Build Bigger Shoulder Muscles With These Killer Workouts

October 1 2013

Build Bigger Shoulder Muscles With These Killer Workouts

One of the most frequently overlooked muscle groups are the shoulders. When you’re busy focusing on your biceps, triceps, quads and abdominals, it’s easy to forget about your shoulders. And while you may not realize it, shoulder muscles play a key role in the function of ‘other’ nearby muscles. Whether you’re looking to beef up with greater muscle mass, or if you simply want to tone your body, you must incorporate shoulder-targeting workouts into your exercise regime.

Shoulder Workout #1) Pullups

If you needed another reason to install a pullup bar in your home, here’s one: pullups are an excellent shoulder workout that you can perform without any expensive weights or gym equipment. As long as you have a standard bar (some of which are designed to fit in a door frame), you can build killer shoulder muscles. With that said, it’s important to remember that pullups are performed with the palms of your hands facing away from your body. If your palms face towards your body (known as a chin-up), your shoulders won’t receive the same muscle-building benefits.

Shoulder Workout #2) Standing Military Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Standing military dumbbell shoulder presses (bet you can’t say that three times fast!) is another excellent shoulder workout that’s worth performing. And all you need is a pair of heavy dumbbells. To perform them, stand up straight while holding a dumbbell in each hand. Next, lift the dumbbells up to your shoulder with the palms of your hands facing away from your body (the dumbbells should be directly next to your shoulder). Now extend your hands upwards while lifting the dumbbells over your head. Bring your hands back down and repeat these steps.

Shoulder Workout #3) Overhead Squat

The overhead squat is the true definition of a ‘killer’ shoulder workout. As the name suggests, this workout is performed in a similar manner as a traditional squat — the only difference is that you’ll hold the bar over your head rather than behind your back. Performing overhead squats can be dangerous if you don’t follow basic safety practices. For starters, you should never attempt to lift weights without 100% confidence or a spotter.

If you’re looking to perform some overhead squats in the gym, ask someone to spot your for a minute. Ideally, you should dip all the way down until your thighs become parallel with the ground. Lift your body back up and repeat. Do as many reps as physically possible before breaking and moving on to the next workout.