Seated lateral abduction dumbbell press. Seated dumbbell press: developing shoulders in the shortest possible time

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Genus. 1984 Trained since 1999 Trained since 2007. CMS in powerlifting. Champion of Russia and South Russia according to AWPC. Champion Krasnodar region according to IPF. 1st category weightlifting. 2-time winner of the Krasnodar Territory championship in t/a. Author of more than 700 articles on fitness and amateur athletics. Author and co-author of 5 books.

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Date: 2012-05-29 Views: 1 897 117 Grade: 4.4

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Sitting and standing dumbbell press - video

Weight and reps for beginners

For men: 10 - 15 repetitions of 7 - 10 kg (each dumbbell). 2 - 3 approaches.
For women: 10 - 15 repetitions of 3 - 5 kg (each dumbbell). 2 - 3 approaches.

Load by muscle group

The load is indicated on a 10-point scale (the total load is summed up)

Description of the exercise

Like any exercise with dumbbells, it is more difficult to do than with a barbell. Therefore, start by training with a barbell. The advantage is that the dumbbells can be deployed both at the bottom and at the top. More good option- press dumbbells alternately. Works a little more when pressing dumbbells average delta, since the dumbbells below are located (with the correct technique) to the side of the head.

Main features

1. If you turn your arms at the bottom with your palms facing each other, the load will fall more on the front delta. 2. You can pause at the top, but you don't have to pause at the bottom. As soon as we lower it down, we immediately press it. This is due to the fact that all muscles reflexively, in response to stretching, tend to contract more strongly. If you pause at the bottom, this effect will disappear. 3. It is advisable to lower it quite low. So that the edges of the dumbbells touch your shoulders. And you need to squeeze it to the end. Remember, the greater the amplitude, the greater the efficiency. 4. It is advisable to do the seated press with support on the back of a bench for those who have problems with the spine. Of course, this will not remove the axial load from your back, but at least it will fix your back in a stationary position. 5. The alternate arm press is good for beginners. It’s technically easier to do this. However, with large weights this option is not very convenient. 6. Alternatively, you can take weights instead of dumbbells. Then you can place the weights below on your chest (as kettlebell lifters do). This will increase the range and force your shoulders to work harder.

The seated dumbbell press is a very popular exercise for the deltoids. Most professional athletes consider it basic in pumping up gigantic shoulders. This exercise loads all three delta bundles, but the front and middle bundles receive the main load deltoid muscles. In this case, the most massive posterior beam is loaded only indirectly.

Seated dumbbell press technique

• Sit on a bench with a vertical back and hold dumbbells in your hands.
• Place your elbows strictly vertical to your hands. This position must be maintained throughout the entire working repetition.
• Along an arc path, begin to squeeze the dumbbells upward, while feeling the work of the deltoid muscles. At the top point of the amplitude, the dumbbells should be close to each other.
• Without straightening your arms completely and without pausing, begin to lower to the starting position.

• The seated dumbbell press is carried out simultaneously with both hands.
• Exhale as you press the dumbbells up, and inhale as you lower them.
• During the exercise, do not turn your hands. Perform the bench press as if you had a barbell instead of dumbbells.
• Lower your arms only until your elbows are parallel to the floor. By lowering the weight too low, the deltoids are placed in a very disadvantageous position, which reduces their strength potential.
• Try not to push your elbows forward, bend over, or arch your back.
• Before performing dumbbell shoulder presses, carefully select your optimal working weight.
• Do not make jerky movements, maintain a moderate pace of the exercise. Excessive movements can lead to elbow injury.

Video on the topic: "Correct technique performing seated dumbbell presses (on the shoulders)"

Whatever you say, the position you have in this version of the presses is “what you need” - you can take your mind off thoughts about maintaining the “straightness” of the body. Here the back of the bench, which protects your lower back, will take care of this.

Replacing the barbell with dumbbells also promises considerable benefits - single exercises provide a wider range of motion that is safer for the joint.

