Shoulder exercises in the gym. Shoulder exercises in the gym for girls - the basics of female deltoids training

Broad shoulders– one of the main signs of a sporty figure. And if the fitness of some muscles, for example, the definition of the abs, can only be determined when a person is naked on the beach, then the width of the shoulders will not go unnoticed even with a quick glance at a dressed athlete.

Oblique fathoms in the shoulders, as they said in the old days, will help create exercises in the gym for the shoulders, which many athletes undeservedly neglect, focusing on pumping up the arms and chest.

By not paying attention to the shoulders, the athlete risks creating from his body not the semblance of a powerful oak tree, but something like a Christmas tree. To prevent your shoulders from sloping, they require specialized exercises. Which ones? Let's look at it further in the article.

How to pump up your shoulders in the gym?

The gym provides the opportunity to diversify exercises for the shoulders with many types of weights, devices and exercise machines. Any muscle responds better to training by growing, being exposed to a variety of influences - this way it does not have time to get used to the load.

The maximum variety of exercises and weights is difficult to achieve at home, but easy to achieve by visiting the gym.

To achieve maximum load variability you need to:

• Combine a barbell with dumbbells.
• Alternate several exercises for one muscle in different workouts.

The gym allows you to work out with a training partner and, if necessary, ask him to push the barbell to complete a set or complete the last couple of repetitions. Such repetitions with assistance are called forced and can only be used by experienced athletes who have been training for several months.

The number of repetitions in the approach should be 10–12 in 3–5 approaches. Increasing the weight of the equipment to reduce the number of repetitions is fraught with injury. When pumping up your shoulders, the main thing is not maximum weights, but ideal execution technique and maximum muscle exhaustion with an average number of repetitions.

How to swing your shoulders correctly?

The shoulder joints are one of the most complex, which means they have a high risk of injury. The humerus in the joint is capable of rotating in different directions, and many ligaments and muscles involved in these movements are responsible for this.

Due to the high range of motion in the joint, ligaments and small muscles can easily be injured if there is no good warm-up and stretching before exercise.

When people talk about shoulder training, they usually mean exercises for the deltoid muscles. Simply put, these muscles are called deltoids or deltoids.

The lower part of the muscle attaches to the humerus, and from above the muscle is divided into three bundles:

• Front.
• Average.
• Rear.

In the upper part, the muscle bundles are attached to two bones: the posterior and middle ones - to different parts of the scapula, and the anterior one - to the collarbone.

The shoulder joint also works thanks to small muscles, which, if poorly warmed up and under heavy load, are at high risk of injury. These muscles include the supraspinatus muscles, which are actively involved in standing and sitting presses. The overhead barbell press is especially dangerous for them, so before the exercise, in addition to the general warm-up, you need to do a couple of warm-up approaches for the supraspinatus muscles.

This warm-up movement involves lifting dumbbells straight out to the side while lying on your side. The weight should not be too heavy; you need to do 2 sets of 15–20 repetitions.

A general shoulder warm-up before training may include the following movements:

• Smooth rotation of the arms in the shoulder joints with maximum amplitude in both directions - 3 sets of 10 times.
• Rotation of the forearms at the elbow joints in both directions – 3 sets of 10 times;
• Rotation and flexion of the wrists in different directions.
• Raising light dumbbells with straight arms to the sides while standing – 2 sets of 15–20 repetitions.

After warming up, you need to do some stretching:

• For the front deltas - grab any stable object at chest level with your straight hand and smoothly move forward, feeling the stretch in the front deltas and pectoral muscles.
• For the back bundles, try to smoothly press your straight hand to the opposite shoulder, helping with your other hand.
• To develop general flexibility in the shoulder joint, try to smoothly move the bent arm raised above your head behind your back, pressing on it with your other hand.

All stretching techniques must be done for both hands in several approaches. No jerking or pain should be allowed! After exercising with shoulder weights, you need to cool down and stretch.

How often should you do shoulder exercises?

On average, you need to train the deltoid muscles Once every 4 days. This means that between workouts there is rest for this muscle group should be 3 days. Based on the individual characteristics of the body, the interval between training can be reduced or increased, but, as a rule, it ranges from 2 days to a week.

Shoulder training program

Deltoids work in standing or seated presses. The shoulders work as an aid during movements involving the chest and triceps muscles. Therefore, it makes sense to combine exercises for these pressing muscle groups in one workout.

With this split, all pressing muscles will recover the same amount of time on the same days. Each group in this version is pumped once a week. A six-day interval between targeted workouts for each muscle is optimal for most people. If an athlete is preparing for a competition and he doesn’t have enough three workouts per week, you can reduce the number of rest days while maintaining the same exercise program.

For men

Since an important sign of masculinity is the figure broad shoulders, then men who follow this aesthetics need to pay special attention to training their deltas.

In practice, this means maximizing the variety of exercises that vary from workout to workout - this way the muscles will not adapt to the load and stop growing.

The standing barbell press can be replaced with any other bench press approximately every 3 shoulder workouts. The dumbbell press should be alternated with the Arnold press, in the row of the barbell to the chin you should change from a narrow grip to a wide one throughout the session - all these tricks will not allow the muscles to stop responding to loads.

For girls

If a woman is engaged in bodybuilding professionally, then there is no difference with men’s training programs.

When a girl visits the gym not to participate in competitions, but for the sake of health and to create a fit graceful figure, then it is not necessary to place special emphasis on shoulder training, but one of the least safe ones is enough basic movement and one isolated for each deltoid bundle per workout.

