When you move your arms in virtually any direction, your shoulders (a.k.a. deltoids) are either in charge or, at the very least, involved. The ingenious design of your shoulder joints makes the shoulders one of the most mobile, versatile muscle groups in your body. It also makes it one of the most vulnerable. Fortunately, if you commit to doing some basic shoulder training on a regular basis you'll keep your "delts" strong and supple and have a better chance of staying injury-free. It'll help balance out your body's curves too. Want to slim your hips? Chiseled shoulders broaden the upper body and polish your posture, creating the illusion that you've shrunk and reshaped your hips. Plus, firmed up shoulders look killer in tank tops. To get your shoulders in shape, try exercises.

Click through the photo gallery below for our step-by-step workout guide.




Ideally, you should own three sets of dumbbells for shoulder work; typically 3, 5 and 8-pounders. When you first try the accompanying shoulder routine, start with your lightest weight. Do 1 set of each move, 8 to 15 sets per set, 2 to 3 times a week. Once you can easily complete 15 reps of an exercise, move up to the next heaviest weight or try the "challenge yourself" version. Rest assured that going heavier won't bulk you up -- we promise. On the contrary, it'll help you shape, tone and strengthen your shoulder muscles a lot quicker than sticking with a weight that's too light to have an impact.

Mistakes to avoid: Don't arch your back as you lift and keep the movement in control so you don't rock back and forth to help lift and lower the weight. To avoid shoulder and neck pain, don't clench your teeth, hitch your shoulders up, or drop your chin to your chest. Keep these technique pointers in mind and you'll create a beautiful pair of shoulders with minimal risk of doing any damage. (If you tend to have chronic shoulder pain, consult with your doctor or physical therapist before you do these moves.)

Shoulders benefit from a bit of variety so change up your routine every month or so by doing 1 to 2 workouts with exercise bands or by tossing in a set or two on the shoulder press machine at the gym. Yoga is surprisingly good at toning and redesigning shoulders because so many upper body poses depend on them to move and support the entire body. Swimming, especially the crawl stroke, is also a good shoulder shaper.

This "Tuck and Push" combination offers an awesome opportunity to kill many birds with one stone. Within a few short reps, you'll have worked almost every muscle of your upper body and have successfully set your core ablaze. It's simple, fun and highly effective. Try it!

For more quick, innovative and fun training tips, visit Fitzness.com.

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Jennifer Aniston, Michelle Obama and Vin Diesel all have one thing in common: Great biceps. They're also the names I hear most often from new clients who are eager to improve upon this most prominent body part. Our bellies and booties are super important in the game of creating a great physique, but those parts are usually covered up. Sleek and sexy arms are often on display in the board room and at the beach. Now's the time to make yours great!

In this video, I tell you how the bicep works and share a few pieces of equipment you can use to train them. I expect everyone to choose a challenging weight -- 5-pound dumbbells are rarely enough for anyone. Choose a weight that makes you grunt a bit -- it's OK to work hard. After a few weeks, go get some tank tops!

The Ballast Ball is like a regular Swiss Ball on steroids. It's full of an exciting substance that makes it perfect for a killer upper body and core training workout, as shown here in this video.

Discover innovative fitness equipment, training techniques and delicious low fat recipes at Fitzness.com.

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We all have those problem areas, don't we? Spots that we'd really like to focus on, tone up, and strengthen. Women's Health has taken some of the guesswork out of the exercise selection process with this great tool.

First you choose which part of your body you'd like to focus on: Core, Upper, Lower, or Total. The system will then suggest 12-20 exercises that you can do. Click on each exercise to review -- the tool shows you the exercise in motion and gives instruction. When you decide you want to add one just click "add exercise." What's really nice is the system will automatically remove exercise choices that are similar to one you've already selected. That way, you can be sure you're getting a well-rounded workout.

For more fitness ideas, visit AOL Health.

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My friend's son is just shy of 3-years-old and his favorite activity is golf. Nearly every Saturday, he goes to the driving range with his dad for some quality time. But that doesn't curb this toddler's craving for golf. Every day, he likes to go in the backyard and swing at his wiffle balls. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen. Here's this tiny little kid who in all other ways is a completely typical toddler -- but when you put a golf club in his hands, he's advanced far beyond his years. He's a natural.

But if you're like me, a golf swing is anything but natural. My son has a newly developed love for golf, so we've been going to the driving range quite often. It's almost inevitable that I'll end up with slightly aching upper body muscles after driving a bucket of balls.

Alive Magazine has some upper and lower body strengthening exercises that will help you put some strength and control in your swing. Tiger Woods strength trains to improve his swing ... if it's good enough for Tiger, it's good enough for me!

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