Shoulders

K09 · 09-03-2008 8:43pm #1

Hi,

I want to build up muscle on my shoulders.

I have been doing push ups for a while now and they have helped build up my chest and biceps.

Any advice on how I would build up my shoulders? I am not a gym member.

Thanks.

Froot · 09-03-2008 8:48pm

The only one I can think of straight up is shrugs.

rubadub · 09-03-2008 8:56pm

Have you weights at all? How many pushups can you do?

If you can do more than 10 then it is time to switch to inclined pushups, put you hand on the ground and legs on a chair or bed. Find an angle where you can only manage 8-12 pushups. If you are strong enough try some handstand pushups, even just practise handstands against a wall. I am working up to them myself at the moment.

A handstand pushup is similar to a military press which is great for the shoulders.

celestial · 09-03-2008 8:57pm

Push-ups work the shoulders!! You should try different variations of the push-up, of which there are very many. Try decline push-ups, e.g. with your shins up on a swiss ball or your feet on a chair - these may also work your shoulders a bit more than regular push-ups.

davyjose · 09-03-2008 9:14pm

Ok, here's something I used to do: It's unlikely you'll have the strength for handstand pushups, but if you put you're feet on a chair, or som other flat support (the higher the better) and keep your body at a 90 degree angle with your head towards the floor, and do push-ups that way, you can work your shoulders that way.

rubadub · 09-03-2008 9:19pm

davyjose wrote: »

Ok, here's something I used to do: It's unlikely you'll have the strength for handstand pushups, but if you put you're feet on a chair, or som other flat support (the higher the better) and keep your body at a 90 degree angle with your head towards the floor, and do push-ups that way, you can work your shoulders that way.

Yes, I forgot about that, and have been doing it myself.

Another difference between HSPU and military press is that you have no bar to grab. When you grip a bar you are usually able to exert more force, than hand position is a limiting factor. I was down at the beach and was able to do them better in the sand, since I could clench my fist on the sand. You could also get some pushupstands, I have some but have difficulty getting into a handstand with them. The other advantage is that your head will be able to go lower than a normal handstand pushup- no ground to hit. You could do it on 2 blocks or books with a gap between for your head to go down further.

If you have no equipment I would at least advise getting a chinning bar, only around €11 in argos. Or find somewhere you can do them. I only recently found out from Transform that cabinteely park has dip stations, chinning bars, and monkey bars.

Mikel · 09-03-2008 9:52pm

All those are good, do dips as well. Might be able to do them with two chairs.
Anyone have rings fitted to a door frame? That would be useful!

rubadub · 09-03-2008 10:10pm

Mikel wrote: »

All those are good, do dips as well. Might be able to do them with two chairs.
Anyone have rings fitted to a door frame? That would be useful!

I have rings on my chinning bar. The higher up the better, a good place would be your attic hole, you could span some wood across the hole and loop the rings.

You can make rings pretty easy. Check the link in my signature. All you really need is some webbing like these.

http://cgi.ebay.ie/2-5-m-Med-Duty-surfboard-Canoe-webbing-tie-down-straps_W0QQitemZ140213415257QQihZ004QQcategoryZ87089QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

And some rings, some just heat and bend PVC pipe into a ring shape, you might be able to find an off the shelf ring that you could use. Some have used dog toys!
http://cgi.ebay.ie/Classic-7-Rubber-Ring_W0QQitemZ220117268992QQihZ012QQcategoryZ20753QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

That is about €17 for the 2 straps and 2 rings delivered. If you have hooks or loop them on the attic or on a stair rail then you dont even need a chinning bar. I don't know how stretchy those rings would be though, or if they could take the weight, I would probably bend the PVC myself.

Dips on rings are a whole new experience! wake up muscles you never knew you had. You can do ab rollouts, flyes, tricep pushups and all sorts of other things.

Malteaser! · 10-03-2008 1:22am

Froot wrote: »

The only one I can think of straight up is shrugs.

Your traps are on your upper back, shrugs will work the upper part of the green area.

They really don't have all that much to do with your shoulders.

Lil' Smiler · 10-03-2008 1:37am

Traps have alot to do with the shoulders.

Upper Fibres pull shoulder girdle up & help prevent depression of the shoulder girdle when a weight is carried on the shoulder or in the hand (ie women very commonly injure traps from carrying shopping bags)

Middle traps adduct or retract the scapula.Lower traps depress the scapula, particularly against a resistance, as when using the hands to get up from a chair. Upper & Lower fibres together rotate the scapula, as in raising the arm above the head.

