6 Moves to Help You Build Strong Shoulders

When you visit the gym, you probably have a list of areas that you want to target on your body. The chances are that you’re craving bigger biceps, a slimmer stomach, and a fantastic set of killer-thighs, yet a lot of us fail to recognize the benefits of stronger shoulders.

While few men actually look forward to a day of working on their shoulders – let’s face it, building such a specific area on your body is tough – neglecting them can be perilous. Broadening your shoulders and building their strength helps to slim your waist and develop the perfect v-shape of fashion models and body-builders.

If you’ve never tried building up your shoulders before, you might even discover that you earn gains quicker than you would elsewhere, because your muscles will be so shocked by the sudden workout.

In the following, we’ll cover just a few helpful moves to get you started.

1. Standing Barbell Press

This staple for building stronger shoulders is also a poignant exercise for working out your entire body – meaning that it’s fantastic for those of you who want to build additional mass. With a standing press, all you need to do is grab a barbell and hold it up around your shoulders, palms facing forwards. Keeping your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly to initiate the start of the move, and push the barbell straight over your head, before returning to the starting position.

You do not have to go to the gym either. How many people have a spare bedroom in their home? Why is that bed in their that no one uses? Take that bed out, put in a bench and buy some free weights. Put up a flat screen ? now you can work out while watching a movie such as Transformers, and old 24 episode, or a sporting event. Now you have made more use out of your own home as well!

2. Seated Dumbbell Press

Once you’re done with the barbell, why not move onto a set of dumbbells instead? These are fantastic for a comprehensive workout that helps to build muscles throughout your arms, shoulders, and back. To perform a seated dumbbell press, start by sitting on a bench, holding two dumbbells up to your shoulders in an overhand grip. Move the weights up and over your head until your arms are properly extended, then return carefully to the starting position.

3. Arnold Press

Named after the predator-killing powerhouse himself, this exercise is a fabulous way to tone your shoulders and fill out that much-wanted V-shape. Stay seated on your bench with your pair of dumbbells held in front of your body. Your palms should be facing up to your shoulders, as though you’re performing a bicep curl. Lift the dumbbell up and over your head as you rotate your arms until your palms are fully facing away from you, then straighten your arms and reverse the movement.

4. Lateral Raise

The whole point of this exercise is to take it slow. The slower you go, the more pressure you’re putting your shoulders under, and the better your results will be. Most of the time, lateral raises are best performed with lighter weights, so you can do an increased amount of reps. Start with a couple of dumbbells held at your sides, palms facing in towards your body.

Keeping the top half of your body as still as possible, lift your dumbbells out to the sides while bending your elbows very slightly. You should continue your lift until your arms are parallel with the floor, then slowly lower them back into the starting position.

5. Bent Over Reverse Fly

A variation on the lateral raise we just addressed above, this is an exercise designed to push you exactly where it counts, working on both your back and shoulders at the same time. This is a marvelous move for targeting the posterior deltoid, located at the back of your shoulders.

To start, sit down and lean forwards with a dumbbell in either hand. Your weights should be resting just above your feet, and you’ll need to stay bending forwards as you raise your arms out to the sides, lining the dumbbells up with your shoulders. Pause for a moment, then slowly bring the weights back down.

You do not have to work out that long to be fit and strong. You do not have to be Dwayne Johnson, no one is saying you should be like that. How many people are? Not too many! But there is nothing wrong with being a little fit and a little toned up.

6. Front Raises

Finally, if you want to put a little more focus into your anterior delts (the muscles at the front of your shoulders) this exercise should help. Again, using a low weight with a high number of reps is a good way to maintain form. Start by holding the end of a dumbbell with both of your hands, so that it hangs between your legs. Lift the dumbbell up above your head, keeping your arms extended, then lower it carefully back down to repeat.

You are good to go!