There's no way around it - if you want to get that great wide look to your upper body, shoulder exercises are essential. The good news is that should exercises can be done either with free weights or machoines and this is an area that responds well to hard work.
Perhaps the most popular of the different shoulder exercises is the Military Press. It's highly effective, and easy to do. Sit with your hands level with your ears, palms forward, arms in the same plane as the upper body. Holding a barbell, press up until your arms are straight above your head. Lower the barbell back to the starting position. Rinse and repeat!
An alternative with a barbell is the Upright Row: Stand with your arms straight down, palms towards you, the barbell resting on your thighs. Slowly bend the arms and pull barbell up, stopping at chest level. This can be done with your hands either close together or wider apart.
There are also a number of possibilities using dumbbells. Lateral Raises are done standing with your feet apart and your knees slightly bent. Let your arms hang in front of your body, a dumbbell in each hand, with the dumbbell ends facing front to back. Inhale and lift the dumbbells out and away from your body, keeping your arms straight, until your hands are at ninety degrees. At this top position, your arms and body should form the letter "T". Slowly lower your arms back to the starting position.
Front Raises are similar, but are done with the weights resting on the fronts of your thigh, palms facing in. Lift one arm to the front, stopping at ninety degrees, then lower. As the first arm comes down, the second comes up, and so on.
So get to work - before you know it you'll have that great shape you've always wanted.
