 Shoulders are extremely important as they are the most commonly injured. Nearly every upper body exercise you do will require some input from your shoulders.
For example when you are just holding some weights there is a constant pull on the shoulders. Another reason for shoulder injuries is incorrect form as well as using too much weight.
If there was only one body part that you should practice strict form and use a correct weight it must be shoulders.
The reason why is that if you can not move your shoulders then it is unlikely you can continue with any of your workout plans. Even if you recover from your shoulder injury it is unlikely you will get a 100% recovery, therefore before injury occurs it is essential that you build up your shoulder muscles. Below are some great sample exercises.
Beginner Workout
Beginners should do the following shoulder exercises for 4 weeks and then they should move on to the intermediate exercises.
If you are exercising more than just the shoulders in your current workout then do the shoulders at the beginning of your workout. The idea is to slowly use heavier weights but with less repetitions. Below is how you should set out your weeks:
Week 1: 1 set 12 repetitions.
Week 2: 2 sets 12 repetitions.
Week 3: 2 sets 10 repetitions with heavier weights.
Week 4: 2 sets 8 repetitions with heavier weights.
Exercise 1: 45 DEGREE SCARECROW
Set an incline bench to 45 degrees as shown in the picture. Hold a pair of light dumbbells in each hand. You should be able to easily manage the dumbbells. Now lie chest down onto the bench. Bend your elbows 90 degrees so the dumbbells are parallel.
Now rotate the weights up as far as you can go. Pause at the top and slowly return to the start position. Do this for the required number of repetitions.
Exercise 2: ALTERNATIVE DUMBBELL PRESS
Start off by choosing a pair of dumbbells that you are comfortable with. The biggest mistake that beginners make is to try and lift weights that are just too heavy for them. This leads to bad form and small gains.
You should hold the weights at jaw level just outside your shoulders with your palms facing forward. Starting with your weaker arm life one dumbbell so it is straight and then lower it slowly. This counts as one repetition. Do this for both arms until you have finished the set.
Exercise 3: SNATCH & SHRUG
You need to get hold of a barbell making sure that you use the overhand grip. Hold the bar at arms length in front of you. You should then lean forward slightly so that the bar is about an inch in front of your thighs.
Now shrug your shoulders slowly and return, this is one repetition. It is imperative that you lift with good form and slowly. There is no point in doing 12 repetitions at an amazing speed, do it slowly. You may find you have to move to a lower weight, if this is the case then so be it.
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