Don't Miss a Muscle

Frpm Jullian Michaels of the Biggest Loser:


THURSDAY: BUST A MOVE

Don't Miss a Muscle

When you're weight training, you have to think about opposites — front and back, upper and lower, and push and pull. If you only focus on certain muscles, you'll create an imbalance, or even injury. If you only worked your upper body, what would happen? You'd look like a chicken with a big puffy chest and skinny legs.

The same goes for shoulders — you can't just do one move and expect to work every muscle. Many of you probably work the front and middle heads of the deltoid muscle because that's what you see in the mirror. But the rear head of the deltoid needs attention, too. Otherwise, you'll have unbalanced strength in your shoulders, which can set you up for a rotator cuff injury. Balance out all the other shoulder work you do with training the back of your shoulders too. Here's how:

Bent-Over Shoulder Raise


1. Sit on the edge of a workout bench or a chair, a dumbbell in each hand and your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend forward at the waist so that your upper body is parallel to the floor. Let your arms hang straight down under your chest, with your palms facing behind you.
2. Exhale and raise the dumbbells out to the side until they are parallel to the floor. Hold for a beat.
3. Inhale and slowly lower your arms back to the starting position; repeat.

Tip: Keep a slight bend in your elbows throughout the entire movement. Be careful not to lift your torso when you raise the weights.