Organization of training

When combining exercises for deltoids and chest, you need to train the pectoral muscles first, and then the shoulders. This is necessary due to the greater strength of the chest muscles, which require more weight.

After the chest, when starting to pump up the shoulders, you first need to do basic multi-joint exercises, such as:

• Presses.
• Pull to the chin.

Then move on to isolated movements. After training your shoulders, it would be logical to end the session with isolated movements for the triceps due to their active participation in the presses.

The most effective shoulder exercises

Below we consider a list of the most popular and most effective shoulder exercises.

Standing barbell press

Another name is the military press. This basic multi-joint movement works the middle and anterior deltoids, upper pecs, triceps and top part trapezoids.

For greater comfort and efficiency, so as not to make unnecessary efforts to lift weights from the floor with each approach, it is better to do the exercise in a power rack when the barbell is already at chest level.

In this exercise, maximum stretching and amplitude of work of the deltas occurs, since the elbows at the lowest point are as low as possible. When pressing from behind the head, the range of motion is smaller.

Technique:

• Grasp the barbell by the bar with an overhand grip, hands approximately shoulder-width apart.
• Place your feet shoulder-width apart, do not point your toes apart.
• If the barbell is on racks, then you need to sit under it and take it on your chest.
• The barbell must be lifted from the floor using deadlifts. Then throw the weight onto your chest with a jerk with your hands or ask your training partners to help throw the weight into the starting position.
• In the starting position, the elbows are pointing down, the gaze is directed forward, the back is straight.
• Smoothly press the barbell overhead.
• Also smoothly lower the weight to the starting position on your chest.
• When lifting the projectile, you need to exhale, while lowering it, inhale.
• After completing the required number of repetitions, return the barbell to the racks or lower it to the floor, not bending over, but squatting with your feet.

Bench press

The overhead press requires perfect technique. This requires flexible shoulder joints and strong supraspinatus muscles. Be sure to also use correct weight rods. If these conditions are met, the risk of injury will be minimal.

If you have poor joint flexibility, it makes sense to abandon the overhead press in favor of the chest press, especially since the second has a greater range of motion and at the same time less risk of injury.

Seated dumbbell press

Unlike a barbell, dumbbells allow each arm to work independently of each other, which additionally engages stabilizer muscles that help keep the weight in balance.

This is the safest of the basic multi-joint exercises for the deltoids due to the naturalness and freedom of movement.

At the starting bottom point, the hands with dumbbells can be turned with clenched fingers both forward and towards each other, the hands are above the shoulders, and the elbows are directed down. As the weight moves upward, the elbows move through the sides. Without jerking, squeeze the weights over your head and smoothly return to the starting position.

Arnold press

Named after its inventor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The exercise is similar to the previous one, but there are two differences:

This technique allows you to load the anterior and middle fibers of the deltoids in one exercise. In the lower part of the amplitude, more load falls on the front bundles, and in the upper segment of the movement – ​​on the middle ones.

Barbell row to the chin

• The basic compound exercise primarily targets the middle and anterior deltoid fibers, as well as the upper trapezius muscles and some arm flexors.
• Using a bar grip with broad setting hands, the load will be greater on the deltoids, and with a narrow grip, the trapezius will be more loaded.

Lateral dumbbell raises

Is isolated exercise for medium delta bundles.

Sequence of actions:

Bent-over dumbbell raises

Isolated movement on the posterior deltoids. The back should be straight and approximately parallel to the floor. For variety, the angle of the back can be changed up to 45° relative to the floor.

This may be required for two reasons:

• Due to the individual anatomy of the athlete’s deltoid muscles.
• To redistribute the load from the posterior fascicles to the posterior areas of the middle fascicles - this allows you to vary the load for harmonious and versatile muscle development.

Basic shoulder exercises

A set of basic multi-joint movements should be done at the beginning of training for the deltoids. Then perform isolated exercises.

Reverse order- this is the order in which isolated movements are performed first, and then basic multi-joint movements are suitable only for very experienced athletes and this technique is called the principle of pre-fatigue. For beginners, this principle is not only ineffective, but can also cause injury.

Raising dumbbells in front of you

Push-ups

• Any type of push-up is a basic multi-joint exercise.
• They can be used as warm-up movements before weight training or as gymnastic exercises to increase strength, local muscle endurance and muscle definition.
• Push-ups can be used not only own weight body, but also to hang additional burdens on yourself. In this case, push-ups turn into full-fledged exercises to increase strength and mass.

The front and middle deltoids work in push-ups of all variations:

• Push-ups with feet on the floor.
• Push-ups with your feet elevated.
• Vertical push-ups against the wall.
• Dips.
• Push-ups from a bench behind your back.

Together with the deltoids, the following are involved in push-ups:

• Chest muscles.
• Triceps.
• Biceps.
• Various core muscles.

• It is possible to do the standing press while sitting, but the risk of harmful stress on the spine will increase. due to the specific trajectory of the projectile and the distribution of its weight slightly forward. If you want to exclude the possibility of cheating with your legs, then it is better to sit on a bench with a backrest, firmly resting your straight back on it;
• Raise dumbbells from the sides in an inclined position, you can rest your forehead on a bench or other stable object, to remove harmful load from the lower back;
• When performing dumbbell lateral raises, if you turn your fists slightly with your little finger up, the emphasis of the load will shift even more to the middle bundles;
• To perform the exercises correctly it is important to control your movements using a mirror;
• Raising in front of you for the front beams is unnecessary to do at every workout for deltoids, since these fibers work intensively more than others in all presses, and pumping them in isolation at each workout will be overkill. It is optimal to pump up the front deltoids through training.

