How To Exercise Your Shoulders Using Free Weights
Learn how to use dumbbells and barbells to help shape and tone your shoulders. With our easy to follow guide you can see the results if you workout every other day for just one month.
Exercise 1, Military press.
Step 1: Start position
Begin by positioning yourself sitting on a bench with the back upright. Hold a barbell and place your hands wider than your shoulders with the bar behind your neck.
Step 2: Lowering and lifting
Extend your arms by pressing the bar above your head until your arms are extended but not locked at the elbow joint.
Lower your hands back to the start position to complete one repetition.
It's important not to fully extend or lock out your arms at the elbow joint. This puts pressure on the joint instead of the muscle.
Step 3: Breathing
For this exercise, whilst you lower your arms you need to breathe in through your nose.
And then when you lift your hands up you need to breathe out through your mouth.
Once you are familiar with the movements perform 10 repetitions of this exercise.
Exercise 2, Dumbbell press
Step 1: Start position
Sit on the bench with the back upright. Hold the dumbbells with your hands on your shoulders.
Step 2: Lowering and lifting
Extend your arms upwards lifting the dumbbells above your head. Ensure your fingers face forward and your hands are tilted slightly inward.
Lower your hand back to the start position to complete one repetition.
Once again be careful not to fully extend your arms at the elbow joint.
Step 3: Breathing
The breathing for this exercise is the same as in exercise 1. Try to keep your breathing in time with your movements.
Once you are familiar with the movements perform 10 repetitions of this exercise.
Exercise 3, Shoulder shrugs
Step 1: Start position
Stand with your legs shoulder width apart and your body upright.
Hold the dumbbells with your hands down the side of your body, fully extended.
Step 2: Lifting and lowering
Raise your shoulders upwards as far as they can go whilst keeping your arms extended
Lower your shoulders and the dumbbells back to the start position to complete one repetition.
Step 3: Breathing
The breathing is exactly the same as the previous exercises. Breathe in when lowering your arms and breathing out when lifting your arms up.
Once you are familiar with the movements perform 10 repetitions.
Remember that doing this exercise every other day for a just a month can really help to shape and firm your shoulders.