• Fatigue sets in, but in the seated dumbbell press exercise, the technique of doing it is this - you resist it: do not “relax” your elbows at the bottom point - this removes tension from the deltoids. And your task is to make them constantly “resist” the weight.
• Use your legs as an additional point of support, confidently resting your feet on the floor.
• In this exercise, seated dumbbell bench press, it is more important than ever to “keep your temper in check”: sudden, impulsive movements are a direct path to injury. In addition, “self-control” will prevent the occurrence of inertia, which reduces the efficiency of movement.
• The dumbbells should not meet “noisily” at the top - soften the moment of contact with a controlled effort. If it doesn't work, reduce the load.

Features of performing the exercise dumbbell press up while sitting

The classic version of the exercise, the dumbbell up press while sitting, involves widening your elbows to the sides, which allows you to create maximum working tension in the middle fascicles. By moving your elbows slightly forward, you will instantly shift the emphasis in favor of the front head.

For variety, sometimes change your grip to a neutral one - it is more anatomical for the shoulder joints. But keep in mind that in this case the front delta head works more strongly.

Dumbbell bench press while sitting on your shoulders - contraindications

Fresh “combat” shoulder injuries (especially the rotator cuff) are likely to make themselves felt in this exercise. Refrain from such stress until it disappears pain in articular joints. But after the recovery period, get involved in the training and start with the exercise of how to properly do a dumbbell bench press while sitting, if necessary, working in a “comfortably” reduced amplitude!

A seated dumbbell press will help pump up your shoulders effectively and efficiently. This is one of the main exercises designed to enlarge our deltoids, make them stronger and more voluminous.

Strength or volume?

On the one hand, the shoulders must be strong. On the other hand, pumped up shoulders look very beautiful. Which is better - strength or volume - is a controversial question.

You also need to have a strong shoulder. To do some work overhead, to hold something for a long time, and the like. Only strength in this case is not enough.

Let's agree that the deltoids need to be developed from all sides - so that they are strong, voluminous, and hardy. To do this, we will perform the seated dumbbell press in different ways.

Strategies for Developing Endurance

Lifting dumbbells up sitting position is considered a more gentle exercise than, for example, the military press, which cannot be done every workout. Everything is simpler here - you can take light dumbbells and “get the blood flowing” every day.

The strategy for developing endurance will be as follows - dumbbell overhead presses are done several times a week in 5 sets of 25 times with a weight that does not cause you severe fatigue while working. For example, if in power mode you press 25 kg dumbbells, here you can take a weight of 15–16 kg. We work through the burning sensation.

Naturally, this scheme applies only to those who believe that their shoulders are not strong enough.

Developing the volume and strength of the deltoids

Seated dumbbell press - second after military press exercise that can increase the mass of the deltoids. To achieve strength and mass gains, we will perform this exercise once a week for 4 sets of 8 times. And you need to work until failure. Then you will achieve maximum effect.

Choosing weight is one of the main tasks. What weights to take: select dumbbells so that the bench press is performed very hard for 7–8 reps, and you would not be able to do the ninth one on your own. For girls this is not particularly relevant.

How to do a dumbbell press correctly

Find a free bench, take with you 2 dumbbells of 2–10 kg each (light option - for girls). It is advisable to rotate the bench so that when you sit on one side of it, you are facing the mirror. This is very important when doing dumbbell overhead presses.

If you plan to lift heavy weights, you can use a bench with a backrest. Sit on the edge of the bench, place your feet slightly to the sides for a more stable position.

Take dumbbells in both hands, spread your elbows to the sides. Your palms should be positioned as if you were holding the barbell with them. If you look at you from the side, your elbows will move strictly along the vertical axis (OY) during the exercise:

1. Sit up straight with your lower back bent slightly forward. The shoulder blades are brought together, the shoulders are straightened.
2. Take dumbbells from the floor, spread your arms with them as described above. The dumbbells should be at shoulder level. This is the starting position.
3. Raise the dumbbells up as you exhale, you can touch them to each other (don’t hit them too hard, you still don’t need to damage the gym property).
4. Lower the dumbbells to ear level or slightly below. This is where the nuance - when you lower the weight below the back of your head - starts to work upper part trapezoids. If you want to use it, lower the dumbbells as far as possible. If you are pumping up the deltoids ( great option for girls) - the dumbbell should not be lowered below the back of the head.
5. Do 15 warm-up reps.
6. Further, if the weight is large (25–40 kg), you can use an athletic belt.

