Target Your Shoulders with These Intense Workouts in the Gym

The shoulders are one of the most important parts of your body when it comes to strength. They help keep your head and spine straight, making them essential for posture and alignment. 

But sometimes, it can be hard to get that full-body workout at the gym, even if you're doing everything right. That's why we've created these intense shoulder workouts—you don't need weights or total gym accessories to target and strengthen those muscles! 

Shoulder Raise

  • Level - Beginners to intermediates
  • Exercise Time- 10 to 15 Minutes
  • Repetitions- 20 Times
  • Muscles Targeted- Lateral deltoid muscles

How Do We Do This Exercise:- 

You can perform this exercise sitting or standing. If you want to do this exercise while sitting, grab a chair or bend to level your core. To do this exercise while standing, keep your foot a shoulder-width apart and core straight. Keep your shoulders slightly pulled back, chest up, and raise both arms up and away from the body to shoulder height and parallel to the floor. Reverse the movement and return to the start position and take some rest.

Shoulder Shrugs

  • Level - Beginners to intermediates
  • Exercise Time- 10 to 15 Minutes
  • Repetitions- 3 sets of 10 Repetitions 
  • Muscles Targeted- Trapezius muscles

How Do We Do This Exercise:-

A great way to work your shoulders is with this simple exercise. Start your exercise by standing on the floor and keeping your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your arms straight along your hips and bend your knees slightly. Then keeping your chin up and neck straight, bring your shoulder up equal to the height of your ears. Do the exercise slowly to feel the muscle work. 

Also Read: Resistance Band Exercises: How to Effectively Hit Every Muscle Group

Front Raise

  • Level - Beginners to intermediates
  • Exercise Time- 10 to 15 Minutes
  • Repetitions- 3 sets of 10 Repetitions 
  • Muscles Targeted- Deltoids and supporting muscles like the lateral deltoid, trapezius, biceps, and pectoralis major.

How Do We Do This Exercise

Start the exercise by standing still on the floor while keeping your feet shoulder-width apart. Brace your core and, create a fist of your hand, raise your arms to shoulder level. Ensure that your shoulders, arms, and hands make a straight line. Slowly move to your relaxed position.  

Tip:- To make it more intense, you can try this exercise with dumbbells. 

Pendulum Crunches 

  • Level - Beginners to intermediates
  • Exercise Time- 10 to 15 Minutes
  • Repetitions- 5 to 10 Repetitions 
  • Muscles Targeted- Abs, Obliques, and Core

How Do We Do This Exercise? 

Start with standing firmly on the floor with your feet close to each other. You have to swing your arms from front to back. Make sure when your arms swing to the front. They make a straight line with your shoulders. From there, swing your arms down to the back, making a pendulum motion. 

Bear Crawls 

  • Level - Beginners To intermediates
  • Exercise Time- 10 to 15 Minutes
  • Repetitions- 5 to 10 Repetitions 
  • Muscles Targeted- Abdominal muscles and lower back muscles

How Do We Do This Exercise? 

Start the exercise in an all-fours position. Slowly lift your knees off the ground. Continue a flat back and maintain arms shoulder-width apart. 

Place one hand in front and move with the other foot. Change sides, stay low to the ground, and repeat the movement for some distance.

Shoulder Taps

  • Level - Beginners to intermediates
  • Exercise Time- 3 to 5 Minutes
  • Repetitions- 2 to 5 Repetitions 
  • Muscles Targeted- Transversus abdominis, obliques (sides), and back muscles.

How Do We Do This Exercise? 

Start the workout in a push-up position and keep hands shoulder-width apart. Maintain your arms fully extended with your back flat and your toes on the floor. Lift one hand off the floor and tap the opposite shoulder. Rotate back and forth while tapping both arms. Keep the center of the body tense during this exercise and avoid excessive movement in the hips.

Side Plank With Leg Raises

  • Level - Beginners to intermediates
  • Exercise Time- 3 to 5 Minutes
  • Repetitions- 8 to 10 Repetitions 
  • Muscles Targeted- Abs, Glutes, Hip Abductors, and Obliques

How Do We Do This Exercise? 

Start with lying down on your side and forearm on the floor. Press into the forearm and lift the lower hip off the floor to create a straight line with your body. Hold this position, keep your chest open to the side, and try lifting the top. Slowly lower the leg and then the hip. 

Wall Walking

  • Level - Beginners to intermediates
  • Exercise Time- 3 to 5 Minutes
  • Repetitions- 8 to 10 Repetitions 
  • Muscles Targeted- Core, chest, legs, triceps, and shoulder muscles.

How Do We Do This Exercise?

Begin the exercise by standing in front of the wall and slowly tilt down your body against the wall. Begin by bringing your hands away from the wall. At the same time, let your feet go down the wall. Once in a push-up position, walk your feet back up the wall. Go up until you are flat against the wall with your hands. 

Conclusion!

To sum up, working out your shoulders will help you gain muscle strength and definition, burn fat, and build stamina. There are a number of exercises that you can do without total gym accessories to target your shoulders. You can work on your shoulders daily, so they look good as you age!