Your upper body muscles can be classified into muscles that push and muscles that pull. Your back and biceps muscles pull resistance toward your body. Your chest, shoulders and triceps push resistance away from your body. The muscle groups work together with the smaller muscles assisting the larger muscles. Strength training workouts using free weights and weight machines increase muscular strength and muscular endurance. Training gains are based on the overload principle -- in order for gains to occur, muscles must exert force beyond a normal workload.
Shoulder and Tricep Muscle Anatomy
Your shoulder muscles consist of the front, side and rear deltoids. Their actions include moving your arms to the side and front and elevating your arms overhead. Your tricep muscles, located in the back of your upper arm, contract to extend, or straighten your elbow. Your shoulder muscles are the larger muscle group and are often assisted by your triceps, a smaller muscle group.
Exercise Selection
Exercises for your shoulders can be classified as compound and isolation. Compound exercises move your shoulder and elbow joints while working your shoulder and tricep muscles together. The shoulders work to move the shoulder joint while the triceps extend the elbow joint. Shoulder isolation exercises only move your shoulder joint while your elbows remain in an extended position. These exercises work primarily your shoulder muscles while your triceps simply keep your elbow straight throughout the movement. Exercises specifically for your triceps are only isolation exercises.
Shoulder Workouts
Shoulder exercises should be performed prior to tricep exercises. Since your tricep muscles assist in compound exercises for your shoulders, they should not be fatigued prior, according to Weight Training Advice. Shoulder workouts should begin with compound exercises such as the overhead shoulder press. The shoulder press can be performed in a standing or a seated position using a barbell or a pair of dumbbells. Pushups are another example of a compound exercise for your shoulders and triceps using your body as resistance. Continue the workout with isolation exercises such as front and side raises, using dumbbells or a cable pulley machine. Complete three to four sets of 10 to 12 repetitions for each exercise.
Triceps Workouts
Exercises for triceps should be completed after shoulder exercises since the triceps have been warmed up while assisting with compound shoulder exercises. Exercises targeting the triceps involve only bending and extending of the elbow joint. Tricep extension exercises can be performed with dumbbells in a seated or standing position or with a cable pulley machine. Complete three to four sets of 10 to 12 repetitions for each exercise.