Have a trainer or more experienced lifter watch you - it is important that the dumbbell overhead press is performed correctly.

Alternatives - do it while standing

For fans of the military press, we can offer a standing dumbbell press - base element, designed to work out the anterior and middle bundles of the deltoid muscles. These muscles form the beautiful round volume of our shoulders. Athletic appearance- not the only plus of the exercise. Other benefits:

• development of strength characteristics;
• strengthening small stabilizer muscles;
• improved results in pushing exercises;
• relative safety for the shoulder joints.

The standing dumbbell press technique is similar to the military press and others similar exercises, but has a number of nuances. Instead of a barbell, as you may have guessed, you need to take dumbbells. Let's consider correct execution, recommendations and common mistakes.

1. Take a straight, vertical stance.
2. Take dumbbells and lift them to shoulder level. The grip is straight (palms facing away from you).
3. Exhale and press the dumbbells up.
4. Inhaling, lower the projectiles to the starting position.

The exercise requires solid preparation of the entire body. To prevent you from falling and to maintain your balance, the technique must be strictly correct. Improper execution is dangerous for beginners.

• At the top point, do not straighten your arms completely; always leave a slight bend in your elbows. This will help maintain tension in the deltoids.
• At the bottom point, do not relax your arms. This will lead to a partial decline payload and will degrade the overall efficiency of the element.
• As you squeeze the projectiles up, pull them back slightly. Literally 3–5° from the plane of the body. This will create a stronger peak deltoid contraction.
• Select the weight of the weights so as to achieve failure in the target muscles at 7–8 repetitions. The recommended number of approaches is 3–4 per workout.

• sharp impacts of projectiles;
• tilting the body back when lowering the dumbbells;
• strong deflection in lumbar region;
• inertial assistance with legs.

You can use kettlebells instead of dumbbells. The technique will be absolutely identical. The only thing to pay attention to is the placement of the shells. The weights are taken with a direct grip (palms facing away from you), the main parts of the apparatus should be behind the raised forearms. Performing a kettlebell press with this grip is considered the most comfortable and safe for the joints of the hands.

Basic mistakes

No warm-up

For the thousand and first time we will name the most common mistake for beginners, when they do, including lifting dumbbells while sitting, there is no warm-up. Before performing the exercise, you need to thoroughly warm up the joints and muscles of the shoulders.

If necessary, you need to lubricate the skin around them with a warming ointment (follow the instructions so as not to get a negative effect from the use of warming ointments, for example, severe burning during exercises). Then you need to do warm-up approach with light weight. Then start working.

If you don’t do this, you can get injured and forget about any chest and shoulder exercises for six months. Unless, you will not perform these elements with your healthy hand.

Performing a one-arm press

Lifting dumbbells while sitting is sometimes called something else - military press with dumbbells. This name reflects the whole essence - the word “dumbbells” is used in the plural. Just like in the name “seated dumbbell press”.

Some people try to perform this element with one hand. In this case, a traumatic load occurs on the side of the spine adjacent to the working arm.

There are times when one shoulder is injured. It is not possible to perform an overhead dumbbell press in such a situation. Then the person tries to pump only the second, healthy delta. This leads to unilateral hypertrophy of the brachialis muscle. It will look funny, but that's all. We do not recommend doing this.

There is an alternate lifting of dumbbells up, named (in honor of the same actor who played the role of “Terminator”). But even there the exercise is performed with two dumbbells.

You can perform various abductions with one hand.

Breath

If you breathe incorrectly, you will not be able to ensure 100% work of the shoulder muscles.

Until you take the starting position, breathe as you want. As soon as you sit down, prepare to exhale. You need to lift the weight exactly when you exhale.

At the final top point, when the arms are straightened (by the way, you should not straighten them completely), the exhalation should be completed. As soon as you start lowering the dumbbells, inhale the air. At the bottom point (when the hand with the dumbbell reaches the shoulder), prepare to exhale again.

