Shoulders and Neck

Shoulders aren''t just a simple set of muscles; they''re a complex bodily construction—an intricate collection of joints, bones, nerves and muscles that helps support and protect the upper back and neck. And while they''re at it, they help to give your arms a wonderful range of motion.

The major players in your shoulder muscles are the trapezius and the deltoid. "When you raise or rotate your shoulders, you''re using the trapezius," says Allen Kinley, assistant strength and conditioning coach at Texas A&M University in College Station. These muscles also keep your neck strong and well-supported. Your delts help your arms with lifting and pulling. At the same time, they cover your rotator cuff, a band of muscles and tendons that encapsulate the shoulder joints and are key to your mobility.

Getting the Bold Shoulder

As a complex juncture of joints and muscles, shoulders are a feat of biological engineering. Unfortunately, it is their complexity that makes them an easy mark for monkey wrenches of every stripe.

"You know how they say the more sophisticated a machine is, the more things there are that can go wrong with it? Well, that''s partly true where shoulders and certain exercises are concerned," says Todd Ellenbecker, P.T., clinical director of Physiotherapy Associates Scottsdale Sports Clinic in Arizona. As Ellenbecker explains, many of the things we do can wrack the shoulders if we''re not careful. Lifting objects overhead, pulling or pushing very heavy objects—these can injure shoulder muscles and joints if our shoulders aren''t strong.

"That''s where pre-training comes in," says Ellenbecker. "If you pre-train your shoulders—we call it prehabilitation—for weight-bearing workouts and sports, you''re going to dramatically reduce your chance of injury," says Ellenbecker. Here are a couple of prehab exercises you can use to warm up before doing any lifting or work involving the shoulder. You don''t even have to use weights. But if you do, make sure they''re very light hand weights. The idea is to prepare the shoulder joints for activity, not overpower them with weights.

The Shoulder Joint

Side-Lying External Rotations

This exercise helps tone and protect the rotator cuff.

Lie on your right side and prop your head up with your right arm. Place a small rolled up towel or pillow between your left arm and your body, halfway between your shoulder and elbow. Keep your left arm bent at 90 degrees—your left elbow should be close to your side. You can use either a light strap-on wrist weight or a light dumbbell.

Now raise your left arm slowly, until your hand is pointing straight up. Lower and repeat for 10 to 12 repetitions. Do three sets, then switch sides.

Prone Horizontal Abductions

This is another great training exercise for shoulder mobility.

To do this exercise, lie on a table on your stomach, with your right arm hanging straight down off the edge toward the floor. You can use either a light strap-on wrist weight or a light dumbbell.

With the palm of your hand facing forward, raise your arm out to the side until it is parallel to the floor. Slowly lower your arm. Do three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions. Switch arms.

Trapezius Muscles

Shoulder Shrugs

Now you can start adding some weight to your shoulder workouts and work toward whatever your goals are, be they strength, size or tone. Helping to strengthen both shoulders and neck, this particular exercise is a great workout for the trapezius. And since it follows a very natural range of motion, it''s very shoulder-friendly.

Start by standing upright, with your arms hanging loosely in front of you holding a lightly weighted barbell with a medium grip, palms facing your body. The barbell should be about upper-thigh level. Feet are shoulder-width apart, with shoulders back but drooped down as far as they naturally will go. Keep your chest out and lower back straight, with a slight forward lean.

Now lift the barbell up by raising both shoulders to the front of your body. At the highest point, rotate your shoulders toward your ears, then clench your shoulder muscles and roll them toward your back.

Upright Rows

This is a good exercise for both the trapezius and other muscles in the shoulders.

Stand upright holding a barbell in both hands, palms facing your body in a narrow grip, hands a few inches from the center of the barbell. Extend your arms down in front of you, holding the barbell at upper-thigh level. Your shoulders are slightly drooped forward, but your back is erect with a slight forward lean in the lower back.

Now lift the barbell up, pulling it toward your head until it''s no higher than nipple level. "The old way of doing these was to bring the barbell up to your chin. But if you go that far up, you run the risk of injuring the shoulders rather than working them out," says Ellenbecker. Your elbows should be pointing out. Don''t sway or rock for momentum. Hold the lift for a count of three, then lower.

Deltoids

Side Lateral Raises

These side raises work the lateral deltoids, the muscles on the side of your shoulders.

Stand upright, arms at your sides, holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your body, elbows slightly bent. Keep your shoulders back, chest out and your lower back straight with a slight forward lean. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart.

Raise both dumbbells straight out from your sides until they''re shoulder level. Pause, then lower. Keep your elbows slightly bent, and to avoid injury, don''t let your arms leave the same plane as your torso.

Alternating Front Lateral Raises

Similar to the side raises, this lift works the deltoid muscles from a different angle.

As before, stand upright, with your arms in front holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your body, elbows slightly bent. Keep your shoulders back, chest out and lower back straight with a slight forward lean. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart.

Raise one dumbbell toward the ceiling until it''s shoulder level. Don''t lock your elbow. Lower, raise the other arm. Repeat, alternating your reps. Finally, if you feel any sharp pains while you''re lifting—or feel pain in your shoulder joint after doing the workout, think about skipping this lift. "Muscle soreness is one thing," says Allen Kinley, assistant strength and conditioning coach at Texas A&M University in College Station. "But if you''re feeling a sharp pain in your joint, your body is telling you to stop what you''re doing."

Alternating Press with Dumbbells

This is another great exercise for the deltoids. Do this while sitting on a weight bench.

Grasping two dumbbells, straddle a bench with your legs slightly parted. Your feet should be firmly on the floor, your arms raised. Keep the dumbbells shoulder-width apart, shoulder level, palms facing each other. Your shoulders are back, chest out and there''s a slight forward lean in your lower back. Keep your elbows unlocked.

Raise the left dumbbell up until your arm is straight, but don''t lock your elbow. Lower, repeat with the other arm. Repeat, alternating your reps.

Bent-Over Lat Raises

To work the deltoids at the back of your shoulders, bend over at your waist and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Your palms should face in toward each other, and your elbows should be slightly bent. Feet are wider than shoulder-width apart, and your back should be straight and roughly parallel to the floor.

Raise the dumbbells out toward your sides—as though you were flapping your arms. Raise your arms until they''re parallel to the floor. Keep your back straight. Lower slowly.