Shoulder Exercises With Weights & Jump Rope

Strength training for your shoulders should also be integrated with the rest of your body because connective tissues (fascia) that surround your muscles and joints connect all your body parts like a giant web. When combined with jump roping, you can maximize calorie expenditure, improve posture, rhythm and muscular endurance.

Kettlebell Front Swings

Swinging a kettlebell requires you to control its momentum and speed by using your hips and legs to produce force and your shoulders and trunk muscles for control. Keep your spine neutral at all times.
Stand with your legs hip-width apart and carry a kettlebell that you can swing in each hand by your side. Use your legs and hips to push against the ground and swing your arms slightly back to generate the initial force. Swing them in front of you with your arms parallel to the ground.
To progress this exercise, swing the kettlebells up until your arms are straight up above your head with the kettlebells flipped over your hands and resting against your forearms and wrists.

Jump Roping

There are several ways you can jump rope to improve speed, agility, coordination and rhythm. Start with a bounce step where you jump rope by keeping your feet together. Land lightly on the balls of your feet and jump high enough to clear the rope. Work up to two jumps per second.
The criss-cross jump is where you cross your arms over each other while doing the bounce step. Try doing it with your left arm over your right and vice versa.
The skier jump is where you hop side to side with your feet together.
The bell jump is where you hop front and back a few inches. The movement should look like the clapper of a bell swinging back and forth.

Shoulder Matrix

This exercise sequence trains you to move in three planes of motion (sagittal, frontal, transverse) while doing shoulder presses. Keep your spine tall throughout the exercises.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your elbows close to your center. Press your right arm above your head, lower the weight and press up with your left in an alternating pattern for six reps on each arm. Keep your spine tall throughout the exercise. If you cannot perform six reps without difficulty, use a lighter weight. If it is too easy, use a heavier weight.
In the second sequence, press your right arm out diagonally up to the side like the letter Y. Repeat the pattern with your left arm for six reps each arm.
The last exercise requires you to turn to your right while pressing up with your right arm. Pivot your hip and right leg as you do so. Return to start position and repeat the pattern on the left side. Alternate left and right sides for six reps total on each side.
You may also do all three exercises without rest between exercises for endurance training. This method will also maximize fat-burning potential and save time in your workouts.