Workout 21: Shoulders & Biceps  

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Shoulder Exercises

1. Seated Dumbbell Press

1. Sit on a military press bench, or any utility bench that has a back support, and hold two dumbbells upright on the top of your thighs.
2. With your palms facing each other, lift the dumbbells up (one at a time) to shoulder-level.
3. Then, rotate your wrists so that your palms are facing upward toward the ceiling.
4. Press your dumbbells up and toward each other, without jerking your back. 
5. Slowly lower them until they return to the starting position.

2. Wide Grip Smith Machine Upright Row

1. Set the bar on the smith machine to a height that is around the middle of your thighs. Grab the bar with both hands, wider than shoulder-width apart. 
2. Lift the barbell up and fully extend your arms so that your arms are straight but you’re holding the weighted bar. 
3. Use your side shoulders to lift the bar.. The bar should be close to the body as you move it up. Continue to lift it until it nearly touches your chin. Drive your elbows up towards the ceiling to ensure you’re using your shoulder. 
4. Slowly lower the bar back down slowly to the starting position.  
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

3. Lateral Dumbbell Raise

1. Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and dumbbells aligned with your feet at arm's length. Make sure your palms are facing inward towards your sides.
2. Keep your torso stationary and raise the dumbbells to your side with a slight bend at your elbow. Lift your arms until they are slightly parallel to the ground, or around shoulder-level, and pause for a second at the top.
3. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.

4. Front Dumbbell Raise

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart. Grasp one dumbbell with each hand so that your palms are facing inward and hands are against your thighs.
2. While keeping your torso stationary, lift the dumbbells in front of you with a straight arm or slightly bent elbow. Continue to raise the dumbbell until your arm is slightly above parallel to the ground or around shoulder-level. 
3. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.

Bicep Exercises

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1. Preacher Curl

1. To perform this movement, you will need a preacher bench and an EZ bar. Load your desired weight onto the bar and adjust the seat on the preacher bench so that your upper arms sit comfortably on the padding when you’re seated.
2. Grab the EZ bar using an underhand grip with your palms facing upward. Lift the EZ bar to shoulder height.
3. As you inhale, slowly lower the bar until your upper arms are extended and your biceps are fully stretched.
4. As you exhale, curl the bar up until your biceps are fully contracted and the bar is at your shoulder height. Try to squeeze your biceps tightly and hold this position for a second if you can.

2. Alternating Dumbbell Curl

1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand. 
2. Curl the dumbbell with one hand while keeping your elbow completely still and by your side. 
3. At the peak of the movement, when your hand is next to your shoulder, squeeze, and then slowly allow your arm to return. 
4. Do it with the other arm. 
5. Repeat!

3. Overhead Cable Curl 

1. To begin, set a weight that is comfortable on each side of the pulley machine. Make sure the weight selected is equal on each side.
2. Adjust the height of the pulleys on each side so that they’re positioned higher than shoulder height.
3. Stand in the middle of both sides and use an underhand grip to grab each handle. Your arms should be fully extended to each side and parallel to the ground. Your palms should be facing upward and your feet positioned shoulder-width apart. 
4. Keep your elbows in a fixed position as you slowly squeeze your biceps and curl your hands toward your shoulders. You should be squeezing in your biceps until your forearms and biceps touch.
5. Lower your forearms back to the starting position while keeping your entire body stationary.

4. Single Arm Cable Curl

1.  Set up for the one arm cable curl by attaching a single grip handle to a low pulley cable and selecting the weight you want to use.
2. Stand in front of the cable machine and grasp the handle with an underhand grip.
3. Keeping your body fixed, elbow tucked in at your side, and eyes facing forward, slowly curl the weight up as far as possible.
4. Squeeze the bicep at the top of the movement, and then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position. 
5. Repeat for desired reps, and then repeat for the other arm.