaks between your sets, and make sure to include some of the following activities like dumbbell front raise, lateral raise, face pull, and all the other exercises that you perform daily. After completing these exercises, you will notice that your shoulder muscles develop quite quickly compared to other areas of your body.