Beginner's Guide to Strength Training: Beginner's Guide to Strength - Shoulders & Biceps

Beginner's Guide to Strength Training
Beginner's Guide to Strength - Shoulders & Biceps
| The Shoulder Muscles  | Front Raises  | Overhead Presses  | Reverse Flies  | Rotator Cuff Muscles and Exercises  | Biceps  | Choosing Your Exercises  | Quiz and Bonus Challenge

	from Paige Waehner So far in this course, you've gotten an in-depth look at the chest and back muscles and, hopefully, you've practiced some of the exercises to get a feel for them. This week, we're continuing with the upper body by focusing on the shoulders and biceps. You'll learn about these muscles in detail, including what they are, what they do and which exercises target those muscles. Don't forget, there's a quiz at the end so make sure you read through the information carefully and click on any links so you don't miss anything.
The Shoulder Muscles
	The Shoulder Muscles
	The shoulder muscles include the deltoids as well as the rotator cuff muscles. The deltoids, which start on the front of the shoulder, wrap around the top and continue over the back of the shoulder area, are smaller than the chest and back, but are crucial for a variety of daily activities. We use our shoulders whenever we pick something up, lift it over the head or rotate the arms. The shoulders, particularly tight or inflexible rotators, can be vulnerable to injury. Strengthening all areas of the shoulders can help keep them strong and injury-free and can also help you lift more weight for other muscle groups. The shoulders are often involved in chest exercises (such as pushups and chest presses) so, the stronger they are, the more weight you'll be able to handle for the chest.  The deltoids (so named for their triangular shape) include three different heads:  The front (anterior), side (lateral) and the rear (posterior).  Though these different heads make up one muscle, they do have different actions as you'll see below.  For that reason, it's important to include exercises that work each head of the deltoid.  The deltoid muscles attach on the humerus  (upper arm bone) and are generally responsible for abducting the arms (moving the arms away from the body). They also work with the rotator cuff to rotate the shoulders in and out. The front deltoid is responsible for lifting the arms up in front of the body and overhead. The shoulders are often weak in a front raise (the arms are straight, which adds challenge), but can often handle more weight when pushing the arms overhead. The side deltoid helps lift the arms out to the sides and is also involved as a synergist during other shoulder moves like overhead presses.   The rear deltoid helps lift the arms towards the back of the body.  For these types of exercises, you'll usually be bent over so that your torso is parallel to the floor in order to target the posterior part of the shoulder.
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Front Raises
	Front Raises
	The front raise is an isolation exercise targeting the front of the shoulders. You can do this move in a variety of ways including seated, standing, with one dumbbell or two, holding a barbell, sitting at an incline and using one arm at a time, just to name a few. Step by Step: Front Raises 1. Stand with feet a comfortable distance apart, back straight and shoulders back. 2. Hold light-medium weights in each hand, palms facing the thighs. 3. Lift the arms straight up to the front, keeping a slight bend in the elbow, to shoulder level. 4. Lower down without completely relaxing the muscles and repeat. Do's and Don'ts Do: Keep the shoulders down and away from the ears as you lift the arms up Do: Stand with one foot back if you find you're using momentum to lift the weights Do:  Lift one arm at a time if you need more control over the weight Don't: Lock the elbow joints Don't:  Rock the body back and forth to generate momentum Don't: Shrug the shoulders as you lift the arms Variations: Front Raise with Dumbbells and Bands
Overhead Presses
	Overhead Presses
	This compound exercise is great for overall shoulder work, though it does involve more front deltoid.  The side deltoids are also working during this exercise as well as the triceps. Step by Step: Overhead Presses 1. Seated or standing, with feet a comfortable distance apart, hold medium-heavy weights over the shoulders, elbows bent and palms facing out. 2. The weights should be level with the earlobes, the arms positioned almost like a goal post 3. Push the weights up and over the head while keeping the abs engaged. 4. Make sure the weight stays over the head or just in front of the head rather than behind, which can strain the rotators. 5. Lower the weights back down to ear level and repeat.  Do's and Don'ts Do: Keep the weight just slightly forward of the head to keep the rotators safe Do: Keep the abs engaged to protect the back Don't: Arch the back as you push the weight overhead.  If necessary, sit in a chair with back support Don't:  Take the weight behind the neck, if you're using a barbell.  That can strain the rotators and cause injury Variations: Barbell Overhead Press Alternating Overhead Press One-Armed Overhead Press
Reverse Flies
	Reverse Flies
	Reverse flies (or rear flies) are another great isolation exercise targeting the shoulders, specifically the rear deltoid. It also involves the upper back and the side deltoids, depending on the positioning of the torso. Step by Step: Reverse Flies 1. Sit in a chair or on a ball and bend forward, holding medium-heavy weights behind the knees. 2. Keep the abs engaged and avoid resting the torso on the thighs. 3. Keeping a slight bend in the elbow, lift the arms up to shoulder level, squeezing the shoulder blades together. 4. At the top of the movement, arms should be parallel to the floor, elbows just slightly bent and pointing towards the ceiling. 5. Lower the arms down, bringing the weights behind the knees and repeat. Do's and Don'ts Do: Keep the head and neck in alignment. Do: Use a lighter weight when first trying this exercise to get your form down. Don't: Pull the elbows too far past the torso or arch the back. Don't: Round or drop the shoulders down; keep them level with the torso. Variations: One-Armed Rear Delt Raises Rear Delt Flies with No Weight Rear Fly with Band More Shoulder Exercises
Rotator Cuff Muscles and Exercises
	Rotator Cuff Muscles and Exercises
