So we are now in 2023, and clear of THE illness that spread across the world. If you recall, during this time the powers that be highly suggest everyone stay in their homes until the coast was clear. Some people did, some did not. All I know is that all the gyms closed indefinitely, and I had to scramble to keep my physical exercise routine going.
What I settled on was calisthenics, or body weight exercises. Which meant, I actually began going to a playground (at the elementary school I once attended) to use the jungle gym equipment. Beginning in early March 2020 and still below 40 deg F outside. When the going get tough ya know… I cannot stress this enough. Do not let excuses get in the way of your personal routine or goals…!
As I like to train my entire body, I had to get creative with what was on offer. When it came to training my shoulders, I only really had one option. Handstands…! And since my upside down balance is tragic, I had to do them against a wall. No playground apparatus required…!
→ Handstands
The procedure is this. Face a wall about 3-5 feet out. Go into a handstand and rest your heels against the wall. And hold it for as long as you can. I would do a simple count for a metric so with each set I knew approximately how much time I needed to hold for. As a target.
One handstand for time counted as one set. And I believe I did 3-5 sets.
Doing these would hit my deltoid muscles primarily, with a smattering of my trapezius and tricep muscles to boot. None-the-less, I only did these for my deltoids.
Now adding a shoulder press was out of the question. That is, starting from a handstand and lowering my body to the ground, and pressing back up to my original handstand position. These were way too difficult for me at the time, but, do serve as a long term goal of mine. This could be your long term goal as well…!
Next on the shoulder agenda were my traps (trapezius muscles). As in a specific exercise, to primarily target these. In the gym, I would perform shrugs with 220+ lbs in my hands. What are shrugs may you ask…?
→ Shrugs
Hold some weight in your hands, as they lay below your waist either at your side or in front of your hips, and shrug your shoulders…simple as.
At the playground I found this seesaw thingy which had a bit of resistance to it, perfect for shrugs. But, I needed lots of reps as the resistance was a fraction of what I was used too.
For those reading this that want to do this shoulder routines at home, shrugs can be performed with any weighted object around the house. Or, you can purchase some inexpensive dumbbells or kettle bells. Just make sure whatever you use to load each hand equally.
At the playground, I did 3-5 sets. Ten repetitions per set.
Personally, I have a long neck and slightly overdeveloped trapezius muscles do not look so off on me. And, all that extra strength in my traps facilitate other compound lifts I perform. However, if you just want to condition your traps, and not necessarily make them grow, you do not have to go super heavy. Think ¼ to ½ of your body weight in total (both hands combined). So if you weight 120 lbs, shrug with the equivalent of 15 -30 lbs dumbbells in each hand.
Training your deltoids and traps is a very thorough way of ensuring the functionality of your shoulders will be bolstered, or reinforced, with substantial strength and conditioning. And as your body works as a system, focusing on training all the subsystems for proper conditioning will mean your body will be well on its way for a good foundation of strength and endurance.
Oh, and your shoulders may start to appear more aesthetically pleasing to your eye as well. Which is an added bonus, but never should be a main intention.
Physical training shall be reserved in your mind as primarily benefiting your health and mobile preservation. Form shall follow function.
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