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.

Ouch, your shoulders. Ouch, your neck. Ouch, your head. Sitting all day in an office chair staring at a computer screen certainly doesn't do any favors for these body parts. But a 90-second workout, done every few hours, might.

Italian workers are a little more limber after engaging in 90 seconds of exercise every two to three hours for six months. They participated in this study, you see, and they liked what they felt: 41 percent fewer headaches and 43 percent fewer shoulder and neck pains. Want to get in on these percentages? Well, then, the experts at Good Housekeeping say you should stand with your back and head against a wall and repeat the following moves eight to 10 times:

• Pull your shoulders back until they touch the wall, then release.
• Move your head forward and backward slowly, without tipping your chin forward or your head back.
• Cup your hands behind your neck, and ease your head up and back.

Now, because this workout will really only warm you up, I'm thinking you should conquer some cubicle squats, lunges, push-ups and planks too. Don't forget crunches. Think your boss will mind? If so, practice some of these celebrity gallery tips on your own time and see how fit you can get.

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The treadmill is a great tool for walking and jogging, but have you ever tried to use it for anything else? (Besides drying clothes on it.) You might be surprised to learn about all of the things you can do on a treadmill to get a tremendous upper body and abdominal workout. Check out this video of my wicked workout partner Anthony Field of The Wiggles and me as we take your training to the next level.

This type of innovative training is so fun and effective, it may just get you past working out because you "have to" and take you to working out because you "want to." Those are two completely different things. For more cool videos, recipes and other fun fit tips ...

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I'm 26 years old and have never been happy with my upper body. My arms are lanky and my chest is soft. I have a demanding job as an attorney, and simply don't have the time nor the know how to get involved in a complicated training regiment. I know I have to "earn" a good body, so I was hoping you could dumb things down for me. A simple routine I can do in a hurry. P.S. I love your fit tip videos! Thanks. Tim

A. Hello Mr. Tim! Training for a guy with "no time" huh? That' my specialty! Glad you asked. Look pal, I wish I could pull off the persona as a rocket scientist, because I'm on top of this stuff ... but I can't. Fitness is painfully simple, and you can achieve your goals without much complexity.

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Maria Sharapova has been incredibly successful in her tennis career, especially considering she's only 21 years old. However, she's currently facing a new challenge -- staying fit while injured.

The tennis star was unable to compete in the Beijing Olympics and will sit out the U.S. Open due to a shoulder injury, and while she's undergoing physical therapy, she's doing plenty of cross-training to ensure she's ready to hit the court as soon as she's able. She told Shape magazine, "I've been walking hills a lot and biking a little outdoors. I don't do heavy weights at all. I go to yoga classes and work on my core."

Sharapova also revealed that she doesn't rely on dieting to keep her 6'2" frame so svelte. The surprisingly low-key looker, whose biggest beauty basic is wearing sunscreen, simply tries to eat healthfully, and indulges in her favorite junk foods in moderation. Obviously, it's working for her! Check out the gallery to see her looking fabulous on and off the court!

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I woke up this morning with a little bit of pain in my shoulder, a carry-over from a rotator cuff injury that has plagued me for the past ten years or so. My guess is that I slept awkwardly on my arm, although it's entirely possible I've aggravated it recently during a weightlifting workout. Depending on how my arm feels by later this evening, I may or may not be able to make it to the gym. Frankly, it's my own fault -- well, it was the fault of my former, younger, and sometimes more careless self -- that I am still occasionally dealing with pain ten years after the fact; I should have used better form and used a narrower grip on certain exercises.

Rotator cuff injuries are among the more common suffered by regular weightlifters, and in most cases it occurs during the performance of the bench press. In light of this fact, researchers have found that narrowing your grip while benching may help reduce your chance of injury. And, to the presumed delight of many seasoned lifters, a study in the Journal of Strength Conditioning also found that this slight narrowing of grip will have little affect on the strength of your lifts.

In addition, always be sure to warm up with about 5 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio before beginning your lifting routine. And, don't forget to stretch before and after your workout.

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I went into Week 4 on Monday full of enthusiasm and energy. My strength was great, and I felt really confident -- I was halfway through the challenge and feeling good about the second half. And Monday's push-ups went really well -- tough, but my husband and I both completed all the sets. And then, I woke up Wednesday morning with a very angry shoulder.

I don't think it has anything to do with the push-ups -- I'm not sure yet what I did to cause this shoulder pain, but what I do know is that it's holding me back. I did the scheduled push-ups on Wednesday (I thought maybe it would loosen up or something) -- it was not a good idea.

I took Friday off, and I plan to jump back in at the beginning of Week 4 when I'm pain-free (or close to it). In happier news, my husband is continuing through the program. Just like in a race, I don't want him to stop and wait for me, and I don't want you to, either! So tell me what I'm missing -- how's your challenge going?

