12 Shoulder Workout Moves You Can Do At Home

Jin kandho par duniya bhar ka bhaar hai, you need to look after them, right? From carrying out daily household chores or sitting in front of your laptop screen typing away your nights, your shoulders are often overlooked. Your shoulder needs more attention than just an off-hand massage once in a while. And the only way to go about it is to make time for some shoulder workouts at home.

There’s no denying that a strong set of shoulders achieved through effective shoulder workouts enhance your frame, but iske fayde far exceeds aesthetic purposes. Performing shoulder exercises at home like shoulder flexion and side raises will have benefits such as:

1. Make motions easier (lifting and throwing heavy things).
2. Fix rounded shoulders.
3. Promote blood flow to the body and other joints.
4. Prevent muscle tearing and makes them less prone to injury. 
5. Give you a boost of self-worth. 

Shoulder workouts tone your delts and strengthen your muscles and ye help karega in boosting your stamina and reducing pain if you have any. Therefore, shoulder exercises for women are a must.

One of the easiest ways to get started with shoulder workouts at home is with dumbbells. Don’t have equipment at your home? Fikar not, you can easily replace dumbbells with plastic bottles filled with stones and sand (any jugaad works!) and do shoulder exercises without equipment the desi way.

12 Shoulder Workout Exercises For Better Strength & Stability

So, here are 12 shoulder exercises for women that will shape your shoulders. 

1. Lateral Raises

How to do it: 

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your legs width apart. 
2. Roll your shoulders back and bend your elbows slightly. 
3. Now bring your arms to your shoulder level and pause them. 
4. Repeat it 12 times and do the 3 sets.

You can also do side lateral raise, which is pretty much the same, but in a side lateral raise your hands to move away from your body to your shoulder level. 

Target muscles: Medial or lateral, deltoids, lats, and pectoralis major (chest muscle).

2. Dumbbell Front Raises

How to do it:

1. For one of the best shoulder exercises, stand straight with your legs hip-width apart.
2. Grab a dumbbell in each hand.
3. Hold the dumbbell with palms in front of your thighs, facing inwards.
4. Bring your hand to your shoulder level and then bring them down.
5. Repeat this 12 times and do 2 sets. 

Target muscle: Anterior deltoids, lateral deltoids, lats teres major and minor, serratus anterior, and pectoralis major.

3. Dumbbell Upright Rows

How to do it:

1. With your legs hip-width apart, hold a dumbbell in each hand. 
2. Your palms must be facing your thighs.
3. Now draw the dumbbells up to your chest level by flexing your elbows. 
4. Lower your arms to the starting position and repeat this 15 times. 

Target muscles: Lateral deltoids, posterior deltoids, biceps, triceps, lats, rhomboids, serratus anterior and pectoralis major. 

4. Pike Push-ups

How to do it:

1. For starting doing this exercise, one of the best shoulder workouts, get down on the mat in a plank position. 
2. Push your hips in the air so that you’re in a downward dog position. 
3. Bend your elbows and try to touch your head to the floor. 
4. Repeat this 10 times and do 3 sets.

Target muscles: Anterior deltoids, lateral deltoids, posterior deltoids, triceps, serratus anterior, and pectoralis major. 

5. Push-ups

How to do it: 

1. For this shoulder workout at home, get into a plank position. 
2. With hands directly beneath your shoulders, keep your body tight.
3. Now bend your elbows to the sides and slowly lower your body.
4. Keep your body straight and repeat it three times. 

Target muscles: Lateral deltoids, posterior deltoids, biceps, triceps, lats, rhomboids, serratus anterior, and pectoralis major. 

6. Seated Bent-over Rear Delt Raise

How to do it: 

1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and sit on a flat bench. Hold your legs straight and bend your upper body forward. Let your chest fall near your knees.
2. Place your hand by your calves. Keep your neck in line with your spine.
3. Exhale and lift the dumbbells straight to your sides until both arms are parallel to the floor.
4. Make sure your elbows are slightly bent.
5. Slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 12 reps.

Target muscles: Lateral deltoids, posterior deltoids, biceps, triceps, lats, serratus anterior, and pectoralis major. 