Exercises to build up traps are chin ups (work middle & lower fibres), shoulder press (upper fibres), dips (middle/ lower fibres), lateral dumb-bell raises

Handstand shoulder shrugs are good for building them up, we use them alot in gymnastics to help with the gymnasts bar work. Even handstand hold against the wall is beneficial

OP, do you find your shoulders to be weak? Maybe try working on strengthening the Rotator Cuff muscles (infraspinatus, supraspinatus, teres minor & subscapularis), these muscles stabilise the should joint.

Hanley · 10-03-2008 1:39am

^^Of course they do, no one is denying or questioning that.

The point was, shrugs won't do anything for shoulder development. Do you not agree?

Just to clarify, my point is... Doing shrugs is not going to make your shoulders wide/bigger/stronger.

EDIT: But as your pointed out, doing shoulder work can have a positive carryover to your traps.

K09 · 10-03-2008 11:22am

Hi.
Thanks for the replies!
My shoulder blade area is quite boney and the top of my shoulders are very prominent. The bone is pointy and sticks up a little over the shoulder level. (i.e. along the shoulder to neck area)
So I'm looking to build up that area.

Thanks.

Degsy · 10-03-2008 12:41pm

If you dont have weights,swimming will improve the width of your shoulders quite a bit.

aye · 10-03-2008 2:05pm

if you dont want to go to a gym would you not buy some weights and do some shoulder presses and some frontal/lateral/posterior raises.
get a chin up bar for your back (shoulder blades area).

if you dont want to buiy weights, you surely have something heavy in your house you could lift over your head (dont drop it)

and as said incline press up, and swimming are great ways to work your shoulder.

Roper · 10-03-2008 2:27pm

rubadub,
two things- on the beach, you're going on your knuckles to do the HSPU? Supported or unsupported in the handstand? Why do you think the hand position has an effect?

I can only do them against a wall. I have a girl training with me who can do about 7 unsupported, but then she is 15, about 40kgs and a gymnast too. I can do a max of 6, head tipping off a 3/4inch target for ROM and after that I hit failure. I was making great progress there for a while then I injured my shoulder grappling.

rubadub · 10-03-2008 2:44pm

Roper wrote: »

rubadub,
two things- on the beach, you're going on your knuckles to do the HSPU? Supported or unsupported in the handstand? Why do you think the hand position has an effect?

I am supported, there is a wall my feet go against. I made 2 sort of divets in the sand, now my hands go in flat but angled. On a normal handstand your palms are at 90degrees to your forearm, in the sand I have them at about 45degrees. I find this a limiting factor- others may not. i.e. I feel strain on my wrist which doesnt help things. In a Pavel Tsatsouline article he was talking of tensioning muscle to get more power, I do find this helps. if I use a gripper and tension my free hand I can close the other more, if I am doing one arm military presses I sometimes use a gripper in the free hand, seems to give me more power. With hands out flat you cannot grip.

So after my hands are comfortable in the sand at 45degrees I can grip and hold a fistful of sand. At this stage my knuckles are straight out in line with my forearm. I think having a stick in the sand to grip with both hands might help to. I have heard some doing military presses try and bend the bar apart to get more power, a long stick/bar in the sand would allow this.

Maybe I just need more practise doing handstands, or flex and stretch my wrist to be in this position.

Also on the beach you can dig a hole for your head so it can go down further, giving a greater ROM.

Roper · 10-03-2008 2:49pm

I get you. Might try it with handles we have some in the gym. Thanks.

rubadub · 10-03-2008 10:35pm

Roper wrote: »

I get you. Might try it with handles we have some in the gym. Thanks.

I found it hard to get into a handstand with the handles. I tried some just there. I found it easier this time, I got into a headstand (standing on my head with hands by my side). Then I was able to draw the handles in from beside me and attempt to push myself up, but no joy! not a budge. The bigger ROM is limiting me now, I wasn't ever able to push myself up, I get in a handstand and do a slow negative downwards. I am ~75kg and military pressing ~48kg for 10reps. So according to those calculators my 1RM is ~64kg. Maybe if I put my head on something to lower the ROM I could do it. Or just practise them more with my legs up on something attempting to get a 90degree bend at the legs.
like these.

Then I will build up to 10 of these :eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA5XskutHrA

Shoulders

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