Take care not to hold your breath. Only continuous, rhythmic “inhale-exhale” for the duration of the load.

Jerks, cheating, “walking” elbows and back

The following especially applies to beginners, since experienced athletes do not make such mistakes when performing a bench press.

Snatches occur when a beginner has chosen a weight that is too heavy or light for himself. If the dumbbell is heavy, he cannot lift it without a jerk. If it is light, the excess force pushes the weight with more force than required. In both cases the technique is incorrect. There is a risk of injury.

If you decide to read, have a partner help you lift the dumbbells. This is better than using a jerk to bring them to the top position to practice the negative.

If you perform dumbbell raises with a heavy weight without supporting your back, your body will move back and forth slightly. Why do you need extra stress on the spinal column?

Beginners often do not understand the meaning of the exercise; their elbows “walk” in different sides during execution. Ask your partner to ensure that your elbows move strictly vertically (proper technique).

The nuance here is this: during the dumbbell press, the triceps, trapezius and deltoids work. If the elbows are not fixed, the load goes to the triceps (incorrect technique). This means only one thing - the shoulders will be pumped much worse. You will waste time, but will not get results.

Another side of the coin is the load on the deltoids themselves. If the elbows are not fixed during the exercise, the chance of damaging the brachialis muscle bundles increases. Anyone who knows anatomy can easily explain this.

And also, watch your hands so that they move synchronously. By the way, sit so that there is a mirror on one side (not just in front of you). Look to the side sometimes. The rest of the time, keep your head straight.

Overtraining

The shoulder muscles are used during barbell presses, dips, and parallel bars. When you do dumbbell raises, keep this in mind. You should not combine seated dumbbell press and barbell bench press on the same day. Just like any other exercise shoulder muscles, dips, dumbbell flyes, etc. These muscles are fragile, they are easy to “clog” and damage.

And finally, let us remind you once again that the standing dumbbell press is more suitable for experienced athletes. Don't hurt yourself!

The seated dumbbell press is an exercise for developing the deltoids. The predominant load falls on the anterior and middle deltas. Variations of the exercise vary depending on the inclination of the bench. The more vertical angle the tilt is applied, the more the middle delta is loaded, and the less - the anterior and chest muscles. An incline of 30 degrees or lower shifts the emphasis to the pectoral muscles. Part of the weight of the dumbbells falls on pectoral muscles. Then the exercise is used as a special preparatory exercise for the bench press in order to develop synergy (simultaneous work) of the chest and shoulder muscles. In all other cases, the bench press serves to increase shoulder volume and muscle strength.

In fact, it all depends on the sport. In tennis, team game types sports, rowing and other sports where muscle endurance and joint health are required, strength is usually developed in the off-season, and a maintenance regime is used during the competitive period.

In bodybuilding, they either work in “mass and cut” cycles, or simply perform exercises in a maintenance mode for as many repetitions as are optimal for the recovery of a particular athlete.

For normal life, you need a moderate combination of joint mobility, muscle endurance and strength. The fact is that holding weights above your head, lifting objects, and even simply holding a handrail in transport requires a combination of strength and endurance.

Important: Shoulder muscle training should combine both strength and endurance elements. There is no universal set-repetition regime for everyone. Some athletes initially have more developed strength, while others have more endurance.

How to develop endurance

Endurance for sporting purposes develops during the off-season. For “life-long” workouts, it’s enough to simply choose 1-2 months when you are not gaining weight and can afford to work in a high-repetition mode. You usually need to work out 2-3 times a week, but you can increase it to 5 workouts.

A regular seated press is performed with a weight that is 60% of the working weight or slightly higher. Let's say you do 12 repetitions with a weight of 25 kg, for endurance work with 12-15 kg. You should do about 25 reps per set, and work with 30-60 seconds of rest between sets. Number of approaches – at least 4.

During such training, the muscles feel a burning sensation, you must endure it. Stamina is not built daily training when it comes to strength endurance. Still, this is not cycling; the shoulder can become inflamed from atypical load. You need to start with 3 workouts per week, and gradually increase to 5. Again, frequency indicators in training are individual and determined by the speed of recovery. According to the textbook, there should be 24 to 36 hours between endurance training sessions.

