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December 12, 2021 7 min read
Strong shoulders provide you with the opportunities to perform well in the gym as well as perform any daily functional tasks that involve lifting your arms above your head. Your shoulders may be small in comparison to your back and chest muscles but that doesn't mean we should neglect them.
A study showed that stabilizing the glenohumeral joints can reduce the risk of shoulder injuries while performing repetitive lifting tasks.
In order to improve your shoulder mobility and stability as well as increase those gains in the weight room, we encourage you to continue reading about how to incorporate barbell exercises into your upper body routine to target your shoulder muscles.
Your shoulder muscles allow you to perform a variety of tasks both in the gym and outside of the gym. Weak shoulder muscles can lead to instability and increased chances of injury, which are two things we want to avoid at all costs. Your shoulders are made of several layers including joints, bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Any sort of injury to these layers can decrease your range of motion and make you more susceptible to injury if they are overused, underused or injured.
Not only can injury cause shoulder problems, but degenerative diseases can contribute to pain in the shoulders. It’s important to focus on maintaining your shoulders’ health as it is the most movable joint in the body. By incorporating effective exercises and providing your body with the fuel that it needs to repair it’s muscles, you are setting yourself up for success.
Protein plays a critical role in muscle repair and sometimes, it can be challenging to get enough in right after our workouts.
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Weak shoulders can lead to injuries in the simplest of movements such as opening a drawer or reaching for something on the top shelf. A study showed that risk of shoulder injury increases with age.
Factors such as glenohumeral internal-rotation deficit, imbalances in the rotator cuff, stiffness in the thoracic spine, lack of range of motion in the hips as well as instability in the lumbar core can also contribute to an increased chance of injury.
By taking the time to train and strengthen your shoulder muscles, you decrease the chances of injuries that can hinder your daily tasks as well as muscle gains.
The shoulder is made up of three bones, the collarbone, the shoulder blade and the humerus. The shoulder is the most moveable joint in the body but it is quite unstable due to the fact that the humerus is larger than the socket that holds it in place. Therefore, the muscles, tendons and ligaments hold the bones together. By increasing strength, you increase the rotator cuff's ability to provide mobility and strength to the shoulder joint.
If you would like to work on your shoulder stability and mobility, check out this article on evidence-based shoulder stability exercises.
Besides the mechanical functions of the shoulder muscle, we can never complain about improving our aesthetic. All gym-goers don't mess around when it comes to their shoulder routine since they know how much of an impact their shoulders have on their appearance.
Through a regimented upper body routine, you can attain the shoulders of your dreams. If you're convinced, keep reading on to learn about some of the best shoulder workouts that will target not only your shoulder muscles but also your triceps, trapezius, upper arms and back muscles. Our bodies are complex mechanisms and by strengthening one muscle, you are strengthening a variety of other muscles.
An important thing to note prior to performing any of these exercises is to perform them at your own comfort level. If you would like to start off just with your body weight to ensure you are performing the motion correctly, that is perfectly fine.
If you decide that the barbell is a challenge, especially if you have had previous injuries, go ahead and grab a pair of dumbbells to perform the exercises below. Any exercise is better than no exercises and you will always be one step closer to your muscle gains by putting in the work.
If you decide that you do not enjoy performing this exercise with a barbell, you can attempt to perform a dumbbell front raise which will still target those same shoulder muscles.
Note: It is crucial that you keep your shoulders back and your spine and elbows straight.
Whether you are seeking to build muscle, get bigger or simply change up your workout routine, we highly recommend incorporating more shoulder exercises into your routine to target multiple muscle groups. The rotator cuff muscles are not muscles that you want to neglect as they provide support for the most moveable joint in the entire human body.
To continue working on your upper body strength, check out this article on the best EZ bar exercises for arm strength and size.