5 Steps to Shapely Shoulders: Part II

There are key ways to improve upper body strength and develop that shoulder definition you are desiring for functional and physical reasons.

1) Consistently working at those muscle groups. For women, this includes working the upper body 2-3 days a week in some way, shape, or form.  As a trainer, I typically like to change it up and work heavy weights, high volume, gymnastic and bodyweight strengthening, and power movements as part of the combination of series I will use to train my female clients.  This also includes pushing the volume and the weight during these movements. Most women are weak in their upper body and it hurts to push the weights...but it is the only TRUE way to manipulate the shoulder muscles.

2) There are 4 joints in the shoulder, not to mention many ligaments, tendons, and muscles holding it all together. It is a sensitive area that needs to be approached with expertise and proper programming.  In addition, full range of motion needs to be in place for maximum effectiveness, meaning all 4 heads need to be moving and acting efficiently.  For most people, this isn't the case due to bad posture, desk jobs, etc.  The 3 biggest cues I use for shoulder alignment is: sit up tall, scapula retracted (in other words, shoulder down and back), and chin tucked in (NOT jutted out)...and proper warm-up and cool down stretches for the shoulders as well.

Here are some of my favorite shoulder warm-up tips:

How to Relieve Shoulder Pain/Trap Soreness

My #1 Tip for Overhead movements involving the shoulder!