How to Build Feminine, Non-Boulder Shoulders

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A woman doesn’t want or need boulder shoulders like a man. A woman wants shapely, toned shoulders. In general, you can accomplish this by lifting with lighter weights and higher repetitions.

Build muscle and burn fat with these shoulder exercises:

--Standing dumbbell shoulder press (overall shoulder work)
--Standing dumbbell front raises and upright rows (front deltoids)
--Standing dumbbell lateral raises (side deltoids)
--Bentover lateral raises (rear deltoids)

Use dumbbells because it will force each arm to do equal workloads and it will correct muscle imbalances. If you are right-handed, your right arm will probably be stronger than your left arm. A repetition range of 10 to 12 will shape and tone your shoulder muscles.

You should also be careful not to over-train or incorrectly train your shoulder muscles. Shoulder injuries are very painful and many times have long recovery periods.

Prevent shoulder injuries such as frozen shoulder, rotator cuff injuries and shoulder tendonitis by doing the following:

1) Poor Technique: Bad lifting techniques will certainly lead to shoulder injuries. When fatigue sets in, risk of shoulder injuries increase. It is critical to learn proper techniques for all lifts.

2) Flexibility: Adequate flexibility is important for every part of your body and especially so for your shoulders. Freedom of movement for the pelvis, trunk, scapula, and humerus are important.

For the rotator cuff, balancing the forces centering the head of the humerus and freedom of movement are critical. The rotator cuff muscles are dependent on good positioning of the scapula for effective control.

Bad positioning of the scapula results in decreased ability of the shoulder muscles to produce power. Static stretching for flexibility should not be done prior to exercising. A dynamic flexibility routine prepares the entire body best for your workout. Examples of good dynamic flexibility exercises would be arm circles and medicine ball front chops.

3) Core Strength and Stability: All movement begins with the core, so it is essential to strenghen and stabilize it. For your shoulders, the important areas are the lumbar spine, cervical spine and the scapulothoracic joint. If these areas are not stable, extra loading and strain is passed on to your shoulder joints.

4) General Muscle Strength: Once your body's core is adequately strengthened and stabilized, your body's limbs should then be strengthened. A strong core maximizes limb strength and lessens risks of shoulder injuries.

Regularly strengthen your shoulders to maintain tone and upright posture. You don’t need boulder shoulders to accomplish those goals.

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES, CPT is a Certified Personal Trainer and former NCAA Division I athlete. Mark’s Fat Blaster Athletic Training System has been proven to give his clients the fit, sculpted and athletic-type bodies they want. Visit Mark’s sites:

My Fitness Hut http://myfitnesshut.blogspot.com
Her Fitness Hut http://herfitnesshut.com
Sports Fitness Hut http://sportsfitnesshut.blogspot.com

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.