	The rotator cuff muscles are small muscles that act to stabilize and rotate the shoulder.  The rotators typically include the subscapularis (on the front of the shoulder blade), supraspinatus (in the back part of the shoulder area), infraspinatus (also on the back part of the shoulders) and teres minor (on the front part of the shoulder area) but, collectively, we call them the rotator cuff muscles. The rotators are involved in a variety of exercises such as upright rows and overhead presses and, because they're sometimes tight, they are prone to injury, especially muscle tears which happen from overuse or from traumatic events. It's important to avoid over rotation of the shoulders and to only work within your flexibility. For example, during an overhead press, the shoulders rotate back before you press the weights overhead. If you rotate the arms too far back, you may end up straining or injuring the rotators. Step by Step: External Rotation with Bands The major muscles targeted during an external rotation include the teres minor and infraspinatus. 1. Loop a light resistance band around a sturdy object, threading one handle through the other and pulling it tight. 2.  Stand with left side facing the band, holding handle in right hand. 3.  Starting position is with elbow bent to 90 degrees, palm and forearm directly in front of the belly. 4.  Keeping the elbow bent, rotate the shoulder, bringing the forearm out to side.  Work within your range of motion - you may not be able to take the arm all the way out. 5.  Rotate the forearm back in and repeat for 12-16. Do's and Don'ts Do: Keep the elbow in a fixed position. Do: Keep the movement slow and controlled. Don't: Swing the arm too far out, but only as far as your flexibility allows. Don't: Use very heavy bands or weights for this exercise. Variations: Dumbbell External Rotations Step by Step: Internal Rotation with a Band The major muscle targeted during an internal rotation is the subscapularis. 1. Loop a light resistance band around a sturdy object, threading one handle through the other and pulling it tight. 2.  Stand with left side facing the band, holding handle in LEFT hand.  You may need to take a few steps away to create enough tension on the band, or you can loop the band around your hand several times for more tension. 3.  Starting position is with arm rotated out as far as your flexibility allows, elbow bent to 90 degrees and forearm parallel to the floor. 3.  Keeping the elbow bent, rotate the shoulder, bringing the forearm in until it's just in front of the belly.  4.  Rotate the forearm back out and repeat for 12-16. Do's and Don'ts Do: Keep the elbow in a fixed position. Do: Keep the movement slow and controlled. Don't: Rotate the arm too far out, which can injure the shoulders. Don't: Use very heavy bands or weights for this exercise. Variations: Dumbbell Internal Rotations
Biceps
	Biceps
	The biceps muscles (called the biceps brachii) are located on the front of the arms and are responsible for flexing the elbow and turning the forearm. We use our biceps to carry things, pick things up and even pull open doors. The biceps muscle has two heads: a long head, which is on the outer side of the arm and a short head, on the inner part of the arm. Though there are two heads, both are activated during biceps exercises. It isn't possible to work one head without working the other. Most bicep exercises are pulling moves that involve bending the elbow to curl a weight up towards the shoulder. Below is just one example of a curl, but there are a number of variations that will challenge the biceps in different ways. Step by Step: Bicep Curls 1. Stand or sit with feet a comfortable distance apart and hold medium-heavy weights in front of the thighs, palms facing out. 2. Bend the elbows, bringing the weights towards the shoulder. 3. As you curl the weight, keep the elbows static and the wrists straight. 4.  You don't need to touch the shoulder, but curl the weight as far as you can without moving the elbow. 5.  Lower the weight all the way down, but keep a slight bend in the elbow to keep tension in the muscle. 6.  Repeat for 12-16 reps. Do's and Don'ts Do: Avoid rocking back and forth or using momentum to lift the weight. Do: Sit on a bench or chair if you need more back support. Do: Rotate the hands as you curl if you need more variation. Variations: Barbell Bicep Curls Concentration Curls Hammer Curls Incline Curls Preacher Curls on the Ball More Bicep Exercises
Choosing Your Exercises
	Choosing Your Exercises
	For the shoulders: If you're a beginner, choose a compound exercise that works more than one head of the deltoid and an isolation exercise that works a different area. For example, an overhead press works both front and side deltoids while a reverse fly will target the rear deltoid. If you're more advanced, you might choose 3 different exercises, one for each head of the deltoid (e.g., front, lateral and rear deltoid raises) along with a compound move such as an overhead press or an upright row. Add intensity by changing the type of resistance you used (e.g., bands, dumbbells, machines or barbells), changing the exercise (e.g., one arm at a time) or by trying different exercises. For the biceps: If you're a beginner, choose 1-2 different biceps exercises that work the muscles in different ways. Some examples: a barbell curl and a dumbbell curl, a regular curl and a hammer curl (with palms rotated in), or an incline dumbbell curl with regular barbell curl. If you're more advanced, you might choose 2-3 biceps exercises (or more if you're working them separately). When picking exercises, try for moves that come at the biceps in different ways. For example, a hammer curl will involve more forearms while a preacher curl will put the biceps at a challenging angle, thus targeting the biceps in different ways. As you get down to the smaller muscles of the arms, you may not need to do as many exercises as with the larger muscles of the back, chest and shoulders. If you're working them along with the rest of your upper body muscles, they may be warm and slightly fatigued from other exercises by the time you get to them.
Quiz and Bonus Challenge
	Quiz and Bonus Challenge
	If you've finished reading through all the material, you're ready to take the quiz. As a bonus challenge for this part of the course, go through all the exercises described for the shoulders and biceps, carefully following the step-by-step instructions to get a deeper understanding of how each exercise works. If you're a beginner, start with light weight or no weight at all and focus on your form. If you want even more of a challenge, practice the variations as well.
Paige Waehner About.com Guide to Exercise http://exercise.about.com www.About.com About.com is part of The New York Times Company
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