Shoulder Workout: Try It!

What are the most flexible joints in the human body? If you guessed shoulder joints, you’re correct. In my opinion, they’re the most used muscle group in the upper body, so they deserve a great shoulder workout.

Shoulders are amazing! They’re able to go through almost 360 degrees of rotation, and let’s be honest: thick boulder-like shoulders look amazing on stage. Shoulders are the foundation of a good V-taper, which is a look all competitors strive to achieve. They’re my favorite body part to train other than legs.

I love training them so much that I recently found myself writing up a great training routine to challenge myself with each week. My goal was to finish the same shoulder workout in less time and with heavier weight each week. If you’re up for a challenge, try the routine below twice per week. Remember to make sure to reduce the rest time between sets each week until you’re down to just 15 seconds of rest between sets.

Shoulder dislocations with light resistance band (warm up)
3 x 20*

Doing cardio before lifting weights is a great start to warming up, but it’s not enough to keep you from getting injured. I like to prepare the muscles and the joints more directly for the heavy lifting with light resistance bands to target whatever body part I’m training.

Seated underhand shoulder press with EZ-Curl bar
5 x 15*

An underhand grip on shoulder presses helps to target the front delts and upper chest. I like this movement because I don’t need to focus on any other chest training.

Single-arm cable lateral raises
4 x 15*

I love training with dumbbells, but make sure to switch things up with cables as a way to keep my delts under more constant tension. With this exercises, form is more important than weight.

Single-arm rear delt cable fly
4 x 15*

Single-arm exercises are perfect for those who struggle with a dominant right or left side. I also like to add static holds for 5-10 seconds for an additional burn at the end.

*Start with 30 seconds of rest between sets and work down each week until you reach 15 seconds of rest between sets.

Try this shoulder workout and let me know what you think,

Candice Lewis-Carter