Building in the time to your workout schedule can help grow and strengthen your shoulder muscles. It is possible to create a very athletic appearance and improve posture by having upper body muscles.
Not all of the best workouts for arms engage your shoulders, so don’t just rely on your usual bicep curls to improve the strength and muscle in your shoulders.
Instead, fitness trainer Lisa Lanceford (opens in new tab) demonstrates five resistance exercises specially designed to grow your shoulders and create a more defined upper body. The routine uses a mix of gym equipment including dumbbells and machines.
If you prefer to train at home or still want to use these moves when you aren’t using your usual equipment, you’re not going to have to worry. One of the best resistance bands has been used to provide alternative versions of each move by Lanceford. The tube style of band has two handles.
Watch Lisa Lanceford’s Five-Move Shoulder Workout
Neither versions of the exercises, weighted or banded, are too advanced for beginners to pick up. You will just want to ensure that you adopt the correct form by watching Lanceford’s demonstrations. Poor form is inefficient for reaching your goals and it can lead to injury.
If these shoulder-based moves are new to you, then start light with whatever form of resistance you choose to train with. If you are completing the banded version of this routine, begin with a light resistance band.
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If you use machines, start with a lighter load. If you feel confident and like your muscles can handle more, then you can adopt progressive overload. This is a good way to increase muscle strength.
To complete Lanceford’s shoulder building workout, you’ll need to do all the exercises listed below.
- Alternate shoulders press 4 sets x 12 reps
- Single arm incline lateral raise 4 sets x 12 reps
- Alternating front raise with hold 4 sets x 15 reps
- Front raise variation 4 sets x 12 reps
- Incline dumbbell front raise 4 sets x 12 reps
Science supports Lanceford’s choice of exercises to increase shoulder muscle gains. When compared to other exercises like the bench press and dumbbell fly, shoulder press andlateral raise exercises resulted in a higher level of muscle activation in the deltoids.
Your gains in the upper body don’t have to end here. If you practice the same routine over and over again, it can become unmotivating and you might reach a point where you don’t want to do it anymore. This is an alternative shoulder dumbbell workout when this happens. You can give these shoulder exercises a try if you want to get away from the weights.