SHOULDERS

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

 

Barbell Shoulder Press To Front

 

Bent Over Lateral Raises

 

Lateral Raises

 

Rear Deltoid Machine

 

E-Z Bar Upright Rows

 

Dumbbell Upright Rows

 

Dumbbell Shrugs

 

Smith Machine Shrugs to Front

 

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Deltoids (medial, anterior, posterior)

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Triceps

NOTES: Unlike behind-the-neck presses, which risk damaging the rotator cuffs, shoulder presses are a great exercise to develop all three heads of the shoulder or deltoid muscles. Use a weight light enough to allow a full range of motion; you should bring the dumbbells down to a level where the backs of the arms are parallel to the floor.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Take a seat with your back fully upright and place your feet flat on the floor in front of you. Your knees should also be fac­ing straight ahead.

                                     

2. Either lift your dumbbells to the shoulders before sitting, or put them on your thighs and use your knees to lift them to the shoulder like the Incline Bench Press on p. XX. Do not hold the dumbbells so far apart that your forearms are not perpendicular to the floor—the weight can quickly get out of control because there is no bar holding them together and the risk of injury is huge.

 

3. As you hold the dumbbells, make sure that your arms and elbows are as wide as possible—as if you were trying to touch your elbows behind your back. Keep your forearms perpendicu­lar to the floor and your head and neck relaxed at all times through the movement. Never turn your head while doing any of these exercises—you could end up seriously injured.

4. Before lifting, close your eyes and visualize yourself doing the movement. Focus on the shoulder muscles you are about to stimulate. Pay particular attention to the deltoid head (medial, anterior, or posterior) that needs the most development.

 

5. From the overhead position, squeeze the dumbbell handles tightly with your hands and slowly lower them to chest level. The upper arm, from the elbow to the shoulder, should end up slightly below parallel to the floor, with your forearms perpendicular to the ceiling.

 

6. Slowly begin pressing upward in a controlled, fluid motion, without rest­ing. Make sure that you do not use any momentum. Stay focused on the movement of your shoulder muscles.

 

7. A commonly made mistake is to stick the chest way out when pressing up. Doing this takes primary stimulation away from the shoulder muscles and directs it to the chest muscles. Relax the chest at all times during this exercise. If you see your chest rise or feel your chest muscles handling the majority of the work, stop and correct yourself. You may either be going too heavy, or you just need to practice your form with­ less weight.

 

8. When you reach the top of the movement, do not lock out the elbow joint. Doing so shifts all of the weight from the shoulders to the elbow joint, thus inter­rupting muscle stimulation. This can hurt the elbow joint and limit shoulder muscle stimulation.

 

9. From this point, hold the extended position for two seconds and slowly begin to lower the dumbbells in a controlled, fluid motion, without resting.

 

Dumbbell Shoulder Press sidebar:

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Remember to tense up your entire body from head to toe before picking up the dumbbells at the start of a set. This prepares the body for action. Maintain the tension as you pick up the dumbbells and tense with them for a moment before beginning the set. Just before starting the first rep switch your attention and tensing to the shoulders.

Mindfulness

Roger Bannister, the first person to run a mile in less than four minutes, did his running workouts with a slip of paper in his shoe that read “3:58”. That’s not a Bible verse; that was his goal: 3 minutes, 58 seconds. With every step he was reminded of his goal. Try it for yourself; write your fitness goal on a piece of paper and put it where you can see it during your set.

Safety Tip:

Remember, the further a weight is from your body, the more load it puts on your muscles, effectively multiplying its own weight. Don’t let the dumbbells drift out to the side or you could quickly lose control of them and very likely injure your shoulders.

Barbell Shoulder Press

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Deltoids (medial, anterior, posterior)

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Triceps

NOTES: Unlike behind-the-neck presses, which risk damaging the rotator cuffs, shoulder presses are a great exercise to develop all three heads of the shoulder or deltoid muscles. A narrower grip focuses more on the muscles of the medial and rear deltoids with an emphasis on the triceps. A wider grip incorporates the front and medial deltoids. Use a weight light enough to allow a full range of motion; you should bring the bar down very close to your upper chest muscles.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Take a seat with your back fully upright and place your feet flat on the floor in front of you. Your knees should also be fac­ing straight ahead and the racked barbell should be at forehead level and SLIGHTLY in front of you. If your seat is too far from the bar, you risk injuring your lower back or overstressing your shoulders and arms while unracking the bar. If you’re not using a rack, clean the weight to your shoulders before sitting down and hold it at collar bone level.

