Properly designed shoulder exercises can help you get toned shoulders. These exercises can also help improve your posture. Continue reading this FitnessVigil article, as it describes easy shoulder exercises for women. The exercises don’t require a lot of equipment.
The shoulder is often the site for many injuries, in men as well as women. The worst part is that women have a weaker upper body as compared to their male counterparts. To gain strength in the upper body, these shoulder exercises for women will be of great help. The following workout can be performed in the gym as well as at home, as all that you need to have is either a pair of dumbbells or a barbell.
Best Shoulder Exercises
✦ Lateral Raises: Either use dumbbells or bottles filled with water. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold the dumbbells in both your hands. Now slowly lift your hands side ways without bending your elbows. Your hands should come up to shoulder level. Make sure your wrists are facing the ground, and your body resembles a ‘T’. Slowly bring your hands down. Perform 1 set of 15 repetitions. After you are comfortable, you can increase the number of sets.
✦ Shoulder Press: Similar to shoulder presses with the machine, you can also do shoulder presses with free weights as well. You will need dumbbells for this exercise. Like the other two exercises mentioned above, this is also one of the shoulder workouts at home. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart. Hold the dumbbells in your hands. Bend your arms at the elbows, so that the dumbbells are at shoulder height. Straighten your hands up in the air, but do not lock your elbows. Come back to your original position. 1 set should consist of 15 repetitions.
✦ Dumbbell Shrugs: Hold a pair of dumbbells in each hand. Maintain a shoulder width distance between both legs. Your hands should face each other. Now raise your shoulders so that your ears touch your shoulders. Make sure your hands are straight. Hold this position for a few seconds. Repeat this exercise 15 times.
✦ Upright Rowing: This exercise can be done using dumbbells or a barbell. The method of performing the exercise is the same for both of them. Stand with shoulder width distance between your feet. Hold the dumbbells or the barbell in your hands. Let your fists face your thighs. Lift your hands to your chest level, and bend your elbows. Now go back to the starting position. You can start with 1 set of 15 repetitions, and then increase the number of sets.
✦ Barbell Press I: This exercise is similar to the shoulder press, however, you will use a barbell to perform this exercise. Sit at the edge of a bench with a barbell in your hand. Lift the barbell to your chest level. Remember to keep your chest high. The back should also be straight. Now slowly raise the barbell above your head. Hold this position for a couple of seconds. Then slowly get your hands to your original position. This shoulder exercise for girls can also be performed standing, using a dumbbell.
✦ Barbell Press II: This barbell press should be performed behind the neck. This exercise is one of the best shoulder workouts for women. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Now place the barbell on your shoulders. Hold the barbell at least 4-6 inches wider than your shoulders. Raise the barbell up in the air. Slowly lower the barbell, and get it back to its original position. A set should consist of 15 repetitions.
These exercises are one of the simplest exercise routines for women. Sometimes, doctors prescribe certain exercises to get rid of shoulder pain, that may arise either out of a stressful activity or due to clinical reasons. While performing those exercises for pain relief, you should follow the instructions of your doctor religiously.
We hope these shoulder exercises for women help you to attain your goal of well toned shoulders and an upright posture. The exercises have the added advantage of being very convenient to perform, as they require very simple equipment. They are a great help to women, who want to correct a stooping posture as well as being moderately fit.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is solely for educating the reader. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a medical expert.
