My Favorite Exercises: Shoulder Raises

I don't know about you, but I hate those ultra skinny arms that most fashion models have. You want to look toned, not emaciated. Since women can't build bulky muscles, we can do lots of arm exercises that add definition to our arms and shoulders.

Today, I want to talk about two more of my favorite exercises: lateral raises and front raises. Both work the deltoid muscles in the shoulder. You have front, middle and rear deltoids, but today we'll focus mostly on the middle and front.

Lateral raises are basic and are great for the middle deltoids:

1. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, let the arms hang down at your sides.
2. Lift your arms straight up to the side with palms facing down.
3. Lift just to the shoulder level and keep arms fully extended (without hyper-extending the elbows).
4. Lower slowly to the starting position.

Front raises are similar, but focus the exercise more on the front deltoids:

1. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, let the arms hang in front of your thighs, palms facing in.
2. Lift your arms straight up to the front with palms facing down.
3. Lift just to the shoulder level and keep arms fully extended (without hyper-extending the elbows).
4. Lower slowly to the starting position.

As you do these exercises, make sure you are not using momentum and that you are keeping your abdominal muscles tight. Think about pulling your stomach muscles toward the small of your back. This will help ensure you are focused on the shoulder muscles and using your core muscles for support. Keep your knees slightly bent. Use good posture.

Start with light dumbbells. Lots of repetitions with light weights will get you the results you want without injuring your shoulder joints. I use five-pound weights for both exercises. If you do them in a slow, controlled fashion, you will feel them. Trust me.

With summer here, work on those arms and then you can show them off in sleeveless blouses and dresses.