Sunday, December 21, 2008

Gym Workout Programs for Your Shoulders

By Ricardo d Argence

Shoulder development is very important when you are bodybuilding. A double back bicep pose not only makes you look great while doing it, but it also make you look wonderful while standing erect. If you develop your side deltoids in proportion to the biceps, the arms and biceps look large and well defined.

Your shoulder is composed by the posterior, medial, and anterior deltoid muscles. If you include the entire shoulder girdle, then it also consists of the muscles of the rotator cuff and the upper trapezius.

The deep rotator cuff muscles connect several parts of the thoracic region to the back, side, or front of the humerus. Upper trapezius muscles are the muscles that run from the back of the neck; extend to the medial deltoid, then downward to intersect with the middle trapezius. Going further back on the shoulder, below the lower portion of the upper trapezius, is the posterior deltoid muscle. The outer part of the shoulder is a where the medial deltoid lies, with the anterior deltoid muscle being visible outside of the pectoral muscles.

Either of your shoulders has an individual function when the arm is lifted. The arm is brought forwards, inwards, or rotated by the anterior deltoid. The medial deltoid allows the arm to move away from the side. When the arm is moved back or rotated outwards, the posterior deltoid comes into play. When the scapula is moved upward toward the ears, like shrugging your shoulders, the upper trapezius muscle does the job. Finally, the rotator cuff muscles provide stability to the arm when it is moving and allows the arm to rotate.

To build up the shoulder muscles, exercises such as the military press, Arnold press, lateral raises (bent-over, lying, or standard), and neck/behind-the neck presses, should be performed. Rowing in an upright position as well as while bent over will facilitate building the shoulder area to dramatic size.

Indicative to building massive shoulders is the knowlege of how they work and are kept healthy. Injuries can quickly slam the brakes on any progress you are making, so take extra care to avoid them. One of the most common injuries is to the rotator cuff muscles. Rotator cuff muscles are not particularly large or strong muscles. Try to prevent injuries by including some band work into your shoulder exercises.

In order to reduce the risk of injury double check that you're using the proper weights. You should be able to have control of the weight through the entire movement. If you can't do a complete set of repetitions, or you have to adjust the position of the weight, then you need to lower the weight. Using too much weight puts too much stress on the shoulder and is likely to cause injury. The success to this is all in you using the proper technique using the full range of motion, prior to increasing the weight.

Although building up shoulder muscles takes a bit of effort, bodybuilders concur that the result justifies the work involved. Because each body grows at its own rate, research and patience are vital. - 16650

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