Monday, December 22, 2008

Free Muscle Building Workouts, Shoulders

By Ricardo d Argence

One important part of bodybuilding is the development of the shoulders. You will look great just standing there, and you will look even better when you strike a double-back bicep pose. 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.

To the back, side, or front of the humerus, the deep rotator cuff muscles connect several parts of the thoracic region. 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 section of the shoulder is the location of the medial deltoid, while the anterior deltoid muscle is apparent on the exterior 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.

There are a number of exercises that will effectively build the shoulder area such as the military press, lateral raises, lying lateral raises, the Arnold press, behind the neck press, and bent-over lateral raises. The upright row in addition to bent-over rows will also help you build the shoulder area to magnificent proportions.

The secret to forming huge shoulders is to comprehend the way the shoulder operates and maintain its health. You should do everything possible to avoid injury so you do not hinder your progress in the gym. One of the most common injuries is to the rotator cuff muscles. The rotator cuff is made up of muscles which are not exactly large and strong. So that you don't get injured try doing some band work with your shoulder workout.

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.

While developing the muscles in the shoulder does require some work, bodybuilders agree that the payoff is worth the effort. Everybody's body will develop at a different rate, so experimentation and determination is important. - 15343

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