Boulder shoulders look aesthetic in tees, provide immense functional strength, and protect your shoulder joints from injuries. A resistance band shoulder workout can be a time and cost-saving way to build powerful shoulders.
Resistance band workouts are quickly becoming the choice of workouts due to their effectiveness when it comes to building strength and mass.
The gains are quite similar to working out in the gym if you have the right approach, form, and routine.
A resistance band shoulder workout is bound to optimally strain your deltoids while reducing the chances of injury as compared to working with free weights.
This 5-exercise routine with 5 sets of 12 repetitions each is more than enough to get your shoulders into shape quickly.
Resistance Band Workout Shoulder Workout
Pull-Apart
Muscles Worked: Deltoids, Rhomboids, and Trapezius
Sets: 5
Reps: 12
Step-by-step Instructions:
- Loop the resistance band around your back
- Hold an end of the resistance band in each hand
- Your arms should be raised to shoulder level
- Next, move your arms out laterally
- Keep your elbows and arms straight as your flex your arms wide
- Hold for a moment before returning to starting position
Bent Over Rows
Muscles Worked: Posterior Deltoids, Teres Minor and Major, Infraspinatus, and Trapezius
Sets: 5
Reps: 12
Step-by-step Instructions:
- Stand over the resistance band
- Slightly bend your knees with your hips forward
- Make sure your back stays flat
- Hold the resistance band ends in each hand
- Pull the resistance band back while squeezing your shoulder blades
- Pause for a moment before returning to starting position
Upright Rows
Muscles Worked: Deltoids, Biceps, and Pectoralis Major
Sets: 5
Reps: 12
Step-by-step Instructions:
- Stand shoulder-width apart
- Step on the resistance band
- Hold an end of the band in each hand
- Bring the band up to your upper thighs as a starting position
- Next, pull the resistance band up till your shoulders
Single Arm Rows
Muscles Worked: Posterior Deltoids, Spinal Erectors, Latissimus Dorsi and Biceps
Sets: 5
Reps: 12
Step-by-step Instructions:
- Keep your right foot up and left foot back
- Step over the resistance band depending on how much resistance you want
- Bend forward while keeping your back straight
- Pull the band back and up until your lower chest
- Pause for a moment before returning to starting position
Banded Push-ups
Muscles Worked: Anterior Deltoids, Pectoralis Major and Minor, Biceps, Triceps, and upper back muscles
Sets: 5
Reps: 12
Step-by-step Instructions:
- Kneel down and fix the resistance band
- Grip the ends of the band in each hand and loop it over your shoulders and biceps
- Now, get into a push-up position with your hands wider than shoulder-width apart
- Keep your back and arms straight
- Next, lower yourself down until your elbow make a 90-degree angle
- Hold for a second before returning to resting position
Shop Latest Gym Wear
Benefits Of Resistance Band Workouts
Work Out Anywhere
Whether you are working your chest, back, or upper body, your shoulders will be directly or indirectly involved.
Strong shoulders also promote flexibility and joint stabilization which can help reduce pain and fight age-related bone disorders.
So, working your shoulders is a no-brainer. The problem that most of us have nowadays, is time.
Our fast-paced lives usually have us compromising on beneficial habits. Because these habits are related to us, we often give them less priority as compared to our other responsibilities.
With a resistance band shoulder workout, it doesn’t have to be this way. Not only does this workout not require much equipment, it also requires less space. Therefore, with enough space to fully extend your arms, you can work out practically anywhere.
This is a viable solution for those short on time and without access to a gym. Exercise has a plethora of benefits, it’s a healthy habit that benefits every other aspect of our lives.
Resistance band and home workouts can make this habit easier to adopt because they are time, space, and cost-saving.
Increased Muscle Tension
Just because dumbbells and barbells look heavy and bands look simple and easy, does not mean they are ineffective.
The purpose of strength training or mass building is to strain muscles to failure, to rip and repair the muscles. This is how your muscles get stronger and bigger.
Studies have shown that muscle activity during resistance training is similar to weight training. Your muscles can’t tell if you’re using dumbbells, barbells, or resistance bands, it can only feel the strain.
Resistance bands can help keep your muscles under tension during an exercise. When doing an exercise with resistance bands, your muscles will be tensed during the motion and return to starting position.
In nerdy terms, both the concentric and eccentric portion of the exercise will be spent under tension as compared to free weight exercises which focus more on the concentric portion of the exercise.
The more your muscles work, the more they break down, and the stronger they recover. So, resistance band training strains your muscles harder.
Lastly, to hit the final nail in the coffin, a study showed that are no major differences between resistance bands, free weights, or machines.
Meaning, they are just as effective to build strength and mass but cheaper and time-efficient given you can work out anywhere.
Therefore, if you’re aiming to build muscular shoulders, this resistance band shoulder workout can easily get the job done.
Decrease Risk Of Injury
The most common gym injury is the rotator cuff, the muscles that stabilize the muscle joint. A painful and debilitating injury that can cause further complications if not treated properly.
This nerve-wracking injury can happen because of incorrect form or too much weight. The jerking action used to finish a half-rep at the end of a tiring set or using too much momentum can cause a tear.
With a resistance band, you stay in control throughout the movement.
Now, imagine you’re maxing out your last set with a pair of heavy dumbbells doing an overhead press. If by chance you do get to the top, holding and coming back down when your muscles are depleted can lead to jerking which then leads to tears.
With a resistance band, chances are you won’t be able to go all the way up in the first place, if you do and you do max out with no energy left to hold and return to starting position, you can just slip out from under the bands.
Resistance bands morph with your movements. A simple explanation is, at the starting position, when your muscles are the weakest, so is the resistance of the band.
However, when you are the strong point of the movement, the strength and resistance of the band are also increased. This is why a resistance band shoulder workout is optimal for gaining mass and strength while reducing the chances of injury.
Helps Maintain Form
Form is key, bet you’ve heard this like a billion times by now. Almost every pro-bodybuilder and coach will constantly emphasize the importance of form. Rightly so.
The number one cheat is using momentum to finish a form. We’ve all been guilty of trying to finish the last set with depleted energy stores.
So, we swing up and down, left and right, any possible way to pull out the final reps.
Once momentum is in play, the muscle fibers at play are no longer working as hard. They are in the backseat letting gravity take care of the heavy lifting.
With a resistance band, it’s anti-momentum.
Every repetition will require the same amount of exertion from your muscle fibers because there isn’t much motion your muscles can rely on.
Sadly, no more cheating with a resistance band shoulder workout.
Key Takeaway
A resistance band shoulder workout is just what you need if you are short on time and looking to reap similar gains as free weight workouts.
Resistance training has its perks apart from being affordable and time-efficient. You can minimize injuries, maintain form, and exert your muscles to optimally grow strength and mass.
This resistance band shoulder workout is also perfect for home workouts as it requires minimal space. The exercises ensure all the major parts of your shoulders get into motion, giving you a complete shoulder workout.
Continue Reading
