No one can be considered to have a great physique without having built up some great shoulder muscles. Knowing how to build shoulder muscles safely is important. One of the concerns that often arise when attempting to build up shoulder muscles is injury. The shoulder is a lot like the hip; a ball and joint assembly. It is, however, not nearly as robust and strong. Because of its relative fragility, it's important to build up the associated shoulder muscles using the proper techniques. Always stretch before you begin to perform your routine for building shoulder muscle, and always practice good form to minimize the possibility of incurring an injury. To build impressive and strong shoulders is a matter of focusing upon the major shoulder muscles: the trapezius (also called trap), the deltoid (delt to some), and the rotator cuff.
Working the Trapezius
Your shoulder blades have a wide range of motion: retraction, elevation, and rotation which are all made possible by the trapezius. Adding mass to this muscle involves shrugs - yes, shrugs. When building shoulder muscle in the trapezius, you use the same muscles you'd use to indicate "beats me" to a question to which you don't know the answer, but you do it intentionally. Don't circle the shoulders. Shrug them up as high as you can and hold them at that level for a few seconds and then let them fall slowly. A more advanced form or shrug is called the overhead shrug. This is performed by holding a barbell with your arms extended straight up over your head, and then lifting up your shoulders toward your ears.
Working the Deltoids
The deltoid moves the arms away from your body. It moves them from toward the front, the back, and the sides. The deltoid muscle wraps all around the shoulder joint. Building big shoulder muscles must include attention to the deltoids. Deltoids add a definite aesthetic advantage to the shoulders by providing a clear definition between the arm and the shoulder. The best exercises that are used to create and enhance this definition between arm and shoulder are shoulder presses and arm raises. Presses provide the muscle bulk, while raises provide the definition.
Some people perform shoulder presses behind the neck to build up shoulder muscle. It is not advised generally because the risk of injury is high. Performing shoulder presses while standing is the best and safest way to do this exercise. It's not important to use heavy weights when doing arm raises as they are designed to focus only upon definition. Since arm raises are used to develop three separate areas of the deltoids, a set of front, back, and side arm raises should be done either on an arm raise machine or with dumbbells.
The Rotator Cuff
It's important to know how to build shoulder muscles safely, especially when exercising the rotator cuff. It carries the burden of stabilizing the shoulder and, unfortunately, it is historically prone to injury. Always perform the rotator cuff exercises at the end of your shoulder workout routine. It's best to use light weights and sets of external and internal rotation to ensure that you properly tone and strengthen this muscle.
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