Some girls refuse to work on the deltoid muscle, believing that this will make their shoulders too wide. But it's not like that, pump it up huge shoulders This is possible only if you use special hormonal drugs. Performing shoulder exercises for girls in gym will strengthen the shoulder joints, as well as make the figure proportional.

Many basic exercises, such as push-ups, pull-ups, etc., already provide a certain load on the shoulder girdle. Therefore, it is enough to perform isolation exercises once a week.

With this load regime it is impossible to pump up the shoulders. And only those who purposefully work to increase muscle mass by lifting heavy weights, use drugs to increase testosterone, or follow a diet with a large number calories.

What number of repetitions and approaches

Shoulder exercises performed in the gym for girls who want to get rid of excess weight, should be performed in 2-3 sets of 15 repetitions each. For those who are just starting to exercise, it is enough to do up to 12 repetitions. This will allow you to master the technique.

To begin with, use minimal weight dumbbells. When working with them, you need to strive to increase the number of repetitions each time. Once you reach 15 repetitions, you should use heavier weight dumbbells.

If the main goal of the exercise is to build muscle mass, then the exercises should be performed in 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions each.

Exercise technique

Dumbbell lateral raises on an incline bench

The advantages of this type of exercise can be considered:

• targeted training of all muscles of the shoulder girdle and chest;
• possibility to increase muscle mass in the upper chest area;
• the ability to achieve an expressive neckline and make the breasts visually more voluminous;
• elimination of chest muscle asymmetry;
• stretching of the pectoral muscles.

This exercise can be classified as intermediate in difficulty. The technique for doing it is as follows:

1. Lie on an inclined (30-45 degree angle) bench, holding dumbbells neutral grip(when the wrists are directed towards each other). Straight arms with dumbbells rise up and bend your elbows slightly. The spine should be slightly bent and the shoulder blades should be brought together. This position is the starting position.
2. Inhaling, the arms smoothly lower to the sides. It is important to ensure that the elbow joint remains in a flexed position. You need to spread your arms until your palms point to the ceiling. Having reached the lowest point, you need to linger there for a few seconds, which will further stretch the chest muscles. As you exhale, raise your arms up to the starting point.

In order for the exercise to bring maximum results, it is important to follow certain rules:

• follow the trajectory of hand movement (along an arc);
• perform dilutions at a slow pace and reductions at a fast pace;
• the legs should be well fixed on the floor, and the back should be firmly pressed against the bench;
• lingering at the top point for a few seconds, you should further compress pectoral muscles;
• after lifting the dumbbells up, there should be a small gap between them;
• it is necessary to spread the dumbbells as far as stretching allows without pain in the anterior deltoid;
• you cannot help yourself perform the exercise with your body, only your arms work;
• If you have any problems with the shoulder joint, use heavy weight it is forbidden;
• During the exercise, the elbows must be fixed;
• The angle of the bench should not exceed 45 degrees.

Alternating Dumbbell Raises

Alternating lifting of dumbbells allows you to make the shoulder girdle expressive and attractive.

But for the exercise to bring maximum results, it must be performed according to all the rules:

1. Take dumbbells in your hands using overhand grip, slightly bending your elbows.
2. You need to stand straight, with your legs slightly apart. Your arms should be down and near your hips.
3. While performing the complex, the abdominal and lower back muscles should be tense.
4. The head should be directed straight.
5. After inhaling, the breath is held, and one hand smoothly rises up to eye level. At the highest point, you need to pause until you feel a burning sensation in the muscles being worked.
6. As you exhale, the hand smoothly lowers down, not reaching 10 cm to the level of the thigh. Thus, the muscles being worked on will be under tension all the time.
7. This exercise is repeated the required number of times for both hands.

This exercise for girls on the shoulders, performed in the gym, requires that the elbows be kept slightly at all times. bent state. It is important that your hands work in the same plane. The body remains motionless.

Chin pull

The chin pull can be done with a narrow or wide grip. The difference between a narrow grip is that in this way the trapezius muscle and biceps are worked out. Wide grip used for delta training.

You can perform this exercise not only with a barbell, but also with dumbbells. To perform deadlifts with a barbell, the first trial time must be done with an empty bar. If there is no bar lighter than 20 kg in the gym, and for a girl this is a lot, then you can use two dumbbells of 5 kg each.

The procedure for performing a chin-up with a barbell is as follows:

1. The barbell is removed from the rack and brought to the body. IN correct position it will be near your feet. Your arms should be slightly bent at the elbow joint.
2. The strength of the shoulders lifts the barbell upward. In this case, the elbows are slightly spread to the sides, and the wrists are bent. The palms should be directed towards the body.
3. This way the bar slides down to chin level along the body.
4. When performing the exercise, the legs are at shoulder level, the chest is protruded forward, the pelvis is pushed back, and the shoulders are straightened as much as possible. It is important to ensure that the bar is lifted by using the shoulders.
5. To load the trapezius muscles, after raising the bar, it smoothly lowers down. If you need to work your shoulders, then after raising the bar to the maximum point, you should also pull your elbows up.

The warm-up exercise is performed 15 repetitions. If this weight is not enough, then plates are added to the bar and the chin row continues for 3 more approaches, each with 10 repetitions. Or 3 approaches are performed with an empty bar.

