How To Build Stronger Shoulders

10:02am - August 8, 2013

How To Build Stronger Shoulders

When you are busy hitting the weights at the local gym or performing cardio at home, it’s easy to overlook the shoulder muscles. After all, not many workouts target this area, so how are you supposed to build them?  With a little bit of hard work and dedication, you can in fact build stronger, bigger shoulder muscles. Taking the time to work on the area of your body will better define both your upper chest and back, creating the appearance of a more tone figure. If you are still scratching your head trying to find ways to build shoulder muscles, keep reading.

Standing Dumbbell Overhead Press

One of the easiest shoulder workouts is a basic standing dumbbell overhead press. As long as you have a couple of moderately heavy dumbbells laying around your home, you can perform this workout without the need for a gym. To perform it, stand up straight while holding a dumbbell in each hand. Next, raise your arms over your head while bending them just slightly and lower them back down to shoulder height. Continue doing this until you’ve performed about 3 sets of 10 reps each and rest.

Pull-Ups

Arguably, the single most effective shoulder workout is pull-ups. Lifting your body weight on a pull-up bar forces the shoulder muscles to tighten; thus, giving you a beneficial workout. Even if you can only perform a couple pull-ups in a session, you should continue to focus on this type of workout. There are even pull-up bars available which fit into the frame of standard door. Simply slide it into a door of your home and you have an instant shoulder-muscle building tool.

It’s important to note that pull-ups are significantly more beneficial for shoulder muscles than chin-ups. Some people may want to take the easy way out by performing chin-ups, but you won’t gain the same benefit from them. Stick with proper-form pull-ups and remember to lift your body all the way up so your chin goes over the bar before lowering back down.

Cable Rows

You can also build stronger shoulder muscles by performing cable rows. Most people don’t have a cable row machine in their home, so you’ll likely need a gym membership to access one. However, cable rows are a fun alternative workout that will give you a break form the monotonous daily exercise routine. Just remember to continue increasing the tension so your muscles continue to grow and don’t suffer from the dreaded “plateau.”