Question 1

How Do You Train Bodyweight Traps?

Accepted Answer

Your trapezius muscles are located in the upper back and neck area (1). Some bodyweight exercises that target the traps include:

Inverted Rows (also referred to as bodyweight rows)
Pull-Ups
Superman T

Inverted Rows

To perform inverted rows:

Find a sturdy, elevated surface such as a bar or table.
Lie underneath the bar with your arms extended, palms facing away from you, and your legs straight out in front of you.
Pull yourself up towards the bar, keeping your elbows close to your sides and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Make sure to keep your core and glutes engaged so your body stays in a straight line throughout the movement.
Slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position.

Pull-Ups

To perform pull-ups:

Find a sturdy bar that you can hang from with an overhand grip (palms facing away).
Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your feet off the ground.
Pull yourself up towards the bar, keeping your elbows close to your sides and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position.

Superman T

To perform Superman T:

Lie face down on the ground with your arms extended straight out to the sides, forming a “T”.
Lift your chest and arms off the ground while contracting your back muscles.
Hold for a moment, then slowly lower back down to the starting position.

Question 2

What Is a Bodyweight Shoulder Press?

Accepted Answer

A bodyweight shoulder press is an exercise that targets the anterior (front) deltoids and other shoulder muscles. It involves pressing your arms overhead with resistance from your own body weight.

To perform a bodyweight shoulder press:

Begin in a plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and feet hip-width apart.
Lower yourself down to the forearm plank by bending your elbows and resting on your forearms.
Push back up to a high plank by straightening your arms.
Next, walk your hands towards your feet, keeping your legs straight, until you are in a pike position with your hips raised and hands flat on the ground.
Lower yourself back down to the forearm plank, then push back up to the high plank.
Repeat this movement for the desired number of reps.

This exercise engages not only the shoulders but also the core, chest, and triceps muscles.

Question 3

Is It Ok To Train Shoulders Every Day?

Accepted Answer

It is not recommended to train the same muscle group every day, including the shoulders. Rest and recovery are essential for muscle growth and development (8). It is best to give large muscle groups at least 24-48 hours of rest after a challenging workout before working them again.

However, you can incorporate shoulder exercises into a full-body workout routine by alternating between upper-body and lower-body days or adding in a few shoulder-focused exercises on non-shoulder days.

Question 4

Are 3 Exercises Too Little?

Accepted Answer

Three exercises can be enough if you are performing them with proper form, intensity, volume, and variation. However, if you feel like you need more variety or want to challenge yourself further, you can always add in more exercises or increase the difficulty of the ones you are already doing.

The number of exercises is not as crucial as the overall exercise volume paired with the quality and effort put into each movement. So, focus on performing each exercise correctly and pushing yourself.

Question 5

Are 3 Bicep Exercises Too Much?

Accepted Answer

Depending on the structure of your workout plan, three bicep exercises may or may not be too much for a single workout. Typically, three bicep exercises in a single workout is unnecessary when performing high intensity compound pulling exercises (such as pull ups, chin ups, and any type of row variation) because these exercises already heavily involve the biceps. Therefore, isolated bicep exercises should not be a primary focus and should typically be prioritized after the completion of the larger compound exercises. Others prefer a dedicated “arm day” in their training split and three dedicated bicep exercises may be just fine as long as they are not performing other higher-intensity compound exercises in addition. Again, the quality of the exercises and how you perform them is often more important than the quantity.

If you feel like you are not getting enough stimulation from three exercises, consider adding in a few more or increasing the intensity through weights or variations.

Question 6

Is Shoulder Day Necessary?

Accepted Answer

Having a designated shoulder day in your workout routine is not necessary, but it can be beneficial. If you are incorporating compound movements that engage multiple muscle groups, such as push-ups and pull-ups, into your regular workouts, you may not need an entire day dedicated to shoulders.

However, if you want to focus on building strength and size in your shoulders or have specific injuries or imbalances that need attention, having a shoulder day can be helpful. Just make sure to give your muscles enough rest and recovery time in between workouts.

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