A similar exercise is performed using dumbbells, the grip varies. The best option is a distance between them of 10-15 cm.

Dumbbell flyes from a lying position

Among the advantages of dumbbell flyes while lying on a bench are:

• the ability to work out almost all muscle groups of the upper body;
• greater efficiency compared to push-ups;
• formation of good stretching and posture;
• simplicity and accessibility of implementation;
• quickly achieving maximum results.

Step-by-step technique:

1. First you need to choose the optimal dumbbell weight. Lying on horizontal bench, dumbbells are taken with a neutral grip (with palms facing each other), with slightly bent arms. The lower back arches slightly and the legs rest on the floor.
2. Inhaling, the dumbbells are smoothly spread to the sides, describing a semicircle. Having reached chest level, the pectoral muscles are compressed, and the arms return back along the laid path. After this, exhale.
3. At the highest point, you need to hold for a few seconds, making sure that the dumbbells do not touch each other.

Shoulder exercises in the gym for girls in the form of dumbbell raises while lying on a bench have their own rules of execution:

• all movements are performed as smoothly as possible without sudden movements, focusing on muscle work;
• no need to take a long break at the top point;
• dumbbells should not touch each other;
• The dumbbells should be raised and lowered to a comfortable position.

Push-ups

During push-ups, most of the muscles of the body are involved. This exercise helps to actively burn calories, improves metabolism and increases endurance. You can perform push-ups in several ways: from a wall, a bench or from the floor. Each option has its own implementation features.

Wall push-ups are considered the easiest.

To do this you need:

1. Stand near the wall at a short distance. Place your hands against the wall so that your palms are at shoulder level.
2. Bend your elbows as much as possible and try to touch the wall with your forehead.
3. You need to bend and straighten your elbows as smoothly as possible. In this case, the back and knees should be straight.
4. To increase the load, you can move further away from the wall.

To begin with, 10 repetitions will be enough. Over time, their number needs to be increased.

To perform an exercise from a bench, you need:

1. Place your hands on the bench, keeping your legs together. In this case, your hands should be shoulder-width apart.
2. Similar to the previous option, the arms are bent as much as possible at the elbow joint.

You can start performing this exercise from a high support, gradually reducing its height. If it is still difficult to do push-ups from the floor in the classical way, you can start doing it from your knees.

To do this:

1. Your hands should rest on the floor and your legs should be bent at the knees.
2. Similar to the previous exercises, the elbows are bent as much as possible.
3. It is important that your lower back remains level during this time.

For classic push-ups from the floor you need:

1. Place your hands and feet (toes) on the floor at the same time. In this case, the body should be perpendicular to the floor.
2. Bend your elbows and try to touch your chest to the floor.
3. Exhaling, slowly return the body to the starting position.

Girls are recommended to perform this shoulder exercise in the gym with a minimum amplitude at an average pace. Gradually the number of executions is increased to increase endurance. It is important to ensure that the body is a straight line.

High traction

The high row is also known as the “chin row.” This exercise maximally loads not only the lateral, but also the posterior and anterior sections. To perform it, you need to stand straight, slightly bending elbow joints.

Dumbbells are lifted up using shoulder muscles so that they reach a line parallel to the floor. It is important to ensure that other muscles are not involved in the work.

Arnie's bench press

Such shoulder exercises for girls, performed in the gym, were developed by the famous actor and athlete Arnold Schwarzenegger. He noticed their effect quite by accident, when during training he accidentally turned his palms at the moment when they were at the lowest point.

At the same time, he noted that the load on the delta was greater than when performing conventional bench presses. This press engages the sides and front of the shoulder more, reducing the load on the back head of the shoulder.

To perform the Arnie press, you need to use a chair with a backrest or a bench.

The order of execution is as follows:

1. Sitting on a bench, you need to bend your arms at the elbow and turn them to the floor. You need to hold the dumbbells towards your face at neck level. The shoulders are pressed tightly to the body.
2. While inhaling, the dumbbell is lifted, and as it approaches the level of the chin, the wrists turn in the opposite direction from the face. At the top point you need to make a short delay, after which the arms slowly lower down and the wrists turn in the opposite direction. Thus, at the lowest point, they will again look at the face.

It is important that the chin is parallel to the floor while doing this press and that the head does not drop.

Seated dumbbell press

The benefits of the seated dumbbell press are:

• the possibility of increasing the volume of deltas;
• achievement great results in comparison with other bench press techniques;
• strengthening humerus;
• dumbbell control;
• the ability to perform exercises with greater amplitude;
• improving balance;
• eliminating imbalances in shoulder development.

The technique for performing the exercise is as follows:

1. Sitting on a bench, you need to pick up dumbbells and place them on your hips. Then they are raised to shoulder level on both sides. The wrist should be rotated so that the palm faces forward. Your feet should rest securely on the floor.
2. As you exhale, the dumbbells rise up. Having made a delay in highest point, hands slowly lower.

When performing such a press, you need to adhere to some recommendations from experts:

• on the bench you need to sit as deeply as possible, pressing your back well against the bench;
• legs need to be spread in opposite directions;
• dumbbells should be slightly in front of your shoulders;
• Do not touch dumbbells to each other;
• act with maximum amplitude;
• do not lift dumbbells using inertia.

Bench press

This exercise is dangerous, so when performing it, you must strictly adhere to the rules:

Barbell chest press

Exercise helps to load small muscles and delta.

