23 Aug Power blocks/Dumbbell workout tips for shoulders

Are you looking to get more out of your power blocks and/or dumbbells?
This week I’ll offer some good workout tips to put those Pbs and Dbs to use. Today, we take a look at the shoulders.
Standing dumbbell Arnold press – Stand straight up with your feet shoulder width apart.
Hold the power blocks or dumbbells at shoulder height with palms facing toward you.
Keep your elbows tucked in in front of you.
Press one of the Dbs or Pbs overhead and rotate your wrist on the way up so that your wrist faces forward by the time the weight is pushed all the way up. Alternate arms for these presses, doing 8-12 repititions.
* Tip: If your back feels a little uncomfortable doing these standing, you can also do these seated. One of my favorite ways to do these is to sit backwards against a preacher curl bench and get the back support from the curl platform.
Standing lateral raise – Stand straight up with one leg staggered to the front. Hold the power blocks or dumbbells at your sides, keep your core tight, elbows bent a little and palms facing in.
Raise your arms out to the sides in an arc in a disciplined, controlled manner until the dumbbells are about to shoulder level. Slowly lower the weights to your sides without moving the rest of your body and repeat for 8-12 reps.
* Tip: Some people like to go up to just before shoulder level on the raise, while others go even. Find what groove works and feels best for you. Do these with a controlled motion, it’s especially important on lateral raises to have good form rather than how much weight you’re lifting.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com