                                     

2. Take hold of the barbell with your grip of choice. Remember that grip variation will stimulate different muscles; assess your shoulder muscles and choose a grip that targets the deltoid heads that need further development.

 

3. As you hold the bar, make sure that your arms and elbows are as wide as possible—as if you were trying to touch your elbows behind your back. Keep your forearms perpendicu­lar to the floor and your head and neck relaxed at all times through the movement. Never turn your head while doing any of these exercises—you could end up seriously injured.

4. Before lifting, close your eyes and visualize yourself doing the movement. Focus on the shoulder muscles you are about to stimulate. Pay particular attention to the deltoid head (medial, anterior, or posterior) that needs the most development.

5. Pick up the bar and begin the exercise from the top position. Get a spotter’s help in unracking the bar if you need to.

 

6. From the overhead position, squeeze the bar tightly with your hands and slowly lower the bar to just under the chin. The upper arm, from the elbow to the shoulder, should end up slightly below parallel to the floor, with your forearms perpendicular to the ceiling.

 

7. Slowly begin pressing upward in a controlled, fluid motion, without rest­ing. Make sure that you do not use any momentum. Stay focused on the movement of your shoulder muscles.

 

8. A commonly made mistake is to stick the chest way out when pressing up. Doing this takes primary stimulation away from the shoulder muscles and directs it to the chest muscles. Relax the chest at all times during this exercise. If you see your chest rise or feel your chest muscles handling the majority of the work, stop and correct yourself. You may either be going too heavy, or you just need to practice your form with­out weight.

 

9. When you reach the top of the movement, do not lock out the elbow joint. Doing so shifts all of the weight from the shoulders to the elbow joint, thus inter­rupting muscle stimulation. This can hurt the elbow joint and limit shoulder muscle stimulation.

 

10. From this point, hold the extended position for two seconds and slowly begin to lower the bar in a smooth, controlled, fluid motion, without resting.

 

Barbell Shoulder Press sidebar:

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

“Success in sports performance can be likened to the practice of Zen masters. The concentration is so complete, there is no consciousness of concentration. The player must be one with the sport in order to execute to his/her optimal ability.”

--Dr. Fred Hatfield

Mindfulness

If you start to feel weary during your workout, try going for a walk. Leave the weight room and walk around other parts of the club, or take a walk outside. A brief walk and change of atmosphere is often enough to revitalize the brain and re-establish the mind-muscle connection.

Safety Tip:

Remember, the further a weight is from your body, the more load it puts on your muscles, effectively multiplying its own weight. If you can’t get close enough to the bar, get a partner to help you with racking and unracking.

Dumbbell Lateral Raises

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Deltoid medial head

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Deltoid anterior, Deltoid posterior

NOTES: Leave your ego outside the gym and use a low weight that allows you to concentrate on perfect form.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Take a standing position with a shoulder-width stance. Align the body from the bottom up, beginning with the feet. Make sure the feet are pointing straight ahead. Keep the knees pointing straight ahead and slightly bent to help avoid any unnecessary back strain.

 

2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms straight down at your sides. Your palms should be pointed toward your body.

 

3. Focus your attention on the medial deltoid muscle and flex it to get into Zone-Tone.

 

4. Keeping your arms straight and at the sides of your body, lift the weights directly out to the sides until they reach the level of your cheeks.

 

5. As you lift the dumbbells, your palms should face downward, so your shoulder muscles rather than the biceps muscles do the work.

 

6. At the top, squeeze your delts and hold the weights there for a two-sec­ond count.

 

7. While maintaining your posture and body alignment, lower the dumbbells in a controlled fashion back to the starting point. Make sure you pick a dumbbell weight that allows you to practice perfect form. If you pick a weight that is too heavy, momentum will force muscles other than the shoul­der to do the work. Some people have the tendency to bend at the elbows. Keeping the arms straight allows for better isolation of the medial deltoid.

 

Dumbbell Lateral Raises sidebar:

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

When a man is electrocuted, whether by lighting or the electric chair, his muscles contract so hard and thoroughly that they tear, pull ligaments off bones and sometimes even breaking the bones they’re attached to. You have the strength to perform every rep in your routine. Send charges of mental electricity to your muscles to increase the strength of their contractions.