It is performed as follows:

1. You need to stand straight, with your legs not spread wide.
2. Then you should bend forward, take the barbell lying in front of you and, without bending your lower back, rise up, placing the barbell on your chest.
3. With a sharp movement, the bar rises up and smoothly falls back to the chest.

While performing the bench press, you need to monitor the condition of your back. She should not bend in the lower back.

Shoulder exercises for girls - training options

Girls do not necessarily have to devote their entire workout to deltoids.

Strength exercises In the gym, shoulder development should be alternated with the development of other muscle groups. The image shows one of the full body workout options for girls

It is better to combine any exercises for this muscle group with working out other parts of the body. Fitness trainers offer these training options.

Workout 1: Shoulders and Arms

To work out the arms and shoulder girdle, the following complex is suitable:

• Raising arms with dumbbells to the sides, while sitting on a bench.
• Pull to the chin.
• Raising arms with dumbbells while lying down.
• Alternating dumbbell lifts.
• Arnie's bench press.

Workout 2: Legs and Buttocks

The following exercises will help you work your lower body:

• Squats with a barbell.
• Lunges with dumbbells.
• Taking the straight leg back.
• Gluteal bridge.
• Deadlift.

All exercises are performed in 3 sets, 15 repetitions each.

Workout 3: Chest and Back

The following complex is suitable for the back and chest:

• Pull-ups on the bar.
• Dumbbell bench press in a lying position.
• Reverse butterfly.
• Dumbbell raises at a 45 degree angle.
• Plaque pull to the chin.

All exercises are performed in 3 sets, 15 repetitions each.

How to reduce muscle size by exercising

Fitness trainers are confident that a properly selected set of exercises will help get rid of large muscles and reduce their volume.

To do this you need:

1. Build your workout in such a way that the exercises performed are aimed at reducing fatty tissue in the body. Ideal for this aerobic exercise.
2. It's important not to stop strength training. But there shouldn't be a lot of it. For example:

• to reduce arm volume, it is enough to perform seated dumbbell presses and rows to the chin for 3 sets of 15 repetitions;
• You can reduce the volume of your hips by doing lunges with a barbell - 3 sets of 15 repetitions;
• for the lower leg – jumping rope – 3 sets of 200 repetitions each.

By combining shoulder exercises for girls who train in the gym, you can achieve good results, making the body as proportional as possible. Any workout should always begin with a warm-up. This will not only protect yourself from injury, but also increase the effectiveness of your exercises. At the end of the session, you need to stretch the worked muscle groups.

Video on the topic: shoulder exercises in the gym for girls

Top 5 best exercises for shoulders in the gym:

Shoulder exercises for girls. Exercises in the gym:

How are you, Jeff Cavalier is with you again and today I will make your shoulders light up like a Christmas tree. Such an intense 3 minute shoulder training in the gym requires the use of just a pair of dumbbells. And, perhaps, this is the irony here - these will be exercises that you have already done many times, but not in this way.

And so, you most likely have done a lot of:

• frontal lifts;
• side lifts;
• lifting onto the dorsal heads of the deltas.

The idea was that you wanted to work the front, side, and back heads of your delts. But have you ever thought about changing your body position so that:

• work on much more than just deltas in isolation;
• and also change all the effects that these exercises have on your deltoids.

Why is this so?

I sank to the floor for a reason. We call this the kneeling shoulder set. And all you need to do is alternate all movements for three minutes straight. It is also unknown whether you can withstand it. I'm sure many won't be able to.

And this is because the smaller muscles that surround the deltoids are most likely quite weak because they were not involved in delt training. We must provide them with work. Therefore, we stand on the floor in a “closed kinetic chain” position, which means that we have a feedback biological connection (that is, our hands are in contact with the floor).

Closed chain, just like with your feet on the floor (closed chain like squats). Interestingly, it is from this position that we evolved, when we moved on all fours, with our hands in contact with the ground. So the muscles of the shoulder blades have always worked better together with our deltoids when moving our arms when they were in contact with the ground.

So how do we put this into practice?

If we lower ourselves to the starting position and begin to perform the first exercise - frontal dumbbell raises, even a little more than with regular lifts. You need to not just raise your hand in front of you, but go a little further at an angle. Why is this so important?

Being in this position and raising my arm up in front of me, at the top point gravity fully acts on my raised arm, with which I force the front of the shoulder (front deltoids) to work properly. I didn't sacrifice that, but what else did I do? – relative motion. If I raise my arm higher, then when I sit down, its position will be higher than usual, due to this forward bend.

Now, if the hand rises higher, then the lower trapezius immediately begins to connect to help with holding the hand. This is their function - to support shoulder stabilization as you raise your arm up in front of you.

This is how we get an additional advantage by simply lowering ourselves to the floor and do not get it when we lift the dumbbells in front of us.

Next move

Raise dumbbells to the sides alternately with the right and left hands. This is how you will continue to perform this set in a few seconds. What is the advantage of doing it on your knees?

We again find ourselves in a “closed kinetic chain” position - when we lift one arm, all the weight goes to the other. This position is the best for maintaining stability and stabilization of the shoulder joint. When raising the arm to the side, we again do not sacrifice the effect on the middle deltoids, but the rhomboid muscles will also be involved. All of these muscles are attached to the shoulder blades, and you can't move your arm without moving the shoulder blade.

If we can use all of these muscles together to work together, we will have a more effective exercise. All we need for this is simply to change the position of the body when performing the exercise!

