So you have been killing yourself at the gym and at home as well, have you? Spending hours on weight machines and cable shoulder exercises, bulky weights and resistance bands. Somehow, especially for women, the shoulders always remain a hard spot to tone.
Fear no more. As a fitness expert, I have put together a tried-and-true, quick and easy shoulder exercise programme that will hit all the muscles of your shoulders and get you into shape in no time at all. The great thing about this shoulder exercise programme is that it hits all the major muscles in your shoulders, making sure that you get that sexy form from all angles, no matter what clothes you're wearing.
But here's the best news still -- you don't even need any gym membership or special equipment for these shoulder exercises. You can do just as well using a couple of water bottles from your kitchen, or light dumbbells if you have those. So why wait when we can be toning up in a matter of seconds?
For these quick and easy shoulder exercises, you will need to have either two light dumbbells (one - two kilograms each) or two filled up water bottles (1 - 1.5 litres). Alternately, you can use tin cans filled with sand or pebbles, whatever is convenient.
Before we begin, remember, I will keep asking you to keep a neutral positionwhen doing these exercises.
What is a neutral position? Well, it is to stand with your feet facing forward hip-width apart, knees positioned above your heels, level pelvis, tummy tucked in tight, chest lifted, shoulders relaxed back and chin tucked in. Read these words again, get off your chair and try doing what I have just said. See? It's dead simple!
Now every time I say "come into a neutral position", I want you to adopt the above, okay? Let's get going then!
Make sure you have enough space around you to stand comfortably without hindrance, and perform these shoulder exercises back-to-back without any major pauses. Check out the images below to see exactly what these shoulder exercises looks like.
- Front raise (target: front of shoulders): Come into a neutral position holding a dumbbell/ water bottle in each hand. Bring your arms in front of your body to rest atop your thighs. With your elbows outstretched (but not locked), slowly raise both dumbells to just above shoulder level in front of you. Slowly return to start position. Repeat 12 - 15 times and then immediately move on to shoulder exercise 2.
- Shoulder press (target: middle of shoulders): Come into a neutral position holding a dumbbell/ water bottle in each hand. Flex your elbows, bringing the dumbbell to rest next to your shoulder, palms facing forward. Raise your arms vertically above the head, bringing the dumbbells together above. Slowly return back to shoulder level. Repeat 12 - 15 times and then immediately move on to shoulder exercise 2.
- Bent over row (target: back of shoulders): Come into a neutral position holding a dumbbell/ water bottle in each hand. Soften the knees and bend slightly forward at the hip, keeping the back straight at all times. Hold the dumbbells down in front of your body, palms facing the thighs.In one smooth motion, flex your elbows and push your shoulders back, squeezing the shoulder blades together and "rowing" the dumbbells to the sides of the middle of your tummy. Return the bells back downwards in front of your body. Keep the motion slow and controlled at all times. Repeat 12 - 15 times and then immediately move on to shoulder exercise four.
- Lateral raise (target: middle of shoulder): Come into a neutral position holding a dumbbell/ water bottle in each hand down by the sides of your body. Raise both arms to either side of your body, forming a T-shape. The dumbbells rise to shoulder level. Return slowly to start position. Repeat 12 - 15 times.
Take a breather, shrug out your shoulders and perform this shoulder exercise programme one more time back-to-back. At the end, stretch out your shoulders really well.
Notes
- Do these exercises 2 to 3 times a week
- Make every rep count! Perform every shoulder exercise in a slow and controlled motion
- Remember to keep drinking plenty of water whenever you feel thirsty.
- Be consistent in your shoulder exercises; don't slack!
- Ask a friend to exercise with you; it's much more fun doing it with someone else.
You will see the results much faster than ever before. Happy training!
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