Shoulder Circuit

Here’s one of my favorite shoulder workout circuits (snagged it from Men’s Fitness a couple of months ago). I select a weight that I will fail at 12-15 reps.

The Warm Up – Shoulder Circles with 5-lb. Weights

Your shoulders are a very delicate area! They’re easily prone to injury. Mine tend to be finiky little critters thanks to years of butterfly and diving. I found that diving into a hardcore circuit out of the gate isn’t a wise choice. I like to start by grabbing a five-pound dumbbell in each hand. Simply raise both dumbbells to your side and perform short shoulder circles in a forward motion. You want the circumference of your circles to be about six inches. Complete 10 full rotations, rest for 30 seconds and perform the same exercise in reverse. I like to do a total of two sets (one in each direction). Now on to the circuit :)

Dumbbell Shoulder Press (entire shoulder)

To begin the circuit, I like to perform dumbbell shoulder presses. These engage the entire shoulder with slightly more focus on the front deltoids.

Front Plate Raises (front deltoid)

With your hands in front of you, hold a barbell plate and lift forward. Raise the plate to slightly above eye level. If you can peak through the hole you have lifted the weight high enough :)

Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly (rear/side deltoid isolation)

Standing straight, with your legs shoulder-width apart. Lean forward at the waist. Keep your back straight, allow the dumbbells to hang under your chest. Angle wrists so that your pinky fingers are slightly higher than your thumbs. Slowly raise arms straight up to the sides.

Barbell Upright Row (front deltoid)

With a slightly wider than shoulder-width overhand grip, perform barbell upright rows to once again stimulate the front deltoid. Opting for the wider grip will place more emphasis on the side deltoids rather than engaging the trap muscles in the neck.

Next, I rest for 60 – 90 seconds, then repeat three to four additional sets of the circuit :) 30mts for fabulous shoulders? Yes please!