Let's move on - hand raises on the back heads of the deltas

You know this movement is usually already done in a bent over position, so we're not really getting any additional benefits here. Except:

• we don’t need a transition, no time is wasted on it;
• there will be no rest - you can immediately proceed to the exercise.

I always do it the way I've always taught you - by moving your arm behind your body and adding external rotation.

And finally we'll add one more exercise here. After all, we know how important the rotator cuff muscles are and their activity in external rotation.

We will make this addition here with W-shaped lateral raises, where we should try to actively, so to speak, “throw” the dumbbells behind us, forming the letter W with our hands. This will allow us to instantly engage the rotator cuff muscles.

Here's a sequence of movements: try to move from alternating front knee raises to alternating lateral raises to alternating W raises. Then return to the beginning and repeat the entire circle again. Do this set for three minutes, at least try, no matter how many reps you do in that time!

This is a tough exercise, and for good reason. Since your muscles are not used to working in this way, although it would be worth it.

Guys, you have to let your body work the way it's supposed to, otherwise your results will stagnate! And I assure you, once you start improving on this exercise, you will improve on others!

For example, I love the overhead press, but to do it you have to engage upward rotation of your shoulder blades, and you do that. However, this exercise does not train upward rotation of the shoulder blades. What do I want to say? – you can do scapular rotations, but in too unhealthy a way and you will have to sacrifice your shoulders to do it. But you can get the core muscles stabilized and the lower trapezius activated to do it, and if you can't, you're in trouble.

Doing exercises like today's set helps you develop the necessary strength to perform this or any other exercise much better. Guys, try this scheme! I know it will be useful to you!

If you liked this article, leave your comments and share it with your friends. Subscribe to our notifications if you haven't already. And if you are looking training program, based on scientific facts, which take into account all such nuances (because they are important, and it is not at all necessary to use huge weights for this, but it is important to take into account these very nuances, because they are the ones who will bring you the necessary results) we have them! See you in new articles, see you soon!

What you need

Beautiful and voluminous shoulders are attractive appearance both for the athlete and for the ordinary person. Developed shoulders bring the body shape closer to a V-shape, making the figure more athletic.

Let's look at some basic shoulder exercises that will help you achieve a powerful upper body and will be an excellent incentive for further muscle gain.

How to organize training correctly?

The decision to pump up your shoulders does not arise out of nowhere. Either someone persistently recommended this to you, or in the process of working on yourself you felt that not everything was okay with this zone. In the first case, the most logical option is to start going to the gym. And you will definitely need a trainer who will assess your initial condition, set priorities and recommend a course of effective shoulder exercises.

If you are not new to sports, an instructor is not necessary: ​​you will be able to develop your own training plan. It doesn’t matter where you train – in the gym or at home. The main thing is to have access to the necessary athletic equipment.

And don't forget the three principles of effective training:

• regularity;
• continuity;
• progressiveness.

In other words, classes need structure. Let the interval between training days be long but stable. The training process itself must be continuous. If you have allocated 1 hour for yourself, then you cannot take unplanned breaks during it. It is important to gradually increase the load, but at the same time maintain correct technique.

Shoulder anatomy

The shoulder muscle is otherwise called the “delta” for its similarity to the triangular shape of the Latin letter of the same name. The biceps and triceps are located lower and do not belong to the deltoid muscle. Therefore, an athlete doing shoulder exercises must understand that as a result, only his upper arms will be pumped up, but not his arms themselves. It is for this reason that delt exercises are suitable for girls who want to have relatively broad shoulders, but do not want to be too muscular.

The deltoid muscle is attached to three bones: the humerus, scapula and clavicle. When performing exercises, take into account the individual characteristics of the body. If you have had fractures or dislocations of the listed bones, it is recommended to exercise only with a trainer, and loads should be limited. A similar requirement applies to injuries. shoulder joints or their bundles.




The delta consists of three bundles: anterior, middle (lateral) and posterior. Let's look at their location and participation in training in more detail in the table.




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The two main functions of the delta are to push the load away from you and to pull it towards you. These two components give rise to all the variety of movements that we use in shoulder exercises. When we do front swings, dumbbell and barbell presses, we develop the pushing function (front beam). Swings from the sides or in an inclined position, as well as all kinds of traction, are the second component (middle and rear beams).

For the full development of deltas, you need to perform at least one exercise for each of the beams. Most often, athletes “fall out” of the back and middle ones, since the front one is quite easy to pump up thanks to its participation in all presses, and exercises for the other two beams are either neglected, or not done enough, or with the wrong technique (for example, swinging heavy dumbbells with cheating) .

Warm-up

- a very important step before every workout. In this case, it is necessary to warm up the shoulders and minimize injuries. For 5-10 minutes, perform simple warm-up exercises V starting position– standing on the floor:

1. Head tilts different sides and rotation in a circle.
2. Circular rotation of the shoulders forward and backward.
3. Alternately raising your arms up through the sides and lowering them.
4. Horizontal swings of arms.
5. Again circular rotations hands forward and back. Then one hand forward and the other back. Change hands.

- one of the most common, so pay due attention to the warm-up and do it as thoroughly as possible.

Basic exercises

We bring to your attention several of the most effective basic shoulder exercises so that you can choose the most suitable ones for yourself. It is better to do the first few workouts with an instructor so that he can control you, explain and show you the technique.

Also, do not forget about isolation exercises - most movements for the middle and posterior bundles are exactly like this, but this does not mean that they are ineffective. You just need to competently combine base and isolation depending on your goals, length of service and training experience.

