strength exercise, upper shoulders, fitness, avoiding injuries The 8 best exercises to strengthen your shoulders and avoid injuries. Image:Instagram/@freeletics
When we talk about strengthening the shoulders, we immediately think of fairly classic fitness exercises such as the bench press or lateral raises. These movements are often favored by those who want to get a well-shaped back and gain muscle mass. But many other movements exist to solicit the shoulder and keep this complex joint - made up of the scapula, the clavicle and the humerus - in good health.
We asked Nicolas Veret, manager of the Workshop Gymnasium Paris gym , to concoct a small specific session for the upper body and shoulders, in order to have a more precise idea of how to work this part of the body well, to improve the stability of this joint, but also the power of the muscles that surround it, and by extension, if this is what you are looking for, aesthetics.
Whether you are a great athlete who aims to develop your shoulders because your sport requires it (tennis, boxing, golf, etc.) or whether you simply aim to regain movement in a part of your body that is little or not used during (RIP to your shoulders if you're stuck in front of a computer all day), the following exercises to build shoulder muscles are for you.
3 exercises to properly warm up your shoulders
First important point: you always start with a few activation movements to warm up your shoulders. Nicolas Veret indeed insists on the importance of mobility or the beginning of training to avoid injuries on the one hand and on the other hand to ensure quality movements when it comes to adding weights. “It is first a question of seeking large amplitudes in a controlled way and then transcribing it actively in our movements through sports practice.”
The pumps
For example, the coach suggests starting his session with modified push-ups . In the plank position on your hands, you will keep your arms straight and only mobilize the shoulder blades, seeking the most amplitude in your movement. As you descend, your shoulder blades spread apart and your upper back arches.
When you come back up, your shoulder blades come together and your back rounds out. If you find little amplitude, or the exercise seems too difficult, you can perform the same movement in plank position on your forearms.
The Swimmer Hover
This second exercise is performed lying on your stomach. You take off your two arms above your head forwards while keeping the rest of the body on the ground (chest, pelvis and legs included). Your palms are looking at the floor.
With your arms, you will draw a circle as wide as possible backwards by rotating your shoulders. At the end of the movement, your hands end up on your lower back with your palms facing the sky. This exercise allows in particular to activate the rotator cuff.
Prone TYIW
Keep the same position - on your stomach - for this 4-in-1 exercise. This is also about taking off the arms from the ground. Clench your fists and keep your thumbs up. Start by raising your arms on the sides to form a “T”, then gradually bring them forward by positioning them in a “Y” in a second step.
Continue the movement to bring your arms forward along your ears. You understood, you are in “I”. Finally, bend your arms, spreading your elbows to finish in a “W”. Repeat the movement a few times. That should get your shoulders warmed up pretty quickly.
One-Arm Kettlebell Strict Press
For this exercise, which does not seem so complicated but nevertheless requires good technique, you need a kettlebell. You grab it with one hand making sure you hold it tight - your hand grips the handle slightly diagonally so the weight rests on your forearm without impeding your movement.
Your basic position is as follows: your arm is bent at about 45 degrees and extended a few centimeters outward so as not to touch your ribs. It's then just a matter of squeezing the load 90 degrees and then overhead.
Start with a light load if you are not used to this movement. If you can't fully extend your arm, keep your elbow slightly bent to avoid losing your balance or putting too much strain on your lower back, for example.
TRX Inverted Row
The TRX is one of the pieces of equipment you should use more often, whether it's to work on your abs, your pecs, or the stability and power of your shoulders. In this case, it is a question of making prints.
To do this, grab a handful in each hand and step your feet forward to find tension in the straps. Your body forms a straight line from head to toe. By contracting your abs and glutes, you will pull the straps with control to pull your chest up.
The Face Pull
The Face Pull is a very complete exercise for the upper body. It can be done using a pulley or an elastic band. You grab one end of the rope, or rubber band, with your right hand and the other with your left hand, with a supine grip (palms down).
You will then pull the rope or elastic towards your forehead by spreading your arms out to the sides. Check that the equipment is placed at your face level so that you can make an almost horizontal movement to work the back of the shoulders.
In the warm-up, we had modified push-ups that focused on the shoulders and shoulder blades. Place here for another way of doing “push-ups”. You start in a plank position then bend your arms to bring your chest to the ground. Once on the ground, you lift your arms out to the side in a “W” shape, then rest your hands under your shoulders to come back up into a plank position.
To end this session dedicated to the upper body and shoulders, Nicolas Veret offers a final exercise: the Kettlebell Arm Bar (to be performed with a light load). Lie down near your kettlebell and stand on your side to grab it with both hands (always both hands!) to roll onto your back.
Press the kettlebell up and then hold it with your left hand. Your left leg is bent and slightly shifted to the side. Your right leg extends and your right arm extends along your ear above your head.
Then, pushing off your left foot, you rotate your hips and chest to the right, keeping the kettlebell in the air with your left arm. Find the balance, then swing your left leg to the right side and put it on the ground. Gently return to the starting position and rest the kettlebell on the floor (with both hands) before switching sides.
[Via GQ France]
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