Train Shoulders with Kathie

Shoulders are the muscle group of the week. The shoulder is made up of three heads – the anterior (front delt), medial (side delt), and posterior (rear delt) – and the best shoulder workouts will work all three of them, along with the trapezius muscle in the upper back, for a truly satisfying shoulder session.

Foundational article for strength training is here!

We want to train them according to how they work and we want to touch on each area and keep them in balance.

The shoulders are the icing on the cake in your posture. When they are strong and in balance they pull everything else up and back.

They also balance out the look of the arm. If your shoulders are defined they will make the tricep and bicep pop. Creating a well-defined look of the upper body.

Shoulders are also a common place for injury. There is what is called shoulder impingement. It is very painful and actually takes 3-6 months to heal properly.

Shoulder impingement occurs when the top outer edge of your shoulder blade, called the acromion, rubs against (“impinges on”) or pinches your rotator cuff beneath it, causing pain and irritation. Shoulder impingement can also happen in your rear delt as well.

I had shoulder impingement once. I got it from doing a pec fly with dumbbells and there was no stability for my arms. It took a good 3 months to totally heal. Do not train the shoulder when you have impingement. It will only make it worse.

When your shoulder impinges it hurts to do everything, taking off your shirt, brushing your hair, and even taking a shower. It is best to just not use it. Visit your doctor for more assistance on this.

I just mention shoulder impingement because the shoulder is the second-highest injury in the gym, second only to the knee.

Avoid fly exercises until you have adequate strength.

Here is a list of shoulder exercises for you to incorporate into your workouts.

Posture is everything when strength training. Always make sure you are standing, sitting, or kneeling with good posture.

This helps the muscle do the work it needs to do when exercising and even doing day-to-day activities.

When our posture is off due to injury it can create what I call posture imbalances which can lead to more injury and pain. Always pay attention to your posture.

Your shoulders are the icing on the cake in your posture as I said earlier. We want to hit all 3 angles when performing shoulder workouts.

I like to include shoulders with abdominals because the shoulders are such a small muscle group. It is wise to include shoulders with another BIG muscle group like chest, back, or abdominals.

As always it is important to feel the muscle you are working on. It is easy to incorporate other muscle groups to help when training shoulders. Your back, biceps, triceps, and chest will kick in to help if you are not careful.

Actually, the shoulders work when performing chest exercises - anterior and medial. And they work when performing back exercises - exterior and medial. Awareness is key when doing shoulder work and becoming familiar with how it feels to work them.

Always warm up in a dynamic fashion BEFORE training them. And cool down by stretching them in a static fashion when the workout is complete. This also helps prevent injury and soreness.