Two of the most important muscles in your body are your shoulders. We use them every day for all kinds of activities, like carrying groceries, lifting a case of beer, or plucking a chicken.
Having said that, the shoulders are one of the most neglected muscles when considering a workout routine, and if you haven’t noticed yet, they are one of the most “eye-catching” muscles for your arms aesthetics.
This is why we’ve put together a list of the best exercises you can do to build big and broad shoulders through a calisthenics shoulder workout routine.
Why Are The Shoulders So Important?
Your shoulders are part of a complex joint that includes the scapula, clavicle, and humerus. These three bones together form the ball and socket joints of your shoulder.
The shoulder muscles are divided into 2 main types,
- The deltoids (anterior, posterior, and lateral) and the
- Rotator cuffs (supraspinatus, infraspinatus and teres minor)
The skeleton of your arm attaches to these bones with muscles that hold your arm in place while you move.
The muscle on the front of your shoulder helps you lift your arm.
The muscle on the back of your shoulder helps you stabilize and rotate it.
To keep up with society’s ever-changing demands, it’s important to stay healthy and strong so that you can perform well at work, at home, and around town.
If you have weak muscles or an injured joint, it can cause pain or loss of movement in your arm.
This can make everyday tasks difficult, if not impossible.
What Are the Benefits Of Using Calisthenics?
1. Bodyweight Exercises Without Equipment
Calisthenics is a very effective and safe way to exercise your body without requiring equipment or weights.
This, in the end, translates to saving money and time.
2. Low Impact On The Joints
At the same time, calisthenics uses compound and natural movements which make it safer for your joints.
Usually, when doing isolated exercises like bicep curls, you could cause strain on your joints because one muscle is carrying all the weight. With compound movements, you train your body to engage core muscles and other muscles that are needed to support the movement.
This was revealed in a study made by The German Journal of Sports Medicine.
3. Adaptable To All Fitness Levels
If you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced at calisthenics, you can add difficulty just by changing the angle or your exercises or carrying more weight using one arm.
You’ll also burn a lot more calories with this workout than you would with lifting weights because it targets your whole body rather than just one muscle group at a time.
4. Balance And Stability
Another reason why this type of workout is great for building bigger shoulders is because it focuses on balance and control, and movement patterns.
When doing the workout correctly, you should feel some sense of weight shifting from side to side when performing each exercise. This will help improve your shoulder stability which is another key factor in building stronger shoulders.
How Do You Get Big Shoulders With Calisthenics?
You might be wondering how you can build bigger shoulders with calisthenics.
The most important ingredients for growing your muscle are:
- Progressive Overload (adding weight or difficulty)
- Volume (adding sets and reps)
- Fatigue The Muscles (doing each set 1 or 2 reps before failure)
- Proper Nutrition
Can you achieve these ingredients through calisthenics?
The answer is, definitely yes.
Finally, this workout emphasizes breathing techniques, which can give you a more challenging exercise without weights or equipment.
What You Will Need For This Workout
- A mat, if you have any issues working out directly on the floor.
- A glass of water, to keep yourself hydrated.
- A good playlist, to keep you motivated.
- A towel, so you don’t sweat out your floor and mat.
Calisthenics Shoulder Workout Routine
Now that you’ve seen how effective a calisthenics workout routine can be, let’s dive into the exercises so you can start building some shoulder muscles.
Always begin the workout with a set of warm-up exercises that will help you prepare for the workout to come.
1. Pike Pushups
2. Lean Forward PushUp / Pseudo Planche
3. Frogstand Holds
4. Face Pulls
The Routine
Final Thoughts
The shoulder is one of the most important muscles in the body and can suffer greatly from not being used properly.
Calisthenics provides a unique and safe way to strengthen the shoulder muscles to be stronger and more capable of supporting our body’s weight.
The shoulder is an area that many tend to neglect during workouts, but using calisthenics can be the answer to getting stronger shoulders and the entire body.
