Shoulders
Shoulder training can change the proportions of your physique.
Well-developed shoulders draw more attention to your upper body and
create an aesthetically pleasing taper, making your waist appear
smaller.
Strong shoulders are advantageous in most sports involving upper body motions. The shoulder muscles are involved in:
- Overhead pushing actions - e.g. tumbling and vaulting in gymnastics, and the clean and jerk in weightlifting.
- Overhead hitting actions - e.g. the tennis serve, the overhead smash in badminton and overhead hits and blocks in volleyball and basketball.
- Raising the arms forwards or sideways away from the body - e.g. tennis or squash strokes, and front crawl in swimming.
You need to use a variety of exercises to train your shoulders as there is no single exercise that works the whole area. The shoulders are comprised of three heads each of which needs to be targeted if you want full and well balanced development.
If you are prone to shoulder injuries, however, pay attention to your training technique as poor technique can exacerbate any underlying problems and do proper warm ups.