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It’s no secret that toned, strong shoulders are the hallmark of an impressive physique. Yet when it comes to shoulder exercises and building muscle, many people rely on machines at the gym. But if you’re serious about gaining mass in your shoulders, it’s time to break out the free weights.
Shop The Collection: BarbellsFree weights offer countless benefits over machines and can help you build strength and shape quickly and efficiently. So if you’re looking to build bigger and stronger shoulders, read on for our top tips on using free weights to do so.
Shop The Gear: Concorde Olympic Training Barbell – 45 LB, $274.99 CAD
Free weights such as dumbbells and barbells offer a number of advantages over machines. For starters, they allow you to move through a full range of motion, allowing you to target the muscles in your shoulders more effectively than with machines.
Free weights also provide a greater challenge for your stabilizing muscles. That’s because when you lift a weight, your body has to work harder to keep it balanced and stable. This means that you’ll be engaging your stabilizing muscles, which will help you build strength faster.
Finally, free weights are incredibly versatile and can be used in a variety of different exercises. This makes it easier to keep your workouts fresh and challenging, helping you to make progress more quickly.
Now that you know the benefits of free weights, let’s get into the nitty-gritty. Here are our top tips for building shoulder muscles with free weights.
When first starting out with free weights, it’s important to start with lighter weights and gradually increase the amount of weight as you get stronger. This will help you learn proper form and technique and will reduce your risk of injury.
Once you’ve mastered the basics of lifting with free weights, it’s time to start making adjustments to your form. This will help you target specific muscle groups and will ensure that you are getting the most out of each exercise.
For example, if you’re doing a shoulder press, you can adjust your grip to target different areas of the shoulder. A narrow grip will target the front deltoids, while a wider grip will target the lateral deltoids.
You can also adjust your stance to target different areas. For example, if you’re doing bicep curls, you can stand with your feet slightly wider apart to target the outer biceps or bring your feet closer together to target the inner biceps.
Another way to maximize your shoulder workouts is to vary your repetitions. If you’re looking to build strength and size, aim for 8-12 reps per set. If you’re looking to build endurance, aim for 15-20 reps per set.
You can also vary the tempo of your reps. For example, you can do slow reps with a three second count, fast reps with a one second count, or a combination of both.
Finally, it’s important to add variety to your workouts. This will help keep them fresh and challenging and will help you avoid plateaus. To do this, try adding new exercises to your routine or increasing the amount of weight you’re lifting.
You can also vary the angle of your exercises. For example, instead of doing shoulder presses standing up, you can do them sitting down or lying down on a bench.
Building shoulder muscles with free weights can be a great way to get stronger and more toned. Just remember to start with lighter weights and focus on form, adjust your form to target different muscles, and vary your reps and exercises to keep your workouts challenging.