Many people think that this is not true, but training for strength and hypertrophy are fundamentally different. Strength training occurs in repetitions from 1 to 6, and is extremely rarely done with dumbbells, and even while sitting. This contradicts the main goal of the strength cycle - to develop overall strength, including the muscles of the stabilizers and core. Usually for strength training choose something like a military press. Press dumbbells for 5-6 repetitions to work the muscles in isolation. But this is an extremely rare practice. A really strong athlete will require the help of two spotters, but a beginner runs the risk of injury when performing this exercise.

Hypertrophy mode: 8-12 repetitions. Do 3-4 working approaches. The fundamental difference between strength training and volume and mass training is that strength is developed only if the weights in the working sets do not cause significant fatigue. But for hypertrophy it makes sense to work to failure, whereas in strength training failure is not allowed at all.

Important: the strength cycle and the hypertrophy cycle are different periods of time. Usually, they first gain strength and endurance, and then “swing”, but this is true for sports. There are different options in fitness. Impressive strength is usually not needed, just tone and volume are enough.

There are many technical nuances. This exercise is not performed correctly by the vast majority. People start to press with their shoulders raised, and all because they don’t know how to bring the dumbbells to their shoulders correctly

So, to press dumbbells while sitting, you need:

• Arrange them so that you can do sit-up hip raises from the floor, that is, place dumbbells on your hips, holding them with your hands;
• Use your feet to push the weights toward your shoulders;
• Spread your elbows so that the dumbbell bars are in a plane parallel to the floor;
• The press itself begins with lowering your elbows down and placing your forearms perpendicular to the floor;
• At the same time, it is recommended to bring the shoulder blades together and lower them down to the pelvis;
• A slight deflection in the lumbar spine is allowed, but there is no need to emphasize it;
• By engaging the shoulder and triceps muscles, the dumbbells are pulled up;
• The elbows are extended in a plane perpendicular to the floor; it is not recommended to “mow” them forward or backward;
• Lower the dumbbells to your shoulders and perform the required number of repetitions

This exercise is performed first with warm-up weights, then with working weights. There is no need to rush or try to push the weight away from you so that the dumbbells go forward. If heavy weights are used, you can use an athletic belt, just enough to remove excess mobility in the lumbar spine.

Alternatives – standing dumbbell press

There are plenty of alternatives to the classic bench press. In women's training, bench presses are often used while sitting on a fitball to activate the stabilizers, but it is better to choose a simpler option to load them - just press a barbell or dumbbells while standing.

The second “alternative press” option is the kneeling position. It is intended strictly for those people who do not know how to use their legs and are constantly trying to shunt, that is, push the working weight by sharply bending the knees. This does not give the feeling of isolated work, and develops completely different qualities - explosive force and footwork.

The standing dumbbell press option allows you to:

• Take more weights, since the body position is more stable and more natural for lifting weights;
• Develop stabilizers from the foot muscles to the core muscles;
• Promote the development of strength in barbell presses, clean and jerks and push-ups;
• Work in a plane natural to the human anatomy and do not damage the joints

A technique to stabilize the center of the body is used. The athlete strains his quadriceps, buttocks, as if resting his feet on the floor, pulls up abdominal wall to the spine, draws in the stomach and brings the shoulder blades together, lowering them towards the spine. At the same time, the trapezius and shoulders remain relaxed.

Technique

• The dumbbells are brought to the shoulders by standing up, that is, the knees are slightly bent and the weight is brought to the shoulders in one powerful movement;
• The athlete stabilizes the core as above;
• Due to extension in the shoulder and elbow joint brings the dumbbells up;
• Lowers them smoothly to the shoulders;
• The peculiarity is that dumbbells move along a “flat” trajectory than a barbell;
• There is no need to bring them behind your head, as is emphasized in the movement with a barbell.

Important: You need to avoid kicking your legs and rolling from heel to toe in order to perform the exercise technically correctly.