Barbell chest press standing and sitting

Otherwise called military press. This is the most effective exercise for developing pushing function. deltoid muscle.

And here's why:

• Free weight exercises work a lot of stabilizer muscles.
• Large range of motion: you can touch the barbell to your chest, you can lower it to your chin if you feel uncomfortable doing it too low.
• The exercise can be done by any person, not just weightlifters. It is enough to choose a comfortable weight.

Advice! The grip on the bar for this exercise should not be too wide or too narrow. Optimal option: slightly wider than shoulder width. The forearms in the starting position should be perpendicular to the floor. When lifting the barbell, do not follow it with your eyes. Don't extend your elbows all the way - this is true for all shoulder presses.

The exercise can be performed while sitting:

Many people think that this will reduce the load on the spine, but in fact the opposite is true - the load on the intervertebral discs in this movement will be greater in a sitting position. And if for small weights there is not much difference, and you can start doing the exercise while sitting, and then switch to the standing option, which is more difficult in technique, then with large scales It’s definitely worth working only in a standing position.

Another option is to sit in Smith. Here the movement will be strictly specified by the design of the simulator, which “turns off” some of the stabilizer muscles and makes the bench press itself a little easier. That's why the weights here will be a little higher. However, a given motion vector can also be a problem - the risk of injury to the shoulder joints increases, since here you will not be able to move the projectile in the plane of the floor, only perpendicular to it.

© Makatserchyk - stock.adobe.com

Bench press standing and sitting

In this exercise you will take less weight than in the previous version, although the amplitude here is obviously shorter. But the shoulder joints have less freedom, which increases the risk of injury. In addition, you need to lower the projectile behind your head more slowly and under control - you can accidentally hit the back of your head.

Lift the barbell straight up from behind your head, in the same plane as your forearms. Leaning forward may cause you to fall and drop the projectile on your neck. And if you lean back, you can injure your shoulder joints. It is better to do this exercise in front of a mirror or with an instructor.

A similar exercise can be performed while sitting (including in Smith), but for this, as in the previous exercise, you need to have a pumped lower back and healthy spine. Also in sitting position more difficult to drop a projectile. While standing, you can step back and forward to adjust your balance.

© Makatserchyk - stock.adobe.com

Many people believe that the exercise is aimed at developing the middle deltoids. They really work, but the front ones still take on more load. This is why all pressing exercises should be based on the front deltoids.

Attention! We do not recommend it to anyone this exercise. Leave it to those who play sports professionally. The risk of injury to the shoulder joints is too high. This exercise can easily be replaced with a chest press or dumbbell press without loss of effectiveness.

Seated dumbbell press

Along with the military press, this is the best basic exercise for building massive deltoids. Many professional athletes even prefer it to the standing barbell press.

It is best to perform the exercise on a bench with the back set at an angle of 90 degrees or close to it. There is no need to touch the dumbbells at the top point; also, do not straighten your elbows completely. At the bottom, lower the shells to the maximum comfortable depth.

© Kurhan - stock.adobe.com

Arnold press

This is a variation of the previous exercise, which allows you to actively use, in addition to the front, also middle delta. It was named after Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose deltoids, by the way, were not very developed. But the actor-athlete still remains a standard for many athletes, and such a modification of the bench press is indeed very good for diversifying the training process.

The difference here is that in the starting position, the hands with dumbbells are in front of the head, and not at the side. The grip is reverse, that is, the palms are facing back. In the process of lifting the projectiles upward, the hands rotate 180 degrees. At the top point everything is similar to a simple dumbbell press. When lowering, a reverse reversal occurs.

The criteria for the beauty of the male body have their own standards. Prominent and broad shoulders have been and remain one of the main measures of attractiveness for a man. The width of the shoulders determines the proportions of the athlete's upper body. The larger it is, the narrower the waist looks. Consequently, the figure looks much more attractive. This is the reason for the high interest of those involved in building a beautiful and sculpted body in the most effective exercises for working the shoulder muscles.

The equipment used when performing shoulder exercises depends on the location of the training. In the gym it is best to exercise with a barbell, but at home it is much easier to use dumbbells. The latter have less weight than barbells, but you can also perform good and useful exercises with them.

The formation of the shoulder occurs with the participation of the deltoid muscle. It consists of an anterior, middle, and posterior bundle. To achieve proper development of the shoulder region, the load on all three beams must be absolutely uniform. This anatomical structure and affects the fact that it is quite difficult to train the shoulders. However, with some effort, the athlete can not only achieve desired result, but also to make the figure truly attractive.

The training is best composed of basic exercises aimed at engaging and working the entire delta. A separate bundle should be inflated only when the load placed on it was not enough and it began to lag behind the rest in development. In other cases, isolation exercises are not necessary.

You can train like gym, and at home. The main thing is that the athlete has equipment such as dumbbells and a barbell at his disposal. The weight is selected so that at least eight or ten lifts can be done in one approach. Using too much weight to give your shoulders definition and width is not recommended. Increasing loads, that is, working with heavier equipment, should be done when the main goal is to increase muscle strength. In this case, you need to lift the shells from five to eight times, perform four to five sets.

Beginner athletes are recommended to master and perfect the execution of one or two basic presses to the point of automaticity. They perfectly work the deltoid muscle and provide an even load on the entire shoulder girdle. When it is sufficiently trained, it becomes noticeable which of the beams requires more work. At this stage, you can add isolation exercises to the training, which are chosen depending on which muscle group needs additional work.

