Shoulder muscles are extremely important for the entire physical look, especially for men. Men with broad and big shoulders instantly appear more masculine. Strong and big shoulders also add to your looks by making your physical form more proportional with a wider back and in many cases, you’ll look bigger than you really are. Aside from looking better, shoulder muscles are constantly used in everyday life and having stronger shoulder muscles will make your entire life a lot easier. Here are 6 exercises that will help you build bigger and broader shoulders.
- Front Raises
Although it’s a basic exercise it’s really good for developing your shoulders. To do this exercise you are going to need dumbbells in each hand. To start the exercise you need to assume a stance with your feet at hip-width. Raise your arms in front of you while your elbows are just slightly bent as you raise them up till the dumbbells reach the height of your shoulder. Slowly bring them down to the starting position and you’ve done one rep.
- Barbell Upright Row
Another quite simple exercise that engages your shoulders nicely and stimulates their growth. To do the exercise you will need a barbell with weights adjusted to your choice. The execution of the exercise starts in a standing position and gripping the bar overhand at a distance narrower than your shoulder width. At the starting point your arms are fully extended when holding the barbell. From this position, start pulling the barbell up towards your chin while keeping the weights close to your body. Slowly lower the barbell down and you’ve done one rep.
- Overhead Press
One of the best exercises for muscle building is the overhead press. It engages your shoulders fully and stimulates growth and broadening. To do the exercise you are going to need a barbell with weights. The start of the exercise is in a standing position. You need to grip the barbell a bit wider than your shoulder-width and use a narrow grip. Bring the barbell up and rest it on your chest before starting the exercise. From this point raise the barbell up as you move your head out of the way and extend your arms fully upwards to engage your shoulders.
- Incline Lateral Raise
Great isolation exercise that will engage your shoulders to a point that increases growth and strength. To do this exercise you are going to need an incline bench and dumbbells. The exercise is quite simple to execute. You need to sit on the incline bench with dumbbells in your hands resting down by your sides. From this position, raise the dumbbells outward till your arms are parallel to the floor at shoulder height. Control the movement as you bring the dumbbells down to your sides again and you’ve done one rep.
- Incline I’s, Y’s and T’s
An interesting exercise that requires coordination, balance and strength at the same time. It’s excellent for your shoulders as well as your back. To do the exercise you’ll need an incline bench and light dumbbells to start with. The starting position is lying chest-down on the incline bench at 45 degrees incline while your arms are holding the dumbbells and hanging down. Firstly you’ll do the T’s which means you need to raise your arms straight out to the side and afterward return them down to the starting position. Secondly you do the Y’s and raise your arms straight in front of your body to form the letter Y before bringing them down to the starting position. Lastly you do the I’s which means you need to raise your arms as much as you can behind you before bringing the weights down to the side.
- Face Pulls
This is a standard exercise that is extremely effective in engaging your shoulder muscles. To do this exercise you will need to attach the rope to a cable weight machine on the highest pulley. To start the exercise you need to grab the rope and position your arms in a way so that the rope is a few inches above your eyes. Use an overhand grip on the rope and step back till there is tension in the rope. Start pulling the rope making sure your elbows stay parallel to the ground and when pulling aim for your eyebrows to maximize the weight on your shoulders.