7. Plank Ups

How to do it: 

1. Put yourself in a plank position for starting to do plank-ups, one of the best shoulder workouts. Look down while keeping your body aligned in a straight line. 
2. Place your right forearm flat on the floor and flex your right elbow.
3. Place your left forearm flat on the floor and flex your left elbow. You’re now in a plank position with your elbows bent.
4. Place your right hand flat on the floor and extend your right arm without halting. Extend your left arm and place your left palm flat on the floor. You’ll be in a push-up position now. Perform two sets of ten reps.

Target muscles: Anterior deltoids, lateral deltoids, posterior deltoids, triceps, biceps, abs, glutes, hamstrings, and quads.

8. Overhead Tricep Extensions

How to do it: 

1. Grab a dumbbell. Sit on a bench or a chair with your palm on the inside side of the top dumbbell head.
2. Raise your arms above your head and bring the dumbbell over your head. This is where you’ll begin.
3. Lower your forearms so that the dumbbell is exactly behind your neck while flexing your elbows and maintaining your upper arms stationary.
4. Return to the beginning posture by lifting your forearms. Perform two sets of 12 repetitions.

Target muscles: Posterior deltoids, triceps, lats, serratus anterior and pectoralis major. 

9. Pec Deck Butterfly

How to do it: 

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand while standing straight. 
2. Bend your elbows so that your upper arms are parallel to the ground and your forearms are aligned and at a 90-degree angle to your upper arms when lifting the dumbbells.
3. Bring your elbows up in front of your face and engage your abs.
4. Lower them to where they started. 
5. Perform three 15-rep sets.

Target muscles: Anterior, deltoids, pectoralis major, triceps, and lats.

10. Bent Arm Lateral Raises

How to do it: 

1. Hold two dumbbells in each hand. Stand tall with your legs shoulder-width apart, your hands at your sides, palms facing inward, and your shoulders rolled back.
2. Bend your elbows so that your forearms and upper arms form a 90-degree angle, and your palms face each other. To support your back, slightly bend your knees.
3. Exhale and raise your arms to shoulder level while keeping your elbows locked. Perform two sets of 15 reps.

Target muscles: Medial or lateral deltoids, anterior deltoids, lats, pectoralis major, and serratus anterior.

11. Standing Shoulder Press

How to do it: 

1. Start with your relaxed position, legs hip-width apart and shoulders rolled back. 
2. Raise your arms to the point where they are parallel to the floor. With your upper arms at 90 degrees and palms pointing front, your forearms should be at 90 degrees.
3. Extend your arms and push the dumbbells above your head.
4. Return your arms to the beginning position after a brief pause. Perform two sets of 15 reps.

Target muscles: Anterior, deltoids, lateral, deltoids, posterior, deltoids, biceps, triceps, lats, serratus anterior, and pectoralis major.

12. Shoulder Shrugs

How to do it: 

1. In each hand, take a dumbbell. Keep your palms facing inward and your hands at your side. Keep your back straight. Maintain a firm core and shoulders rolled back.
2. Raise your shoulders to your ears, pause, and then return to the starting position. Perform three sets of 12 repetitions.

3 Precautions To Keep In Mind While Doing Shoulder Workout

While you’re doing shoulder workouts keep in mind to keep your body relaxed and breathing even. Even by doing the best shoulder exercises, there’s a chance you can self-injure yourself. Here are some things to know to make your exercise session successful without the worry of injury:

1. Begin with shoulder stretches and shoulder taps. Your shoulder stretches should involve all the shoulder muscles in order to warm up your body.
2. A frozen shoulder is a condition when the shoulder becomes stiff and you’re unable to move it in different directions. (frozen shoulder exercises can help ease the pain). 
3. Slow start your exercises and gradually move up. 

Pro Tip: Frozen shoulder exercises involve lots of stretching and muscle movement. Some frozen shoulder exercises include shoulder taps, cross-body reach, towel stretching, shoulder flexion, side raises, and rubber band stretching. These exercises also help in preventing rounded shoulders.

These were all the 12 shoulder exercises at home that you needed to know to start working out aaj se hi. They are easy for beginners and perfect for seasoned gym-goers as well. #BeALittleMore for getting strong and sculpted shoulders this year and keeping frozen and rounded shoulders at bay.

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