List of effective shoulder exercises

The main exercise for working the shoulder muscles. Its main emphasis is on medium bun deltas. However, pumping of this area occurs with the active participation of both the anterior and posterior bundles.

Starting position:

• stand straight, spread your feet shoulder-width apart;
• Take the projectile with a direct grip and lift it to chest level;

Execution:

• lift the projectile, exhaling at the end point;
• take a break;
• slowly, inhaling, lower the barbell to its original position, that is, to chest level.

1. no need to take maximum weight;
2. your back should be slightly arched;
3. You can use dumbbells as an apparatus.

Basic exercise, which is entirely aimed at pumping up the muscles of the shoulder girdle. Unlike the previous one, it is performed from a sitting position.

Starting position:

• sit on a sports bench;
• arch your back a little;
• take the projectile with a wide grip.

Execution:

• simultaneously with exhalation, lift the barbell, while fully straightening your arms;
• while inhaling, lower the projectile behind your head.

1. The bench press must be performed smoothly, slowly, without jerking;
2. The exercise can be diversified by alternating lowering the projectile behind the head and towards the chest.

Ideal training for pumping up the deltoid muscle at home. It is not only effective, but also accessible, since it is performed not with a barbell, which not every athlete has at home, but with dumbbells. Exercises using this sports equipment Great for those who, for some reason, do not have the opportunity to work out in the gym, but want to pump up their shoulders.

The training really works and allows you to achieve the desired result. The main thing is to be ready to give your best, be patient, and show diligence. Perseverance should be demonstrated not by the number of approaches, but regular exercise. Otherwise, no significant effect will be achieved.

Starting position:

• sitting on a bench with a back, keep your back straight and straight;
• the chin should be parallel to the floor, the gaze should be straight;
• keep the projectiles at eye level;
• Extend your elbows, but make sure they are under your hands.

Execution:

• exhaling, squeeze the shells up;
• Without turning your hands, bring the dumbbells together at the top point;
• hold for a few seconds;
• inhaling, smoothly return to the original position.

1. hands must be moved in the same plane;
2. to avoid adverse effects on the elbow joints, sharp straightening of the arms at the extreme point should not be allowed;
3. It is strongly recommended not to bend back or bend your back.

This exercise has already become a classic in bodybuilding. Its effectiveness is beyond doubt. As is already clear from the title, this training was part of mandatory training Arnold Schwarzenegger, about whose success in building relief and beautiful body Absolutely anyone knows, even those far from the world of sports.

Starting position:

• sit on the bench, press your back to the back;
• bend your knees so that they form a right angle;
• spread your legs wide, place your feet as far as possible on the floor;
• lift the dumbbells to neck level;
• Bend your elbows at an angle of 90 degrees, turn your palms towards you.

Execution:

• exhaling, squeeze the shells vertically upward, turning your hands outward with your palms;
• make sure that your palms are facing forward at the extreme point;
• stay late;
• take a breath, return the projectiles smoothly to the starting position.

1. It is better to perform training with lighter dumbbells than for other exercises;
2. The elbows at the extreme point should be left slightly bent, and not straightened to the end;
3. The press must be performed straight, preferably without stopping in the lower position;
4. In order not to have an additional impact on the spine, acceleration and jerking should be avoided.

Another exercise that is great to do at home. The training is isolating. It is aimed at working out and pumping up the side of the delta.

Starting position:

• stand up, lean forward slightly;
• lower your arms with the dumbbells down.

Execution:

• take a deep breath, spread your arms shoulder-width apart;
• the back of the dumbbells at the most extreme point is slightly raised;
• exhaling, gently lower your arms to their original position.

• Cheating is unacceptable;
• the entire load should be concentrated on the shoulders.

If there is cheating during the training, a completely different muscle group is involved. This reduces the result.

Aimed at working the back of the shoulder girdle muscles.

Starting position:

• standing straight with dumbbells in your hands, lean your body forward at an acute angle;
• lower your hands down.

Execution:

• taking a deep breath, spread the projectiles to the sides, raising them to the maximum possible height;
• As you exhale, return your hands to their original position.

• at the extreme point of lifting, the front part of the projectile should be slightly tilted forward;
• You need to keep your back straight, but bend a little at the lower back;
• You cannot round your back, as this can lead to injury.

Basic training, which is more aimed at working out the middle deltoids, but also pumps up the trapezius muscles.

Starting position:

• standing straight, grab the barbell with an overhand grip, holding it down;
• The distance between the palms should be about two fists.

Execution:

• exhaling, lift the projectile to your chin;
• hold the barbell in the most extreme position;
• take a breath, return to the starting position.

1. elbows should be constantly apart and rise strictly vertically;
2. You cannot bend your neck and back, your chin should be horizontal;
3. when lifting the barbell to the chin, the bar must be raised above shoulder level;
4. the weight of the projectile should not become an obstacle correct execution exercises.

The best exercises for training shoulders - Video

Let's sum it up

To achieve the desired result, you need to include the proposed exercises in your regular workout and practice on a regular basis. Don't focus solely on exercise. You also need to remember about proper nutrition.

If space for home workouts is limited, dumbbells are the safest equipment. It is better to perform bench presses at the beginning of training, that is, when there is no feeling of fatigue. By following the recommendations given, combining both basic and isolating exercises for the shoulder girdle, each athlete will be able to give their shoulders perfect proportions, make the waist visually narrower.