If you are looking for an effective exercise to make your shoulders look toned and awesome in that strapless dress that you want to wear, then try adding lateral raises to your exercise routine. A lateral raise is a strength-training exercise that concentrates on the shoulder muscles. It works not only the front and back of the shoulder, but the sides as well.

Here is how you do a basic lateral raise:

1. Stand with your feet approximately shoulder-length apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip. Your arms should be straight down at your sides.

2. With your arms very slightly bent (elbows should not be locked) raise the dumbbells out to your sides until they are about shoulder height. Do not go above shoulder height.

3. Lower the dumbbells back down to starting position in a slow and controlled manner. Be sure that you are standing tall and not leaning over during the exercise.

4. Repeat the exercise for the desired amount of reps. Aim for at least 12 reps at a time.

If you are a beginner to the exercise you can choose very light 2 pound weights or no weights at all until you gain more strength in your shoulders. Regular exercisers should choose a weight that will challenge their muscles but you can still complete 10-12 proper reps with the proper amount of weight. If you don't feel the burn after at least 10-12 reps, then you need to choose a heavier weight. On the other hand, if you can't complete at least 10 reps with proper form, choose a lighter weight.

The lateral raise is an exercise that can also be performed sitting down since it is only an upper body exercise. You can sit in a chair or on a bench and perform the same movement. If you want more of a challenge and to also engage your core muscles, you can sit on an exercise ball when performing lateral raises. The instability of the exercise ball makes your abdominal muscles work to keep your balance.

The lateral raise is definitely an upper body exercise that you should add to your strength training routine to get strong, toned, and super sexy shoulders.

The overhead press is a great exercise to add to your workout routine as it really hits all the muscles of the shoulder. If you want the toned arms and shoulders that look good in a strapless dress, then you really need to add the overhead press to your workout routine. By the way, the overhead press is definitely not just for women, but men can also get awesome results from this exercise as well.

Here is how to do a basic overhead press:
You can perform the overhead press with a set of dumbbells or a barbell. For this example, I will use the barbell.
1. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip with your arms slightly wider than shoulder-length apart.
2. Hold the barbell at shoulder level in front of you with your palms facing outwards.
3. Straighten your arms as you lift the weight straight above you. Do not arch your back and be sure to keep your abdominals tight.
4. Lower the barbell back to your shoulder level and then repeat for the desired amount of repetitions.

As mentioned, the overhead press can be done with either a set of dumbbells or a barbell. One thing to remember when picking the weight for the exercise is that since you will be lifting the weight over your head, you may have to start off with a lower weight as the exercise is more difficult than exercises where the weight does not go over your head.

The overhead press can be performed sitting down on a weight bench or standing. Either way is effective. If you really want to get a good workout that also works the abdominal muscles, then try performing the overhead press while sitting on an exercise ball. The instability of the exercise ball engages your core muscles more, so you get a good abdominal workout as well as a shoulder workout.

This exercise can easily be added into any strength training or circuit training routine. It is a simple move to master, that can provide some great results.