What’s the secret to a long life? There are many different answers to this question, but there are three that often make it to the list: eat healthily, be happy, and exercise. These three are scientifically and anecdotally proven true, and they are recommended by experts to prolong one’s physical being. Among these three, one requires a slightlymore effort than the other two: exercise. However, not everyone is accustomed to exercising regularly. Some don’t because of the time constraint. Others fail to make it a habit because of the lack of motivation. A few don’t feel the need to make it a part of their life. What is exercise, and how important is it to a person’s well-being?
Understanding Exercise
Exercise is a physical activity that utilizes the body for the purpose of boosting or maintaining a person’s health and physical fitness. Aside from maintaining health, exercise is also performed to improve one’s strength and endurance, lose weight, fight off stress, and enhance the overall physique. Majority of the exercising population are men. In fact, studies show that men workout twice as much as women. This is not surprising, considering the difference between a man and a woman’s physical built. Men are physiologically more capable of more strenuous activities; therefore, they may feel more encouraged to maintain their strength through exercise. A man’s physical strength is also a symbol of his dominance, and men take a great value on this aspect.
Exercise can be classified into three: aerobic, flexibility, and anaerobic. An aerobic exercise requires the body to consume more oxygen than it would while at rest, and it’s done to boost one’s cardiovascular endurance. Examples of aerobic exercises are running and swimming. Flexibility exercises aim for strengthening and lengthening of muscles and pliancy of joints. Examples of this type of exercise is stretching or a shoulder workout routine for women. An anaerobic type is the opposite of the first as it requires minimal oxygen consumption. It aims to boost one’s strength, resistance, balance, and coordination. This type of exercise is what gyms promote through weight drills, Crossfit routines, high-intensity interval training, and functional workouts.
Muscle Group Exercises
If your exercise goal is to improve your muscles and have a leaner body, then it will be helpful to know what the different muscle groups are. It is only then that you can figure out what exercises will be most appropriate. The muscle groups in the body, to put simply, are the chest, back, quadriceps, hamstrings, biceps, triceps, calves, glutes, abs, and shoulders. The chest and back are pretty self-explanatory. Quadriceps are located in the front of the legs, hamstrings and calves are in the back. The biceps and triceps are both in the arm. Glutes are around the buttocks. Abs are in the belly area. Then, there’s the shoulders.
Among these muscle groups, the shoulders are not the most favorite of women when working out. However, it is important to strengthen the shoulder muscles as they have a big impact on one’s stability. This article will go through the different shoulder workouts for women to guide you in your workouts.
Shoulder Workouts for Women
What are the best shoulder workouts for women? Below is a list of must-try routines to tone your shoulders.
Dumbbell Front Raises – Using a dumbbell with weight of your choosing, place them on your hip-side and raise them up to your shoulder. Do this 12 times for 2 sets. This targets your frontal and side deltoids and your chest muscles. This is an awesome shoulder workout for women of any age.
Bent Arm Lateral Raises – This is another good routine as it targets your front and side shoulder muscles, and your chest and side-chest portions. Start your position by holding your dumbbells, with your knuckles facing each other, around the belly area. Then, lift your shoulders to the side until your arms are parallel to the ground. Repeat this for 10-15 times for 2-3 cycles.
Push-Ups – It’s a no-brainer that this is an effective shoulder and back workout for women. It strengthens your upper body; it focuses on your shoulder and arm muscles to allow you to carry your body well. To do this, go on a high-plank position and use your chest strength to push your towards the ground. Go as low as you can without straining.
Swimmers – This is a good shoulder and back workout for women as it challenges your frontal and lateral deltoids. To do this, lie down facing the floor with your arms on both sides of your body, holding a dumbbell. Rotate your arms to form a 180-degree angle when it aligns with your straight body. Repeat this 10-15 times for 2-3 reps.
Bent-over-fly – This is a good back and shoulders workout for women, as it tones both muscles, especially the upper-and-middle back. To perform this drill, stand and half-kneel with your arms hanging parallel to your trunk. With your palms directed towards your body, swing your arms to the side, so that your shoulders are squeezed in the process. Repeat as many times as possible, with increasing reps to challenge your muscles even more.
Pec deck butterfly – This is another awesome shoulder workout routine for women. It targets not just your front shoulder muscles, but also your chest muscles, triceps, and back. You can do this by standing straight and lifting your arms to a 90-degree angle, so your elbows are parallel to the floor. Then, bend your elbows downward and back to the starting position while engaging your abs.
Conclusion About Best Shoulder Workouts for Women
What are the specific benefits of exercise? Exercise, like a shoulder workout for women, is a contributor to maintaining the body’s physical and mental well-being. Physically, it aids in boosting metabolic rates, maintaining a healthful bone density, strengthening muscles, fortifying the immune system, and expanding mobility. Mentally, exercise triggers the production of the body’s happy hormones, endorphins, to provide the body with a mood boost. It also allows increased focus and improved sleep cycle. Some studies even indicate that it leads to increased production of neurons in the brain, improved spatial intelligence, and enhanced memory.
Shoulders workout for women, specifically, strengthen the shoulder muscles to perform more strenuous activities. With the era of hunched backs over computers, these type of workouts prevent them from having weak muscles around this body part. This also allows women to develop good posture and to create an illusion of a smaller waist. If a lady is concerned about her figure, a good deltoid workout can help her form a broader shoulder can transform her physique to look leaner and fitter. With proper training, and a balance of flexibility, aerobic, and anaerobic exercise, a woman can truly shine and live a longer and happier life with exercising.