Mindfulness

Before each exercise, take time to visualize yourself performing the exercise perfectly. It should be a detailed vision that includes how it looks, how you’re standing, how it feels, and every other aspect you can envision. This visualization prepares the mind and body to duplicate what you’ve imagined. It’s like programming your system for success.

Safety Tip:

Remember, the further a weight is from your body, the more load it puts on your muscles, effectively multiplying its own weight. If you can’t do this exercise without compromising your form, then get a lighter set of dumbbells.

Bent Over Lateral Raises

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Posterior deltoid

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Trapezius

NOTES: The rear or posterior deltoid is one of the most neglected muscles in the body. By using this exercise to develop this muscle, you will give your shoulders a fantastic three-dimensional look. There are three ways to execute this exercise:

1-Seated backward on an incline bench with your chest against the back rest

2-Seated on a flat bench with your chest bent over your knees

3-Standing while bent at the hips and your back parallel to the floor. When using this method, be sure to keep your knees slightly bent so you don’t put too much strain on your back.

The instructions below focus on the first method.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Choose two light dumbbells so that you may practice perfect form. Hold one in each hand and let your arms hang at your sides as you take a seat facing backward on the incline bench, with your legs straddling the backrest. Rest your entire torso, from your pelvic bone to your chest, on the incline bench's angled pad with your head and eyes looking straight ahead. FLAT BENCH VERSION: Your legs should straddle the bench with your knees facing forward and your shins perpendicular to the floor. Bend at the hips and nearly touch your chest to your knees. STANDING VERSION: Bend your knees and bend over at the hips until your back is parallel to the floor or a little higher.

 

2. Position your feet shoulder-width apart, pointing them straight ahead at all times during the exercise. Make sure that your knees are bent so there is no unnecessary lower back stress.

 

3. With your palms fac­ing each other, keep looking straight ahead. As you prepare to do the exercise, focus all of your attention and concen­tration on the rear deltoid muscles of the shoulder. Know where these mus­cles are located and how they feel when stimulated. This is why we suggest that you go light, so that you may isolate these muscles without incorporating others into the movement.

 

4. Slowly and without momentum, begin lifting the dumbbells out to each side of your body. As you lift the dumbbells to the sides of your body, your elbows will be leading the motion, but keep them locked at a nearly straight angle. If you lead the movement with the dumbbells you’ll take all of the focus off the rear deltoid muscles.

 

5. Do not lift your torso as you lift. If you find that you are in fact lifting with your back for momentum, stop! Either lighten the weight or rest for a minute and do your next set. Don't just go through the motions only concerned with getting the weights up. Focus on isolation of the rear deltoid muscles, and make them contract hard.

 

6. Make sure that you lift the dumb­bells straight out to your sides rather than behind you or out in front of you. Bringing the dumbbells behind shifts the focus to the trapezius muscles, and holding them forward shifts it to the front deltoids.

 

7. Maintain your postural alignment and bring the dumbbells up to level with your shoulders or slightly higher. Squeeze the dumbbells up while you contract the rear deltoid muscles as hard as you can. Hold this contrac­tion for two seconds.

 

7. Slowly begin lower­ing the dumbbells, making sure that you make the rear deltoid muscles con­tinue to work during the lowering por­tion of the exercise.

 

8. As you reach the bottom posi­tion, do not rest. Once again, slowly lift the dumbbells out to each side of your body in a smooth, con­trolled and fluid motion, without using momentum.

 

Bent Over Lateral Raises sidebar:

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Although versions of this exercise requires bending over, be careful not to involve your lower back. Doing so may lead to injury. Instead of thinking that you are lifting the dumbbells, think that you are squeezing your shoulder blades together and spreading the dumbbells apart. This will keep your focus on the rear deltoids where it should be.

Mindfulness

If you’re having trouble making it to the top of a movement, imagine there is an angel hovering above you and at the last second he/she grabs your arms and lifts them skyward. This visualization should make your muscles think the weights have suddenly become lighter and you will lift them successfully.

Safety Tip:

Remember, the further a weight is from your body, the more load it puts on your muscles, effectively multiplying its own weight. If you can’t do this exercise without compromising your form, then get a lighter set of dumbbells.

