A report from the National Institute of Health (NIH) said, approximately 70% of humans will suffer from a shoulder injury in their lifetime at least once. Fortunately, this is avoidable with the right shoulder workouts.
In this article, we will discuss five great shoulder workouts to enhance the definition. Let’s begin with identifying the shoulder muscles.
Anatomy of the Shoulder Muscles
Before directly moving to a shoulder workout, it is necessary to understand the anatomy of our shoulder muscles and their functioning. There are two major types of muscles in our shoulders: the rotator cuff and deltoids. A rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that stabilize the shoulder joints and are responsible for shoulder movements. These muscles are infraspinatus, supraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. These muscles do not contribute much to the aesthetics and physique of our shoulders.
Deltoids are located on top of our rotator cuffs and provide shape and form to our shoulders. They are also responsible for most shoulder movements. Being the outer part of our shoulder muscles, deltoids form the bulk of our shoulder muscles. Therefore, these are the most engaged muscles during shoulder exercises that build defined shoulders. The three primary muscles in the deltoid are:
1. Front Anterior Delt –Responsible for the forward movement of the arm.
2. Middle or Lateral Delt –Responsible for the side-to-side movement of the arm.
3. Posterior Delt –Responsible for the backward movement of the arm.
Let’s move on to the shoulder exercises.
5 Shoulder Exercises to Enhance Definition
Here, we have listed five great exercises that help improve the definition of our shoulders.
1. Seated Arnold Press
Sit on a bench with an angle slightly less than 90-degree to ensure you are comfortably upright. Place your hands slightly below your chin while holding a dumbbell in each of them, and your palms facing you. Then press both dumbbells overhead and rotate your wrists while you go up until your palms face out. Slowly return to the starting position while rotating your wrists.
2. Reverse Fly
While standing, bend your torso forward to form an angle of 45-degree with the floor. Grab dumbbells with your hands while your palms face each other. Now raise the dumbbells up with elbows slightly bent. Raise them out to the sides till they become parallel to the floor. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades while lifting the weights.
3. Seated Military Press
Sit on a bench and grab a dumbbell in both hands. Raise the weights to shoulder level with your palms facing out, and elbows slightly bent. While you straighten your arms, press those weights up and toward each other. Keep your elbows slightly bent at the top of the movement. Return to the starting position by slowly bringing down the weights.
4. Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart to begin. To maintain a straight back, squeeze your abs and glutes tightly throughout the exercise. Next, hold the dumbbells at shoulder height and press that weight until your arms are fully extended. You can achieve a straight-up position when your arms cover your ears.
5. Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Stand straight and grab dumbbells with your palms facing each other. Maintain a slight bend in your elbows and knees. Then, raise your arms to about shoulder level from your sides in wide arcs. Return to the initial position slowly.
Try to complete 3 to 4 sets of each exercise while maintaining proper posture.
You can include the above shoulder exercises in your workout routine and experience the difference. These exercises will surely enhance the definition of your shoulders.