Your Shoulders Will Never Be the Same After Adding This Top Trainer's Workout to Your Routine
If you're looking for someone to whip you into shape, Bodybuilding.com team athlete Ashley Horner [...]
If you're looking for someone to whip you into shape, Bodybuilding.com team athlete Ashley Horner is your girl. A mom of three, author and incredible athlete, Ashley is the total badass trainer behind the Charlie Mike fitness plan, a six-week program designed to push your body and test your limits.
If all of that sounds a little intimidating, start out small with Ashley's five favorite arm and shoulder exercises that she shared exclusively with Womanista, found in the video above:
Renegade rows
The renegade row specifically pinpoints various muscles throughout the back, including the trapezius, lats, teres major/minor and rhomboids, and simultaneously blasts the biceps, forearms, and rear deltoids.
Start in a plank position with a pair of dumbbells underneath your shoulders, holding them with a neutral grip (choose a challenging enough weight that makes your set of prescribed reps hard but doable to complete). Position your feet wide enough apart to keep you stable and keep your hips from rotating during your one arm rows. With a neutral grip on dumbbells perform a pushup, then a one arm row, do another pushup, then one arm row with the other arm.
Cuban press
The Cuban press exercise helps build strong shoulders and helps targets the rotator cuff muscles of your shoulders.
Start in a standing position with dumbbells in your hands using a pronated grip. (Think like a scare crow position). Raise the dumbbells 180 degrees so they are now above your shoulders, arms still bent. You will then finish by pressing the dumbbells overhead and then slowly returning to the start position.
Kettlebell clean and press
This compound exercise strengthens the triceps, traps, abdominals, calves, lower back, hamstrings, and glutes.
Start in a standing position, holding the kettlebell in one arm between your legs, legs just slightly wider then shoulder width apart. Swing the kettlebell up with a shrug, quickly bring your elbows up and out and catch the kettlebell in a racked position on your shoulder. Follow with pressing the kettlebell above your head, keeping a tight core, and glutes to keep you in a stable position. Slowly drop back down your shoulders and then back to the starting position.
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Lateral raise
Standard lateral raises are isolation exercises that target the middle, or lateral, deltoid muscle. Perform front or lying lateral raises to target the rotator cuff, or bend much farther forward from the waist to target the posterior deltoid.
Start in a standing position holding dumbbells at your side with a neutral grip. Slowly raise them up straight out from your sides, stopping just at shoulder height or slightly above. Keep your core tight throughout the movement and refrain from swinging or bouncing the weight up.
Cable rear delt fly
The rear delt fly targets the shoulders, strengthening the posterior delt specifically.
Stand facing twin cables positioned close together and at about shoulder height. Grasp cable handle attachment in each hand (or you can do these one arm at a time as shown in the video). Step back away from machine so cable has no slack. Stand with feet staggered, point elbows outward with arms straight or slightly bent. Then pull cables out to sides, maintaining stiff elbow position throughout exercise. Return to original position and repeat. Important to note: Your upper arms should travel in horizontal path at shoulder height (NOT downward) to minimize lat involvement.
Add those five moves to your fitness routine for sculpted, sexy summer shoulders like Ashley's. As you might have guessed, Ashley doesn't mess around when it comes to fitness — and the same goes for nutrition!
With the Charlie Mike fitness plan, she encourages her trainees to load up on fueling foods like carbs (oats, brown rice, sweet potatoes, fruit) before workouts. And rather than focusing on protein only immediately after a workout, Ashley says to incorporate it as a staple in every meal throughout the day. She recommends lean proteins like chicken breast, turkey breast, tilapia, cod, pork tenderloin, low-fat Greek yogurt, low-fat milk, whey protein, and eggs.
As far as fats go, Ashley says to look for nuts, seeds, nut butters, avocados, olive and coconut oil, and fish oil supplements as good saturated and unsaturated fat sources — and to avoid trans fats!
Try Ashley's arm and shoulder workout and let us know what you think!
[H/T Instagram / @ashley.horner]
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