Rear Deltoid Machine

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Posterior deltoid

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: None

NOTES: The seated rear-delt machine gives you the ability to really focus on isolating the rear delts without the possibil­ity of lower back injury and the burden of having to bend over at the hips. This is a perfect exer­cise for those who feel dizzy when bent over or feel too much chest compression from having to lean on the incline bench, or have lower back problems.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Seat yourself on the machine and position your body so that you are sit­ting upright with your chest flush against the vertical pad. There should be a seat adjustment that will allow you to raise and lower the seat. Bring the seat to a height where your chin can rest neutrally on the edge of the pad in front of you. This is a good height to optimize the proper anatomical position for this shoulder exercise.

 

2. Keep your feet flat on the floor and pointing straight ahead during the movement. Also, keep your knees pointing straight ahead at all times. On most rear-delt machines, you will find inner thigh pads for added stability. Keep your thighs snug against the pads to give you the added support needed to secure your core musculature.

 

3. This machine is often used as a pec deck and gives you the option of adjust­ing the arm bars to your liking. For this particular exercise, you will want the arm bars brought to the back position so they are just about touching one another. You also might have the option of taking your handgrip in a palms fac­ing position or an over-hand position. Take the overhand position since this will take much stress off the wrists and allow better muscle control and isola­tion of the rear shoulders, thus negat­ing the triceps muscles as much as possible from the movement.

 

4. Make sure that you keep a slight bend in the elbows at all times. This bend of the arms will help make sure that you keep the focus of resistance on the rear delts and off the triceps. You might reach a level of fatigue where you are forced to use the triceps muscles to move the weight. When you reach this point, either resist the temptation or simply lower the weight.

 

5. Keep your sternum against the chest pad at all times during the exer­cise with your torso totally upright.

 

6. Before you begin the movement, make sure you are consciously focused on the rear deltoid muscles and begin to isometrically contract them before mov­ing the weight. This might take some practice to perfect, but you will soon multiply your muscle isolation abilities ten-fold.

 

7. Begin pulling the bars away from each other while focusing on contracting your rear delts. Maintain your body alignment at all times. Imagine opening a pair of heavy doors. Bring the bars as far back as possible without jerking or using momentum to do so.

 

8. When you reach the top of the movement, with arms fully extended out­wards, hold this position for two counts while feeling the rear shoulder muscles taking the brunt of the resis­tance. At this point, really squeeze the rear delts.

 

9. Slowly allow the arms to return to the start position, resisting the bars on the negative portion of the exercise by continuing to keep the delts tense and contracted.

 

10. Once you have reached the position where the bars are just about touching each other, do not allow the weight stack to touch the bottom. You want to keep constant tension on the muscles and must stop right before the weights touch bottom. From here immediately begin to bring the bars apart once again with great form.

 

Rear Deltoid Machine sidebar:

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Don’t forget to visualize every rep. In addition to feeling the muscle work, you have to envision the effects of that movement. See the muscle pull at the same time you feel it and your body will do what it’s supposed to.

Mindfulness

After a workout, remember to visualize the workout. If it was a disappointing workout, visualize what went wrong, then visualize how you will do it differently and practice it in your head several times. If it was a good workout, replay it in your mind several times—especially the best parts—so it’s committed to memory and you can recall it next time. 

Dumbbell Upright Rows

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Deltoids, trapezius

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Biceps

NOTES: Make certain that you use very strict form with this exercise, avoiding momentum at all times. The rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder are extremely delicate and are prone to injuries that occur because of poor form and excessive weight. The upright row exercise alone can stress the rotator cuff muscles. This makes it imperative that you use a weight you can handle using perfect form and technique with no momentum at all.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Choose a weight that is easy enough that you can focus only on your form. Once you have mastered the correct form, it will become second nature and you will find it easy to move up in weight, thereby being able to fully stimulate the shoul­der muscles.

 

2. Hold the dumbbells so that your hands are directly over your thighs. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and point them straight ahead. Keep your knees slightly bent at all times during the movement to take stress off the lower back region. Also, keep the knees pointing straight ahead,

 

3. Contract the abdominal muscles slightly to help keep your postural alignment. Keep your back straight, body still and your head level and looking straight ahead as you do the exercise.

 

4. Relax the musculature of your chest and back. Close your eyes and once again visualize yourself actually doing the movement while focusing on the shoulder and trapezius muscles.

