Shoulder workout is one of the most important. You should never miss the shoulder workout especially when you workout at home. Shoulder muscle, also known as deltoid muscle, is the prime mover of the arm. Shoulder is an antagonist muscle of the pectoralis major (chest) and latissimus dorsi (back). It’s very common and easy to injure the shoulder muscle. I’ve been injured number of times, and I learned to be careful when working out the shoulders. One of the ways of preventing injury to the shoulder is building muscles.
The equipment you will need for the shoulder workout at home is really simple. Dumbbells, or something heavy, that will have handles as a 3, 5 gallon bottle of water. You can also use a barbell for some of the exercise if available.
Always start your workout with a good warm up. The first, basic and most important exercise for shoulder is Dumbbell press.
Dumbbell press:
Dumbbell press is the exercise that targets best the whole shoulder. Sit on a chair with back support, and hold two dumbbells (water bottle) in front of you at about upper chest level with your palms elbows facing away from the body. Now, to perform the movement, raise the dumbbells (water bottle), and continue lifting the until your arms are extended above you in straight arm position. Breathe out as you perform this portion of the movement. After a second pause at the top, begin to lower the dumbbells (water bottle) to the original position as you breathe in.
Some people may like the Arnold dumbbell press better,
which can be use as alternative exercise. I think that Arnold dumbbell press is more safe and gives just a little bit of extra pump. The difference between the two is in the starting position. Arnold dumbbell press starts from holding the dumbbells (water bottle) in front of you in about upper chest level with your palms facing your body and elbows bent with the arms next to the torso. The starting position should look like the contracted portion of a dumbbell curl. 4 sets and 8 to 12reps. are perfect for that exercise.
You can also use barbell to perform Seated Barbell Military Press. Use the same technique as the dumbbell press.
Power partials:
Use dumbbell (water bottle) on each hand being held at arms length. The elbows and palms should be close to the torso and facing it. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart. This will be your starting position. Lift the weights out to your sides until they are about shoulder level height while exhaling. Feel the contraction for a second and begin to lower the weights back down to the starting position while inhaling. You ca perform the exercise while sitting down in a chair for more back support. 3 sets with 10-12 rep.
Front two-dumbbell(water bottle)\alternating hands raise:
You can perform the exercise with raising both hands, or one repetition with the right arm and then one with the left. No matter which way you will choose you should pick a couple of dumbbells (water bottles) and stand with a straight torso and the dumbbells (water bottles) in front of your thighs at arms length with the palms facing your thighs. While maintaining the torso stationary (no swinging), lift the dumbbells to the front with a slight bend on the elbow and the palms of the hands always facing down. Exhale as you execute this portion of the movement, and pause for a second at the top. As you inhale lower the dumbbells back down slowly to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 10-12rep.
Upright row:
Use a dumbbells (water bottles) or barbell.
Grab the dumbbells and stand up straight with your arm extended in front of you with a slight bend at the elbows and your back straight. This will be your starting position. Use your side shoulders to lift the dumbbell as you exhale. The dumbbell should be close to the body as you move it up. Continue to lift it until the dumbbell is nearly in line with your chin. Lower the dumbbell back down slowly to the starting position and inhale. If using barbell make sure to hold with close grip – a thumb distance one from another.
Exercise your shoulder muscles at least once a week separately or together with your abs and legs exercises. You need to be patient and persistent if you want the shoulder workout at home that will pay back .