• For bodybuilding and fitness purposes, it is not recommended to completely “stick” your elbows at the top point;
• You need to avoid a flat trajectory, and try to move the dumbbells slightly to the top of your head, and not to your forehead;
• Complete relaxation of the arms, as well as “releasing tension” from the center of the body by relaxing the abdomen, is not allowed;
• The weight for strength training is lifted no more than 5-6 repetitions, there should be no more than 5 approaches.

Errors:

• Shvung weight, that is, acceleration and pushing with the legs;
• Rocking the body back and forth;
• “Strong’s” technique” in which the athlete seems to “roll” the dumbbells onto his shoulders in each repetition, and “pushes” the dumbbells with his stomach and chest at the start

Important: lifting dumbbells while standing is an exercise for experienced athletes; it is better not to do it if you are a beginner and your back is still weak.

Dumbbells can be replaced with weights. In this case, you need to start from shoulder level, but your palms should be directed towards each other. In the process of moving upward, the projectiles turn around, as in the Arnold press. Some athletes initially press with their palms facing forward, but this position is quite traumatic for the wrists.

Basic mistakes in dumbbell presses

Work without warming up

Even if your shoulders are positioned after your legs, you still need to bench press the warm-up weight. Or rather, start with the minimum weight and approach the worker in increments of 3-5 kg. This will not only help you prepare well for training weights, fill your muscles with blood, and warm up your ligaments, but will also allow you to gain an additional amount of work to practice your technique.

Always need to carry out joint warm-up before the main workout. And if the athlete has been injured before, then work with rubber. The rubber should be pulled towards the face, as in the exercise rear delta, and not stretch in front of you, as many people mistakenly do.

This variation of the press creates increased stress on the pelvis and spine unless the athlete is standing on one knee of the opposite leg, in a position resembling a deep lunge. Beginners should not perform this movement while sitting, as this may lead to poor posture.

The one-arm press is performed when it is necessary due to muscle imbalances, but most people do not need it at all and should not replace the regular press.

Important: the Arnold press version, which is performed with one arm at a time, involves holding a dumbbell in the non-working hand to stabilize the body, this is important in order to maintain balance and not load the target muscles.

Breath

Usually athletes tend to hold it when it's hard. This is not correct and can even cause you to lose consciousness when lifting dumbbells overhead. The seated dumbbell press obeys the usual rule - exhale when making an effort, inhale when lowering the implements.

By the way, you shouldn’t drop the dumbbells on yourself and inhale quickly and shallowly. You need to carefully lower the dumbbells to your shoulders and inhale quite loudly.

Snatching, pushing and cheating

Jerks and other methods of pushing more weight up, without loading the muscles, should not affect the quality of the lifts. Avoiding them is quite simple - learn to center your body and don't let your ego lift the weight for you. Yes, you need to choose adequate weights, and strive to load only the target muscles. Snatches and jerks can be performed independently technique in speed-strength training of a weightlifter or strongman, but in bodybuilding they are not always needed.

Important: the elbows should bend and extend at the same speed in the same amplitude. There is no need to let them “walk” back and forth. This will help make the movement technically correct and safe.

All new bodybuilders suffer from this. They're trying to repeat training plans professionals, and load the muscles with large volumes and significant weights. There are those who like to “collect workouts” from the plans of professionals, combining several into one. Say, I want legs like one Mr. Olympia, and shoulders like another. This useful activity does not lead to anything other than overtraining.

Usually, shoulders are trained 1-2 times a week. Moreover, it is advisable to repeat the methods of weightlifters, that is, use periodization. When you reach the limit of the weight, you need to increase the number of repetitions and decrease the weight. In addition, it is best to alternate training with heavy presses and rows with light ones, in which swings and abductions predominate.

You shouldn’t overestimate the number of shoulder exercises either. For beginners, one movement for each beam is generally enough, more experienced athletes- two each. You can progress quite successfully by training your shoulders once a week. This is the approach that is recommended for beginners and intermediate athletes.

In addition, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of recovery. When it is not possible to eat normally and get enough sleep, it is better to reduce the load. If there is such an opportunity, but the athlete cannot activate everything muscle fibers due to injury, replace the exercise with isolated swings. Constant monitoring of breathing and technique will help maintain health. Training should be approached rationally, and then sports results will be achieved faster.