Under a quarter of American adults met the recommended guidelines for daily exercise in 2020. If you’re trying to get fit, you might be thinking of working on your shoulders.
But, what problems should you be watching out for when you’re working out?
Let’s go through the most common shoulder workout mistakes.
Lifting Too Much Weight
One of the most common errors when doing shoulder exercises is using excessive weight, which can compromise your form and put unnecessary stress on your shoulders. Avoid this by starting with lighter weights and gradually increasing the resistance as you build strength and improve your technique.
Choose weights that let you perform the exercises with control and good form. You should be able to complete repetitions with proper technique while feeling challenged but not overly strained. Gradually add more weight as your strength improves.
Poor Posture
Many people tend to round their shoulders or hunch forward during shoulder exercises. This can lead to imbalances and increase the risk of shoulder injuries.
Focus on maintaining good posture throughout the workout by keeping your chest up, shoulders back and down, and spine aligned.
Standing with an unstable or unsupported stance can affect your overall posture during shoulder exercises. Make sure to stand with your feet shoulder-distance apart, distributing your weight evenly. This will provide a stable base and allow you to maintain proper posture throughout the exercise.
Neglecting Warm-up and Mobility Exercises
One of the biggest mistakes is skipping the warm-up altogether. A proper warm-up helps improve blood flow to the muscles, raises your body temperature, and prepares your joints and muscles for the upcoming workout.
It can be as simple as doing a few minutes of light cardio to get your heart rate up and warm up your entire body.
While a general warm-up is essential, it’s also important to include specific warm-up exercises for your shoulders. Perform dynamic shoulder stretches and movements like arm circles, shoulder rolls, and cross-body arm swings to increase blood flow, lubricate the joints, and activate the shoulder muscles.
Cooling down after you finish is just as necessary as warming up. It helps reduce muscle soreness and promotes recovery. Spend a few minutes performing static stretches for your shoulders and other muscle groups involved in your workout. This can help improve flexibility and prevent tightness.
Lack of Variety in Exercises
Repeating the same shoulder exercises over and over can lead to a plateau in strength and muscle growth.
Include exercises that focus on different parts of the shoulder, such as overhead presses, front raises, the best rear delt exercises, and external rotations. This will ensure balanced development and prevent overuse injuries.
If you’re not sure which exercises you should try, click for online fitness courses.
Avoid These Shoulder Workout Mistakes Today
Clearly, there are a lot of shoulder workout errors you could be making. You should now have some understanding of what you should be watching out for.
Do you want more exercise advice? We’ve got you covered. Read through some of our other posts.
Be First to Comment