Shoulder and arm strength are key components of sports like football, mixed martial arts and baseball, as well as professions like painting, carpentry and landscaping. If your shoulders and arms are weak and you want to strengthen them, perform exercises that include all the major muscles in these areas. This includes the trapezius, deltoids, triceps and biceps.
Rows and Shrugs
The traps are found at the top of the back and they wrap around the collar bones to the front of the body. Upright rows and shrugs work this muscle with the weight of dumbbells or a barbell. To do upright rows, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hold dumbbells in front of your thighs and lift them up to your chin. Slowly lower the weights and repeat. To do shrugs, hold dumbbells at your sides, lift your shoulders as high as possible and lower them back down.
Raises
Front raises, lateral raises and reverse flies work the anterior, medial and posterior deltoids, which give the shoulders roundness. All three variations require the use of dumbbells. To do front raises, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the weights at your sides. Steadily lift them straight in front of your body in an arcing motion, lower them down and repeat. Perform lateral raises the same way, except move your arms up at your sides. To do reverse flies, place your feet close together, bend forward until your back is right above your thighs and lift the weights up to your sides.
With each exercise, get your arms parallel to the floor when you raise the weights and pause for a second at the top of the movement.
Internal and External Rotations
Strengthening the rotator cuff muscles can go a long way in preventing a shoulder injury. The rotator cuff muscles include the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis. Internal and external rotations strengthen these tiny muscles and they can be performed with resistance bands. With one end of the band attached to a doorknob, stand with your right shoulder facing the door. To do internal rotations, grasp the band with your right hand, bend your elbow 90 degrees and place your upper arm tight against your side. Your lower arm should be out at a slight angle at this point. Keeping your upper arm still, rotate your lower arm across the front of your body, move it back out and repeat.
To do an external rotation, stay in the same starting position as internal rotations, but grasp the band with your left hand. Keeping your elbow bent 90 degrees and upper arm tight to your side, rotate your lower arm out and back in.
Close-Grip Push-Ups
Close-grip push-ups work the triceps, which are found on the back part of the upper arms. This is the area where loose skin and flab have a tendency to appear. To do close-grip push-ups, get in a standard push-up position, then place your hands 4 to 5 inches apart on the floor, place your feet together and raise your hips to form a straight back. Your arms should be fully extended at this point. Keeping your core tight, lower your chest down toward the floor and push yourself back up. When doing these, keep your arms close to your body.
Bicep Exercises
Chin-ups work the bicep muscles, which are found on the upper, front arms. To do these, grasp a pull-up bar with a shoulder-width, underhand grip, pull yourself up and lower yourself back down. Every time you pull yourself up, try to get your chest to the bar.
Biceps curls work your upper arms with dumbbells. While holding the dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing in, lift them up, twist your wrists and squeeze your biceps for a second. Slowly lower the weights and repeat.
Member Comments