 

5. Hold the dumbbells across your thighs and keep your palms facing toward your body. Begin focusing on the muscles of the shoulder including the trapezius muscles. Although you will be pulling the weight up with your hands, you must let the elbows lead the motion, keeping them high as you pull up.

 

6. Begin pulling the weight up slowly, concentrating on feeling the stimulation of the focused muscles. Lead with your elbows, and lift the dumbbells to a point where they come close to the height of your chin. The most important thing to do at this position of the exercise is to con­sciously focus on and physically con­tract the muscles of the trapezius. Hold the contraction here for two seconds.

 

7. Slowly lower the dumbbells while maintaining the same exact form and posture you did when pulling up. When you reach the bottom (start) position, slowly begin pulling the weights back to the top position of the exercise using a controlled, fluid motion. Make sure that you do not jerk or use momentum to lift the dumbbells at any time during this exercise.

 

Dumbbell Upright Rows sidebar:

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Use your breath to do more than just deliver oxygen to your muscles.  When resting between sets, inhale through your nose and suck in positive energy from the universe. When you go back to work, expend that positive energy with a forceful exhalation. You’ll be surprised how much harder your muscles work when you connect them with that mental breath energy.

Mindfulness

When the going gets tough, turn on the Nitro! Some street racers equip their cars with a tank of Nitrous Oxide – a high-octane fuel that gives the engine a sudden and powerful burst of speed that launches the car down the road. Energize your last reps in the set by mentally turning on your human Nitro, Adrenaline, and you’ll get a burst of power to finish the set.

E-Z Bar Upright Rows

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Deltoids, trapezius

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Biceps

NOTES: Make certain that you use very strict form with this exercise, avoiding momentum at all times. The rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder are extremely delicate and are prone to injuries that occur because of poor form and excessive weight. The upright row exercise alone can stress the rotator cuff muscles. This makes it imperative that you use a weight you can handle using perfect form and technique with no momentum at all. I recommend that you practice the exercise using an E-Z Curl bar at first. This is usually much easier on the wrists and shoulders than a straight barbell.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Choose a weight for the E-Z bar that is easy enough so you can focus only on your form. Once you have mastered the correct form, it will become second nature and you will find it easy to move up in weight, thereby being able to fully stimulate the shoul­der muscles.

 

2. Grasp the bar using a shoulder-width or slightly narrower grip. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and point them straight ahead. Keep your knees slightly bent at all times during the movement to take stress off the lower back region. Also, keep the knees pointing straight ahead,

 

3. Contract the abdominal muscles slightly to help keep your postural alignment. Keep your back straight, body still and your head level and looking straight ahead as you do the exercise.

 

4. Relax the musculature of your chest and back. Close your eyes and once again visualize yourself actually doing the movement while focusing on the shoulder and trapezius muscles.

 

5. Hold the bar across your thighs and keep your palms facing toward your body. Begin focusing on the muscles of the shoulder including the trapezius muscles. Although you will be pulling the weight up with your hands, you must let the elbows lead the motion, keeping them high as you pull up.

 

6. Begin pulling the bar up slowly, concentrating on feeling the stimulation of the focused muscles. Lead with your elbows, and lift the bar to a point where it comes close to your chin. The most important thing to do at this position of the exercise is to con­sciously focus on and physically con­tract the muscles of the trapezius. Hold the contraction here for two seconds.

 

7. Slowly lower the bar while maintaining the same exact form and posture you did when pulling up. When you reach the bottom position, slowly begin pulling the bar back to the top position of the exercise using a controlled, fluid motion. Make sure that you do not jerk or use momentum to lift the bar at any time during this exercise.

 

E-Z Bar Upright Rows sidebar:

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

This exercise requires full concentration and focus to stay tight and straight. Really, your mind needs to be thinking about and feeling the full contraction of the trapezius muscles, but you also need to be constantly aware of your back and keep it in proper alignment. The Full Body Tension technique is ideal for upright rows, because it contracts every muscle in your body, which keeps it locked in alignment. (See Mindful Exercise technique on page XX)

Mindfulness

Tell yourself how huge and strong you are. Exaggerate and build up your confidence with every rep. Tell yourself after each rep that it was easy—kid’s play even, and launch into the next rep. Building your confidence up will help you pull every ounce of effort out of your muscles. When you’re confident, they are.

