Latest news with #shoulderexercise
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
I'm a personal trainer, and this one-minute shoulder exercise is the hack I use to unlock mobility and reduce stiffness
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Members of the stiff shoulder gang, raise your hands (if you can). I'm right there with you, but I'm also a personal trainer, so I can share with you a hack that really works. Loosen your shoulders, reduce stiffness, and boost your range of motion with this simple, beginner-friendly exercise. It only takes a couple of minutes per shoulder, making it both efficient and effective. You don't need any equipment except a wall or surface you can rest your arm flat against. You'll move your arms through external rotation, which basically means rotating your shoulder outward. If you know you're currently working with an injury, I recommend checking in with your physician, a physio, or a personal trainer first. External rotation exercises help build shoulder mobility and stability by increasing the range of motion in your shoulders when moving in this plane of motion. The movement doesn't look like much, but trust me, it's like lubrication for your joints. Here's everything you need to know to try this for yourself. To do this exercise, first find a wall, then follow these steps and check out the video above: Stand facing the wall and place your left arm flat against it, elbow bent at 90 degrees and palm flat. Ensure your elbow is (and stays) connected with the wall at shoulder height Turn your body slightly to the right so that you are now side-on to the wall with your left thigh resting against it — you can step your left leg forward if it helps you balance When you feel a stretch along your left pec and shoulder, hold it Lift your left palm away from the wall as far as possible without moving your elbow, then place it against the wall again Continue for 8 to 12 reps, then switch sides. Complete 3 to 4 sets. It doesn't matter if you're lifting heavy weights, a fan of boxing, throwing ball, or simply going about your daily activities, healthy shoulders are vital for proper function and movement mechanics. If you don't take care of your shoulders now, they won't take care of you later. Wall exercises are accessible, beginner-friendly, and can boost control, alignment and range in your shoulder joints. An unmoving surface 'forces' alignment because you can't move past the wall during the exercise, helping you control the motion and engage your stabilizing muscles. The result? Stronger shoulders and injury prevention. This particular hack helps activate the muscles around the joint and builds strength and endurance in your shoulders over time. This one-minute stretch opens your hips and builds upper body flexibility I drank 2 tablespoons of olive oil every day for 30 days — here's what happened to my body No, not push-ups — try the 'steering wheel' exercise to strengthen your upper body instead
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
If You Do One Move For Strong, Sculpted Shoulders, Please Let It Be This One
Lateral raises may not look like they're doing much for your body, but trust me—they do. They're an essential shoulder exercise that will amp up your strength and stability in a big way. The move targets mainly your deltoids (the triangular muscles on top of your shoulders) and will create visible shoulder definition if that's your thing. But you won't reap the benefits of this move unless it's done correctly. Too often, I see people just swaying and swinging their dumbbells around, without any sort of structure or form. Not only is that not going to get you the results you want—it's also putting at risk for injury. That's why as a certified personal trainer and founder of KKSWEAT, I'm going to teach you everything you need to know about lateral raises, including how to do them, technique, variations, and more. Stand with a dumbbell in each hand with arms by sides, palms facing down and inward. Without bending arms, raise them up and straight out to sides until they're shoulder-level, still in your periphery. Lower the dumbbells back to starting position. That's 1 rep. Form cue: When you raise your arms, keep them at shoulder-level—and no higher. Do not lift them up to your ears. Make sure to keep your head above your tailbone, too, with no movement in your upper torso. Reps/sets for best results: I recommend using 5- to 8-pound weights for three sets of 8 to 12 reps. Make sure to take a 30- to 45-second rest in between sets. I can't say this enough, but lateral raises are a prime shoulder move. It's an isolation exercise, meaning that it's extremely focused on a particular joint and group of muscles. In this case, it's your shoulder joints and your deltoid muscles. Strengthening these can protect you from future injuries when you're lifting—and score you toned shoulders at the same time. Do them with your thumbs up. Standard form for a lateral raise is with your palms facing down (as demonstrated above). But if you're struggling with this form, try doing the move with your thumbs up. With this modification, you'll find it's easier to keep your shoulders down and focus on that stability. Play with tempo. Try sneaking a three-second hold into your lateral raise before bringing your arms back down. This will build up your resistance and strength. Try a front raise instead. This is basically the same thing as a lateral raise, except you'll be bringing your arms up in front of you, rather than out to your sides. By doing so, you'll target slightly different muscles to mix it up. Add it to your shoulder circuit. Dumbbell lateral raises aren't meant to be a warm up and should only be done after you've substantially worked out the other parts of your upper body. This helps ensure you'll have the shoulder mobility to do the move correctly. Plus, lateral raises target smaller muscles, and I generally recommend starting with chest and back movements (since those are bigger muscles) to warm up first. Personally, I usually put my lateral raises about three quarters of the way into my shoulder circuit. You'll find that by warming up larger muscles first, it's easier to focus on form, avoid injury, and reap all the benefits the lateral raise has to offer. You Might Also Like Jennifer Garner Swears By This Retinol Eye Cream These New Kicks Will Help You Smash Your Cross-Training Goals
