Things You'll Need:
- dumbells
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Step 1
Starting out, your arms will hang loosely at your sides.Grasp one dumbbell in each hand and let your arms dangle at your sides. The weights should be moderately heavy, but not so heavy that you strain just to hold them. Make sure both dumbbells are the same weight.
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Step 2
Tense your shoulders and neck. This helps you focus on using just the muscles that this exercise is designed to train. Do not clench your teeth or hold your breath, just gently isolate the muscle groups - shoulders and neck - that you are about to use.
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Step 3
The movement will feel almost as if you are saying "I don't know" and shrugging your shoulders.Raise your shoulders toward your ears while keeping your arms at your sides. This should be a smooth, even movement - as if you are shrugging in slow motion.
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Step 4
Count to two once you have shrugged your shoulders as high as possible. Count evenly and remember to continue breathing.
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Step 5
Lower your shoulders slowly until your arms are once again hanging loosely at your sides. You can repeat this exercise as many times as you wish. Generally, women should do more repetitions with a lower weight in order to achieve maximum muscle definiton. Men can use higher weights and do fewer repetitions to build bulk.
Comments
downinthebios said
on 1/10/2009 I have arthritis in my right big toe. Any suggestions for exercises? The pain comes and goes and now it seems to be affecting the ligaments to my middle three toes as well. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Nell