Best news ever or best news ever: Your shoulders are one of the easiest areas of your body to sculpt. "Being that it tends to be an area that we carry less body fat, it makes it easier to see quick gains in muscle strength and definition," says Women's Health fitness director Jen Ator, C.S.C.S. And it just gets better: "The majority of shoulder exercises also engage your biceps and triceps, helping you sculpt stronger, sexier arms, too," says Jen, who you can see demo'ing her favorite moves in the video below.
But while you might be all about that upper body, it's actually important to focus on another body part while executing these moves: your core. "You may think your arms and shoulders are doing all the work, but you need a tight, stable core to support that movement," says Jen. That'll prevent you from making the rookie mistake of using momentum (you know, instead of your actual muscles) to lift those weights. "Instead, you want to think about keeping the rest of your body completely still (core braced, and don’t forget to squeeze your glutes) and only moving your arms," says Jen. (Need more body sculpting moves? Check out Women's Health's Ignite routine created by Next Fitness Star Nikki Metzger.)
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Choose four moves from the video above to complete a shoulder-focused circuit, performing 10 reps of each move throughout two to three sets. Rest for less than 30 seconds between exercises and for one minute between each set. Make sure you’re using a weight that’s heavy enough—the last few reps should feel like a serious struggle to complete with proper form.
