Michelle Beaumont: I am Michelle Beaumont with michellefitness.

com and Body Mind Fitness Solutions. I am a national level figure and fitness competitor. I write for magazines and publicly speak. I am going to demonstrate how to do an effective shoulder workout. Make sure you consult with your doctor before starting any workout routine. If you are trying to develop your shoulder muscles and you are building strength there, you will need to go with heavy weight and low repetitions at slow to moderate pace. If you would like to just tone and shape the muscles or you are trying to lose weight, go with higher repetitions and lower weight and move at a quicker pace.

Let s begin. I am demonstrating a lateral raise or a delt raise. The way this exercise works is you want to sit up nice and tall. You can also do this standing in core position with your feet hip distance apart, while you are seated, your feet will also be hip distance apart, abs tight. Sitting makes it a little more difficult. So, if you are beginner, you may want to try standing to do this exercise, it gives you have little more energy from your whole body. You want to keep your middle body nice and firm and straight, shoulders down; so roll them back and down, relax, take a deep breathe and then begin. As you raise, your thumbs will come slightly down pinkies up. Inhaling and exhaling throughout the entire exercise, keep your chin level and remember it s lifting with the shoulders not the arms. Most common mistake is people start to bend the elbows and do all kinds of strange variations, open the palm. You want to keep the palms down and again slightly tilt it so the pinkies are leading and arising up and that s it.