The shoulder area is sensitive for most people. Many of us want broader shoulders, more muscles and more mobility. This is especially true as you get older. Injuries to the shoulder area often turn into chronic problems and can even affect people who are active in sports. With our targeted shoulder exercises you can gently train the sensitive area.
Especially in middle age, people suffering from shoulder problems try to combat increasing arthrosis in the shoulder with strength training . Can you specifically train this area of the body? Which shoulder exercises are best? How do you put together a training plan to build muscle ? We have prepared the most important information on the topic for you.
You can find more useful exercises for the shoulders and the entire body on the fitnesskaiser.com website.
The shoulder area and its anatomy
When we as laypeople talk about the shoulder area , we usually mean the shoulder girdle with the surrounding muscles. He connects the arms to the trunk of the body. Unlike the hip joint, the shoulder area is primarily moved and held by muscles.
This ensures great mobility in this area of the body. It also highlights the importance of muscles and explains why the body part is prone to wear and tear and injury.
The joint structures with the main shoulder joint are also striking. This ball joint is held in the shoulder socket by a fibrous cartilage ring.
As well as:
- surrounding bands
- the humeral head
- the joint capsule and
- the rotator cuff
In addition to the main joint, there are other secondary joints, articular cartilage and bursa. Soft tissues surround the bony elements. Overall, we see a highly complex structure that is very sensitive to degenerative processes, calcium deposits, tendon tears, joint deflections and fractures such as broken collarbones.
Shoulder exercises play a crucial role in your fitness
Overall, the shoulder joint area is unstable and rather small in view of the loads that sometimes act on it. The shoulder muscles therefore have an important supporting function. The resilience of the entire shoulder area increases with the training level of the muscles in this area. There are two different types of muscles to distinguish between.
The extrinsic muscles connect to the shoulder bone starting from the trunk. The intrinsic muscles begin above the upper body at approximately the level of the shoulder blade and connect to the humerus.
These muscles form the extremist area:
- Trapezius - its function is to help us lift.
- Latissimus Dorsi - it enables the extension and internal rotation of our arms.
- Levator scapulae - it enables us to lift the entire scapula bone.
- Rhomboids - these small muscles allow us to retract the scapula.
Among the intrinsic muscles we find:
- Deltoids - they participate in arm rotation and protect us from shoulder injuries.
- Teres Major - it is a small helper of the latissimus muscle.
- Rotator cuff - the muscle holds the humerus bone in the socket.
This overview shows that all muscles involved are important. Shoulder strength training must take the entire musculature into account.
What are the benefits of shoulder exercises?
There are two main reasons to pay adequate attention to the shoulder area and promote adequate muscle growth in the shoulder area.
We actively prevent injuries when we train the muscles here. Adequate shoulder exercises help keep the delicate joints in place and stabilize the entire body area. Shoulder joints that are surrounded by strong muscles do not wear out as quickly as joints where the surrounding muscles are weak.
We actively work on our posture when we regularly include one or two shoulder exercises in our sports training. Wider shoulders make us appear slimmer downwards. The rear shoulder muscles in particular ensure a straight, upright silhouette. Good posture in this area strengthens the core muscles and the back. The posture can also contribute to a self-confident attitude to life.
Your preparations for shoulder training
If you decide to do shoulder training and strength training after a long break, there are certain factors you should consider in your planning. Many people not only want to strengthen their muscles but also want to lose weight through strength training . This is where our diet comes into play.
Building muscle can help us lose weight in the medium and long term. The muscles are the area of the body in which, along with the brain, the most energy is consumed. More muscle affects our basal metabolic rate. This means that if we have more muscles, we burn more energy even at rest.
However, this is also where the “ Achilles tendon ” of every diet lies. If we don't make sure we get enough protein when we eat a low-calorie diet, our organism will resort to the protein stored in the muscles. This leads to muscle loss and a reduction in basal metabolic rate.
As a result, the scales show more shortly after the diet than before. In this case, the dreaded yo-yo effect caught up with us. How can we escape it? We have to keep an eye on our supply of protein, or the smallest protein building blocks, the amino acids - especially during diet phases.
Protein as a building material for muscles
Amino acids are converted into a wide variety of materials and substances in our body. They are also the basis of our body tissue. If we want our muscles to grow, no matter in which area of the body, there must be sufficient structural mass for growth . Our protein needs can fluctuate depending on our life situation.
A daily intake of 0.8 g/kg body weight is generally recommended . The need for protein can increase during intensive physical exertion, in old age, during and after illnesses and in many other situations. Values of 1.2-1.6 g/kilogram body weight may be relevant for us here.
This depends on many individual circumstances. Many people benefit from including muscle building products with protein building blocks in their diet in addition to a varied and healthy diet.
Examine your eating habits
In order to build muscle effectively, the timing of food intake can also be important. It is important to note that losing weight and building muscle cannot be done at the same time. Professional bodybuilders know this effect.
Your sporting life is usually divided into two phases. In one phase you consume enough or even more calories to support muscle building . An additional amino acid nutritional supplement is often used here.
In a second phase, calories are reduced to maintain or even lose weight, especially before competitions. Strength training and losing weight are linked by increasing the basal metabolic rate. But we have to work on the goals one after the other. Build muscles first and then focus on losing weight in a second step.
It is often discussed whether we should eat before exercising in connection with strength training or whether eating after exercise has better effects. Apart from the fact that it's bad training when we have a well-filled stomach, it depends on the intensity of our training and our individual well-being.
Professional strength athletes will probably strongly recommend consuming amino acids when eating after exercise. Training on an empty stomach can stimulate fat burning in the short term, but this applies more to endurance cardio sessions and less to strength training.
Do shoulder exercises correctly
Which shoulder exercises are suitable for a muscle building training plan ? Before you start the first exercise, a warning in advance: free training sessions with dumbbells and weights are recommended for strength training of the shoulder area. It is important to ensure that you do these exercises correctly.
If in doubt, have an experienced trainer instruct you in each individual exercise. Not doing it correctly will not only prevent the desired effect, but you could also seriously injure yourself. Particular caution is required if you are already starting strength training with osteoarthritis in your shoulder .
Even if you have older injuries in the shoulder area, you should train carefully. Experienced trainers are needed here so that you don't end up opting for shoulder strength training that will do you more harm than good.
If you have osteoarthritis in the shoulder area, exercise units that have proven themselves in physiotherapy and have a therapeutic benefit are particularly suitable for strengthening the muscles.
Shoulder training with dumbbells
Why are training runs with dumbbells and weights, especially dumbbells, so good for your shoulder training? You can use this to very specifically promote the muscle growth of individual muscle groups in the back and shoulder area . In some cases, just a few types of exercise are sufficient if they are carried out correctly, regularly and intensively.
This usually involves a combination of shoulder presses, side raises and front raises with the dumbbells. Intensely, just 10 minutes can make a difference here. A very effective shoulder workout can also be carried out using gymnastic dumbbells or filled water bottles.
The gym offers various equipment for the shoulder area, such as latissimus pulleys, shoulder machines, butterfly machines and more. Let trained training staff instruct you here. The shoulder muscles can benefit even without equipment or with simple aids such as elastic bands, for example with a special plank, a type of push-up.
With this variety of training options, there are hardly any excuses for not training the shoulder area and not specifically promoting muscle building. Select the right training, possibly with training from a trainer or physiotherapist, and muscle building products - then you can start.
Simple units for the shoulder areas can be started at any age and in any level of training. Strength training without equipment can also complement your shoulder exercises . With consistent training, visible changes can quickly become apparent. Make your shoulders strong with shoulder exercises !