Dumbbell Shrugs

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Trapezius

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Back muscles

NOTES: The trapezius can handle surprisingly heavy weights, so shoulder presses and other deltoid exercises don’t even come close to the weights necessary for stimulating these powerful muscles across the top of your back. Nonetheless, begin with relatively light weights to get used to the form and work your way up. Dumbbells allow for a neutral grip instead of an overhand grip.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1. Starting with a weight that allows you to practice perfect form, deadlift the weight to a standing position with your arms hanging straight down. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart and your knees pointing forward with a slight bend. Hold the dumbbells in a neutral grip and keep your arms straight at your sides.

 

2. Throughout the exercise keep your back erect and your head straight and looking forward or with the chin tucked slightly. Your shoulders should be back, relaxed and in line with your ears.

 

3. Isometrically contract your traps, which connect your shoulders to the spine, before lifting.

 

4. Concentrating on the contraction, shrug your shoulders as if you were going to touch them to your ears. Don’t let your head come forward as this will recruit the lats instead of isolating the traps.

 

5. At the top of the shrug, squeeze your trapezius hard and hold it for two seconds. Then slowly lower the weight to where your traps feel a comfortable stretch.

 

6. Without stopping or using momentum, contract the traps and start the shoulders back up to the top in a fluid motion.

 

Dumbbell Shrugs sidebar:

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Before picking up the dumbbells at the start of a set, assume your working stance and tense up your entire body from head to toe. Doing so prepares your body for action and bearing the weight. Maintain the tension as you pick up the dumbbells and tense with them for a moment before beginning the set. Just before starting the first rep switch your attention and tensing to the trapezius. Imagine shrugging your shoulders so high, that you can touch your ears. This will ensure optimum muscle fiber recruitment in the trapezius muscles.

Mindfulness

When the burn starts to set in during a set, blow it away with every breath. Think about blowing steam off a cup of coffee that’s too hot to drink and actually blow out your breath forcefully on each rep. The burn will dissipate enough to get the next rep in.

Smith Machine Shrugs

PRIMARY TARGET MUSCLES: Trapezius

SECONDARY TARGET MUSCLES: Back muscles

NOTES: The trapezius can handle surprisingly heavy weights, so shoulder presses and other deltoid exercises don’t even come close to the weights necessary for stimulating these powerful muscles across the top of your back. Shrugs allow you to isolate the trapezius and hit them heavy. Nonetheless, begin with relatively light weights to get used to the form and work your way up. The Smith Machine allows you to use really heavy weights without spending the energy to lift them off the floor.

 

EXECUTION AND FORM

1., Rack the bar at a height just below your hands when you are standing erect. Load the bar, starting with a weight that allows you to practice perfect form. Stand in front of the bar and lift it into an erect position with an overhand grip.

 

2. Throughout the exercise keep your back erect and your head straight and looking forward or with the chin tucked slightly. Your shoulders should be back, relaxed and in line with your ears.

 

3. Isometrically contract your traps, which connect your shoulders to the spine, before lifting.

 

4. Concentrating on the contraction, shrug your shoulders as if you were going to touch them to your ears. Don’t let your head come forward as this will recruit the lats instead of isolating the traps.

 

5. At the top of the shrug, squeeze your trapezius hard and hold it for two seconds. Then slowly lower the weight to where your traps feel a comfortable stretch.

 

6. Without stopping or using momentum, contract the traps and start the shoulders back up to the top in a fluid motion.

 

Smith Machine Shrugs sidebar:      

Mind Over Muscle Thoughts:

Brain health and physical fitness go hand in hand. Being alert with good motor-memory skills will improve your workouts and help you build muscle more effectively. But the act of exercising, particularly when concentrating on the exercise, also stimulates and improves memory and other mental functions. It’s a snowball effect that results in both enormous physical and mental well being.

Mindfulness

To help establish the mind-to-muscle connection before every set, stand ready to pick up the weight but pause before doing so. During the pause, visualize yourself someplace peaceful: at a lake, on a mountain top, someplace quiet and familiar. Let the peacefulness of that vision sink into your head and your muscles. Relax and empty your thoughts of or for the day. Then methodically tense each muscle in your body in turn, ending with the traps or whatever muscle you’re about to exercise.