Happy W E D N E S D A Y! Today's workout is a shoulder day routine. Strengthening and growing my body is definitely tough for me, so I'm trying to find ways that will work best (so if you have any tips help a sista out!) Otherwise, this is a workout I would typically do for when I workout my shoulders, which is once a week. Another key thing is switching it up - I don't think that only doing shoulder presses all day, every day will grow your shoulders. Don't get me wrong, they definitely have their place (as you will see below). But if you do the same exercises day all the time, your muscles will definitely get used to it & you will find yourself in a plateau (same for other muscle groups).

Warm Up:
- Row for 5-7 mins
- Stretch those arms + shoulders out
- Alternating lateral + front raises with lighter weight

Workout:
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press
4 sets x 6-8 reps (Use a heavier, but do-able, weight. I used 20#s for reference)

Superset 1
- Upright Rows (I used the Smith Machine, but you can use regular dumbbells, barbell, cables, or kettle bells).
- Leaning Dumbbell Lateral Raises <<Click for instructions
3 sets x 10 reps (don't forget to do 10 reps on each arm for the leaning lateral raise).

Superset 2
- Single Arm Front Raises
- Lateral Arm Raises (both arms at the same time)
3 sets x 10 reps

Superset 3
- Front Raise to Lateral Raise to Palms-out lateral raise (all the way up) to Front Raise (all the way up). This might sound extremely confusing, but I tried to find the video of it but I COULD NOT! I'm pretty sure it's from Whitney Simmon's video but I didn't have time to re-watch through all the arm videos, so I apologive. Basically, this is a complex when you need to use A LIGHT WEIGHT dumbbell (I used 5#s). You do a front raise, then a lateral raise, then turn your palms out and bring the dumbbells out and up (they will meet at the top above your head). Bring them back down slowly. Lastly, you will do a front raise but you will bring the dumbbells all the way up above your head.
- Bent-over lateral raises (to target the rear-delts)
I did these seated and with my palms facing out. Try it the normal way or the way I just described and see which one you like better!
3 sets x 5 reps (complex), 10 reps (bent over lateral raises)

Cool down:
- Stretch the shoulders
- Walk on treadmill 5 mins (optional)

After this workout, my shoulders were D O N E Z O. Then, when I woke up the next day they were definitely sore. Make sure to keep a slight bend in your elbows when performing the exercises that require you to do raises!

Lastly, I want to share with you all a wonderful initiative that a doctor and fellow Instagram influencer Dr. Aunna (@draunna on IG) is starting. It's about bringing more mindfulness into our lives as students (medical or otherwise), and even other professionals. I am totally all about this because I see so many students, including myself, reaching HIGH amounts of stress and expectations and sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves. How will we take care of others if we don't first take care of ourselves? SO, today you will see on my social media outlets (Insta, FB, Twitter) a picture which says "I am #MindfulMed". Share this workout, or your own way for finding mindfulness and taking care of your mental and physical health. Tag your friends, or relay the message to them so that we can increase awareness on how important it is to be mindful!

PLUS, if you're already doing this workout, you're one step ahead of the game because you're on your way to becoming more mindful ;)

xo, Dorothy

Last #WWMW Leg Day Workout Routine: Click Here.