So you’d like to look like star Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Pat Mahomes! That may require building up a decent set of muscles. Particularly shoulder muscles because that guy can throw, which may partly come down to genetics! His father Pat Mahomes the 1st was after all a Major League baseball pitcher so throwing ability clearly runs in the family. However, young Pat the 2nd chose to toss around a different type of ball and will possibly go down in the annals of NFL history as one of the best ever.
Building up shoulder muscles requires some specific types of exercises. The shoulder itself consists of 2 muscle groups – extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic shoulder muscles (superficial back muscles) start on the torso and are attached to the shoulder bones (humerus, scapula, or clavicle). Intrinsic shoulder muscles start from the clavicle and/or scapula within the shoulder, and are attached to the humerus. Within this latter group are the scapulohumeral muscles that make up the rotator cuff:
- supraspinatus
- infraspinatus
- teres minor
- subscapularis
The other 3 intrinsic muscles are the coracobrachialis muscle, deltoids, and teres major. Combined, all these muscles connect the arms to the shoulder blades.
Extrinsic shoulder muscles are located on the back hence why they’re more commonly called the superficial back muscles. There is a superficial layer and a deep layer. The 2 superficial muscles are the trapezius and latissimus dorsi. Underneath the trapezius are the 3 deep extrinsic shoulder muscles consisting of the 2 rhomboids, and the levator scapulae.
All too often people make the mistake of only working on building up the muscles visible in a mirror, thus neglecting those in the back. This creates an asymmetrical or unbalanced appearance, which is definitely not desirable. What you need to do is work on all the shoulder and back muscle groups to develop truly strong and symmetrical shoulders. We’ve listed out some of the best shoulder working exercises for doing this.
Rowing is excellent for building up the back muscle groups. However, you don’t need to hire a rowboat and get out on the water to get the benefits of rowing exercises because there is gym equipment that mimics these movements. They’re called, appropriately, rowing machines! Some rowing machines just work the back muscles by requiring the user to assume a rowing position and pull a weighted bar towards them. Others exercise the leg muscles at the same time with a weighted bar that needs to be pushed against.
To get the classic ‘V’ shape prized by bodybuilders, you need to build up your latissimus dorsi muscles that run from under the shoulders to the rib cage. A lat pull down machine is ideal for this as it requires you to pull a bar down and behind your back.
For safely developing the muscles of the upper shoulder and back, you can’t go past one-arm dumbbell rows. Ensure the weight you’re using lets you do 8 to 12 repeats with each arm in turn.
The shrug is an exercise that builds up the deltoid muscles. To do this exercise, hold a barbell, or a dumbbell in each hand, with your arms extended straight down. Then shrug your shoulders. The weight, or weights, you’re holding will ensure these aren’t just any old shoulder shrugs!
Of course it goes without saying that if you’re performing strenuous exercises to build up your shoulders, or any other muscle group, you need to ensure your additional nutritional requirements are being met as well. If you don’t, you’ll find your body will break down muscle tissues to obtain the fuel needed to keep it running. Specially formulated muscle supplements, like Pat Mahomes supplements, contain essential nutrients needed to help build muscle and keep the body well fuelled.
