What is muscle training to widen shoulder width? Introducing a menu you can do at home.

In this issue, personal trainer Yasuyama Matsuura lectures us on training to effectively widen the width of the shoulders!

Supervision

Taizan Matsuura

In 2016, he began working as a trainer as a member of Beyond Gym’s start-up staff. Served as store manager of the Horie store in Osaka, Japan; in 2017, he reached the pinnacle in the Mr. Japan contest, after which he went independent. In October 2022, he founded Waffle Gym in Tachikawa, Tokyo. He is always ready to propose muscle training menus that meet the needs of customers.

What are the benefits of wider shoulders?

It gives a masculine impression even at a quick glance.

A man with a good physique gives a strong masculine impression. One of the criteria for judging the size of a man is ” broad shoulders. Broad shoulders make the body itself look bigger, giving a strong impression of manliness and dependability even at a quick glance. The advantage of broad shoulders is that they are easily recognized as a silhouette even when wearing clothes, unless the person is wearing a lot of clothes, and this immediately leads to an appealing image of masculinity.

Gives the effect of a smaller face and a better look

Wider shoulders also have the effect of making the face look relatively smaller. According to personal trainer Mr. Taiyama, “If you don’t exercise, your face can look bigger and bigger as you age due to the loss of muscle mass. In addition, broadening the shoulders makes it easier to create a narrower waist, which can also improve style. If you want to look better in clothes, it is recommended to widen your shoulders.

To broaden your shoulders, you should strengthen your deltoids!

The quickest way to widen your shoulders is to strengthen your shoulder muscles, the ” deltoids. The deltoid is one of the largest muscles in the body and can be divided into three parts: anterior, middle, and posterior.

Trainer: Mr. Taiyama Matsuura

This is a bit technical, but the muscle fibers in the middle deltoid are shaped like feathers. The feather-like muscle is a type of muscle that “exerts strong power in short-distance movements,” so it tends to be able to use heavy dumbbells with surprising ease. However, the shoulder is also an area prone to injury, so it is important for beginners to set the weight at a level that will allow them to reach their limit after 10 to 15 repetitions. If you are a beginner, start with about 3~5 kg.

You can also do this at home! 3 muscle training exercises to widen shoulder width with dumbbells

From here, I’ll introduce you to a few different types of exercises that stimulate the middle part of the deltoid muscles. Considering the appearance from the front, personal trainer Mr. Taiyama Matsuura has selected some of the exercises that can easily stimulate the front part as well. If you want to broaden your shoulders and look good in a T-shirt, we encourage you to try them out.

Muscle training to broaden shoulder width (1) “Side Raise

Hold dumbbells in both hands and stand with your back straight. While being careful not to bend your upper body, raise the dumbbells to the side, keeping your elbows straight. Once the dumbbells are raised to shoulder height, lower them slowly and with control. Repeat this movement for 3 sets of 10~15 times.

Trainer: Mr. Taiyama Matsuura

This is a simple movement, but there are many points to pay attention to. First of all, when lifting dumbbells, make sure that your upper body is not bent over and that you do not use knee flexion to raise the dumbbells. It is also a bad idea to keep your shoulder blades close together as you raise the dumbbells. When lowering the dumbbells, it is a rule of thumb to do so slowly and not to extend the elbows so that the load is not fully released. If you have the correct form, even with dumbbells weighing about 3 kg, you will feel very tight.

Muscle training to widen shoulder width (2) “Upright Row”

Stand with your back straight, hold dumbbells in both hands, and stand with your hands narrower than shoulder-width apart. Lift the dumbbells while raising your elbows high, as if you are pulling the dumbbells up with your elbows. When lowering the dumbbells, do so in a controlled and slow motion. Repeat this movement for 3 sets of 10~15 times.

Trainer: Mr. Taiyama Matsuura

It works best if you focus on raising the dumbbells higher while opening your elbows to the side, rather than pulling them up. Also, as in side raises, be careful not to pull the shoulder blades closer together, and be careful not to raise the shoulders themselves. By the way, it is easier to work on the front part of the body if the elbows are slightly forward.

Muscle Training to Widen Shoulder Width (3) “Shoulder Press”

With your feet about shoulder-width apart, hold dumbbells in both hands and raise them to ear height. At this point, adjust your elbows so that they are directly under the dumbbells and in a straight line with your shoulders. From there, raise the dumbbells overhead. Stop just before the elbow is fully extended, because the load is released when the elbow is fully extended, and lower the dumbbells slowly and in a controlled manner. Repeat for 3 sets of 10-15 times.

There are many tricks to press in this exercise as well. Be careful not to let your elbows come out in front of the dumbbells as you raise them. Also, don’t round your hips or bow your wrists. I think it’s a good idea to start with light dumbbells and get used to the form!

How many times a week should I train to get wider shoulders?

Once a week should be a must, but one study shows that muscle training twice a week is effective for muscle hypertrophy. If you train your muscles twice a week, making sure to do it to the limit in every set, I think beginners will notice a significant increase in shoulder width in 1~2 months. The deltoids are easy to see results because of their large volume, so I think you will enjoy training them!

Recommended dumbbells for home training!

Finally, we recommend dumbbells that are indispensable for the training we have introduced.

Dumbbell Recommendation #1: “PROIRON Dumbbell Set

First, let’s introduce the do-it-yourselfer, the PROIRON dumbbell, which is gaining popularity due to its inexpensive two-piece set. We highly recommend these as a first set of dumbbells for beginners who are not confident in their strength training or for those who are looking for a stress reliever. They are hard to roll and are also safe and scratch-resistant on the floor as long as they are not dropped.

Click here for details and purchase

Dumbbell Recommendation #2: “Wout Dumbbells That Can Also Be Barbells”

For men who want to try various training exercises at home, we recommend this dumbbell that can also be used as a barbell! Amazon offers a wide range of dumbbells that can also be used as barbells, and Wout is one of the most highly rated because it is relatively inexpensive and easy to use. If you have these items at home, you can go from carefully orbiting workouts with dumbbells to high weight training with barbells, which will give your muscles a different stimulus each day.

Click here for details and purchase.

Dumbbell Recommendation #3: “4WD Variable Dumbbells”

Variable dumbbells are useful if you want to increase the width of your shoulders as well as your chest, back, and arms. Dumbbells with a fixed weight often work well for the shoulders but not for the chest, but variable dumbbells allow you to change the weight according to your condition as well as the area of the body, which will definitely improve the quality of your training. Variable dumbbells tend to be expensive, but 4WD’s products are very popular because they are relatively affordable and of high quality.

Click here for details and purchase.