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When you think of shoulder muscles, you're probably envisioning the deltoids. But a small group of muscles referred to as the rotator cuff is equally important to shoulder strength, injury prevention, and stability. The tiny rotator cuff muscles play a big role when it comes to lifting weight. So before you hit the bench press, make sure to warm up the rotator cuff. Men's Health shares a tip that's as easy as A, B, C:

• Pick up a 2-4 pound medicine ball and press it against a wall with one hand. Keep your arm straight and don't lean into the wall.
• Using firm pressure, roll the medicine ball against the wall and trace out the alphabet. The more pressure you use, the more the rotator cuff will be worked. Repeat the alphabet once with both arms.

Also, check out Chris' post on the importance of resistance training in addition to exercising your rotator cuff.

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I've lost some weight so all of my summer clothes from last year are super baggy on me. So last week I went on a bit of a shopping binge. I ordered t-shirts, capris, and pretty much every other item of summer clothing you can imagine. I'll tell you what -- there's nothing like trying on summer clothing to remind you of all the areas you need to get toned up. Parts and places that look just fine in my winter sweaters sing a whole different tune when only covered by a tiny summery top!

If you're looking to tone up for summer, AOL Body has plenty of great tips for you. Their shoulder exercises are sure to get your upper body looking great in swim suits, tank tops, and tees.

• Shoulder press. Sit on a chair with good back support. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and place your feet hip-width apart. Bend your elbows and raise the dumbbells up until they're level with your ears. Raise arms up over your head without locking your elbows. Lower. Repeat.
• Lateral raise. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms down at your sides. Raise arms out to the side until they're shoulder-height. Lower and repeat.
  
• Front raise. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms down at your sides. Raise your right arm straight in front of you. Lower and alternate with the other arm.
  
• Shrugs. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms down at your sides. Keeping your arms straight, raise your shoulders to your ears. Lower and repeat.
  

Be sure to click over to AOL Body for further description and images of each exercise.

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For those of you who may be serious lifters -- or, for those of you who may seriously be thinking about lifting -- I have a very short, albeit vital, piece of advice for you: Protect Your Rotator Cuff.

Without getting too clinical about it, the rotator cuff isn't an actual part of the body, per se; it's more of a term given to a group of muscles and tendons that act to stabilize the shoulder. Knowing what the rotator cuff happens to be is one thing, but injuring it is something altogether different. A tear or impingement (or both) can cause a great deal of pain, not to mention permanent injury in some cases. Being someone who has injured his rotator cuff while lifting weights, I can personally attest to the pain and discomfort this nagging injury can inflict.

To that end, I implore you to strengthen your rotator cuff by performing a few very simple exercises: the side-lying external rotation, the propped external rotator, and the lateral raise with internal rotation. Perform each with very, very light weight and do so delicately and with perfect form. They may not seem like they are actually doing anything while you do the exercises, but trust me, they are.

For a better description of how to perform each of the above listed rotator cuff exercises, click here.

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Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Anthony Field of The Wiggles was not someone I'd imagine would change my own personal level of fitness. He's a Wiggle. In fact, all of my personal training clients half-lovingly refer to him as "Damn Wiggle". Why? Because ever since I met the hot looking boy in blue, they've all been stuck doing lots and lots of pull-ups. They're all infinitely stronger with way better abs as well. I too, am fierce on the bar. Thanks Anthony!

And just FYI. Before Anthony began training like this he was a bunch heavier. Still handsome, but there was certainly much more of him. The part 2 video I'll be posting next week will simply make you drool. The boy looks wicked in his tight Under Armour shirt. Want to look that hot too? Take a looksy at this!

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A few years ago, I helped my (female) friend move. Moving is one of those jobs that tends to be delegated to men by default, but I figured we could handle it. After all, we're a couple of strong, independent chicks. And the whole thing went pretty smoothly -- until it came time to life the large TV onto the high dresser. I could not lift it above my head, no matter what. The lack of strength I had in my shoulders was painfully evident.

Shoulders are an oft forgotten part of the body, but they're just as important as the bigger muscle groups--working on them will not only increase your strength but help prevent injury too. Here are some exercises that will tone your shoulders, making them sleek, sexy and best of all, strong:

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If you feel a little pain, tension, or pull on your shoulder, take a look inside your purse. What you've got crammed in there may be weighing you down.

A heavy bag can cause pain in your neck, tingling in your fingers, even headaches, says family practitioner Jane Sadler of the Baylor Medical Center in Garland, Texas. Sadler recommends carrying bags no heavier than three pounds and definitely no more than 10 percent of your body weight. For those wishing to lighten up a bit, Sadler offers these tips:

• Clean out your wallet. Only carry credit cards, papers, and store cards you'll need that day.

• Stash a duplicate make-up bag at the office and in your gym locker and remove the one you've got stashed in your purse.

• Keep your cell phone or PDA in a pocket.

• Wear bags with the strap-messenger style (across the body).

• Alternate shoulders.

• Watch your posture. Slumping adds to the strain.

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