What are the most effective exercises for my shoulders?

[KyCobra97]

My shoulders are kinda dinky; gimme some ways to fix it :)

[BagNDragS10]

military press using dumbells always worked for me. I miss my shoulders being huge, i need to go back to da gym.

[SK12879]

Anything involving moving alot of weight over your head. Overhead squats, military press, push press, clean and jerk (will involve the traps, filling out your shoulders beautifully), and even plain ol' bench press (a little...mostly tris and chest though).

[ElektrikheadX]

try some shrugs, i do these:

http://www.exrx.net/AnimatedEx/TrapeziusUpper/DBShrug.gif

put alot of weight on there.. i do 55-60lbs, and you will feel it for sure, maybe even the next day.

[SK12879]

Or just do a full on hang or power clean which involves a much more powerful shrug to get the weight moving. :D

[Teh Ric]

I have pretty much the same shoulder build kyle has I think. I sorta lost some of mine on the crossfit thing though, i'm thinking about throwing some old weight movements back in the mix.

Barbell chin pull. Hands about 1' apart on the bar, lift the bar all the way up to your chin, upper arms should make a perfect horizon at the top.

Lateral raises. Arms straight, raise dumbells straight out till your arms are horizontal.

Lean over and do lateral raises too for the back/traps.

Can also vary the raises to front angles.

Boxing and hitting a heavy bag also highly develops shoulders.

[ElektrikheadX]

heavy bag == ric

[cnichols]

try some shrugs, i do these:

http://www.exrx.net/AnimatedEx/TrapeziusUpper/DBShrug.gif

put alot of weight on there.. i do 55-60lbs, and you will feel it for sure, maybe even the next day.


These are for your traps as the link indicates...not really your shoulders (deltoid muscles), but I always worked them on the same day.

Lateral raises will work the front of your shoulders and something I always liked.

Bent over raises will work your rear delts...very often neglected but necessary for good overall shoulder development...I see this all the time (guys shoulders look like they just blend into their back).

Dumbells are good! I never use the bar for shoulder exercises.

Military is probably best for overall development. Also try dumbell flys.

[ElektrikheadX]

well.. you'd look kinda funny with built deltoids and un-built traps... The exercises kind of go hand in hand :p

[cnichols]

Agreed...just pointing out what muscle was actually being worked in case he didn't know.

[ElektrikheadX]

I know, I was just giving a hard time. :D

Kyle might be superbadass soon... scurry

[Teh Ric]

Kyle might be superbadass soon... scurry

HAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHA AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH HAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHA AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH HAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHA AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH .

[KyCobra97]

HAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHA AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH HAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHA AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH HAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHA AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH .

You're scurred, we can all see thru it. Sissy queer.

[3demented]

According to Men's Health, these will help build "perfect" shoulders:

Military Press
Dumbell Press
Side Raises (dumbell, cable)
Front Raises (barbell, dumbell, cable)
Bent-over raise
Lying Incline Bench Raise

Edit: I wouldn't start out too heavy unless you want to end up with a scar on your shoulder from surgery.

[KyCobra97]

According to Men's Health, these will help build "perfect" shoulders:

Military Press
Dumbell Press
Side Raises (dumbell, cable)
Front Raises (barbell, dumbell, cable)
Bent-over raise
Lying Incline Bench Raise

Edit: I wouldn't start out too heavy unless you want to end up with a scar on your shoulder from surgery.

While I will admit that isnt bad advice, please refrain from ever posting any kind of 'fitness' excerpt from men's health evAr again. Mags in most cases = completely and totally wrong.

And I'm not a stranger to weight lifting, been at it for almost a year, maybe more, now.

[SK12879]

Kyle, Men's Health isn't a bodybuilding magazine. They are catching up with the times and finally recommending interval training over distance running, and SOME of the proper types of exercises (i.e. not curls). Those are just a couple examples where they are starting to catch up to modern fitness advice. Don't dismiss everything as being "magazine advice". I also wouldn't claim that being at something for a year makes you an expert. :D

They also have some damn good recipes sometimes.

[KyCobra97]

Kyle, Men's Health isn't a bodybuilding magazine. They are catching up with the times and finally recommending interval training over distance running, and SOME of the proper types of exercises (i.e. not curls). Those are just a couple examples where they are starting to catch up to modern fitness advice. Don't dismiss everything as being "magazine advice". I also wouldn't claim that being at something for a year makes you an expert. :D

They also have some damn good recipes sometimes.

Not claiming expertise by any means scott, just saying i'm not a rookie. I dont read mens health so I figured it was a bodybuilding mag and as i'm sure you know, each mag has a supplement company backing them and due to that fail to produce un-bias reccomendations etc. I tend to dismiss magazine advice, but I guess I'll take it with a grain of salt.

[SK12879]

Not each mag.... ;) This is the company that owns and produces Men's Health - Rodale (http://www.rodale.com/), owned by these people: Rodale Institute (http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/home.html). Men's Health still relies too much on bodybuilding exercises, but they are progressing.

For instance: the latest issue has workouts for each decade of your life (20's, 30's, etc). For the 20's, they tell you to concentrate on building the pretty muscle by doing bodybuilding, then in the 30's to build functional muscle (in those words) by doing compound exercises....now if that doesn't sound ass backwards. Why not build functional muscle when your body has the testosterone levels to produce it and work on maintaining much easier in your 30's? But I digress....

[JESUS_Rodriguez]

And I'm not a stranger to weight lifting, been at it for almost a year, maybe more, now.


It sure doesnt show. :Ohnoes:

[3demented]

I've been working out for over 10 years and the advice in Men's Health isn't that bad. Just like any magazine, the articles start contridicting themselves after a while. Take the pieces that work and throw out the rest.

[KyCobra97]

It sure doesnt show. :Ohnoes:

Probably because I've lost weight, kinda hard to tell a difference in geting 'bigger' when technically I've actually gotten smaller since I droped 50lbs.

[Teh Ric]

LIES!