Little-known exercises on the shoulders, but it’s a pity

We all use the same shoulder exercises. You know, these are basic movements like dumbbell and barbell presses and side raises. All of them build size perfectly, but what about the overall development, shape and roundness of the deltoids? These muscles are involved in almost all upper body exercises. They help you move your chest, back, biceps, and even get a stretch in the barbell squat. The deltoid includes three heads – anterior, middle and posterior, and its development requires attention to all three segments. The little-known shoulder exercises below involve the entire shoulder girdle, so I highly recommend training your shoulders in a separate session.

In the case of continuous tension, the shoulders tire very quickly. Maintaining a constant tension in the shoulders during the performance of these movements causes intense muscle burning, which contributes to the growth of strength. Variations on standard exercises do a great job, but you rarely see people doing them. That is why they are little known.

The following ten unusual shoulder exercises, due to their uniqueness, allow you to load the anterior, middle and rear heads of the deltoids with a slight load on the trapezius.

1. Lifting the disc from the bar in front of you.
This is my favorite. Start with a 20kg disc, but if you are a beginner and your shoulder girdle is still underdeveloped, you can use a 10kg disc. Personally, I work with a 50kg disc in three sets of eight reps. Grab the disc by the edges and do three sets of eight reps. In this exercise, the intensification of the load is possible. How? Moving the hands from the middle of the disc towards the top edge will make the movement much more difficult.

2. Lifting one dumbbell.
Instead of using a barbell or two dumbbells for front raises, grab just one dumbbell. Everything is simple, but only until the moment you start. With both hands, grab the dumbbell by the discs and lift it forward to eye level until straight arms reach parallel to the floor. When the reps become difficult, you can help yourself a little by bending your knees. However, do not lean forward and lean back. Start with three sets of 10-12 reps and increase the weight in 2.5-5kg increments.

3. Raises hands forward on low pulley with rope handle.
Stand with your back to a low block, grasp the rope handle and straighten up. Start with your hands at groin level and raise your arms forward until they are parallel to the floor. When the muscles begin to tire, avoid the temptation to help your core – keep it still throughout the exercise. Start with one set of 20 reps and end with two sets of 15 reps, increasing resistance with each set.

4. Raising your arms forward while sitting on an incline bench.
Both dumbbells and a light barbell can be used here. The grip can be different – from shoulder width to 15-20 cm. The inclination of the back should be 45 °. In such exercises, avoid cheating, always move the dumbbells or barbell smoothly and under control.

5. Raising the arms forward while standing in an inclination.
This is a very unusual exercise for the shoulders, and it works hard on the front and middle deltoids. Due to the tilt of the body forward, the trapezium and muscles of the upper back are also actively involved in the work. Take two dumbbells, bend your knees, arch and lock your back, and lean forward at the waist until your torso is almost parallel to the floor. Hands with dumbbells are lowered down. Slowly raise your arms forward to head level. Choose dumbbells that are light enough to complete four sets of ten reps.

6. Lifting the arms forward lying down.
This is a variation of the previous exercise where you can’t help yourself by cheating. Lie face down on a bench with your head over the edge. Pick up a bench high enough so that your arms lowered down do not reach the floor. Grab a pair of very light dumbbells and lift them forward and up (palms facing down) until they are parallel to the floor. At the top, contract the deltoids for a second and then slowly lower the dumbbells down with firm control of the movement. If you want to do a couple of extra reps without cheating, ask a partner to help you. Do four sets of 12 reps.

7. Lifting arms to the sides on the blocks.
Stand in front of the crossover and grab the rope handle of the appropriate low pulley with each hand. Spread your arms out to the sides, making sure your thumbs are pointing up. Avoid jerking and rocking the body. Stand straight. The arms should be straight without bending at the elbows. Do four sets of 12 reps.

8. Lifting arms to the sides with barbells.
In this exercise, instead of dumbbells, you will have vultures in your hands. Easy, right? However, you will quickly realize that it is not so simple. The exercise can be performed both standing and sitting. Either way, this is probably the hardest move of all. Take a straight bar in each hand and make sure that the arms are straight, that is, the thumbs should look forward and the bar should be parallel to the floor. This will not be easy to achieve. Do three sets of 20 reps if you can.

9. Lifting arms to the sides on an incline bench.
This movement loads the rear heads of the deltoids, ensuring the harmonious development of the shoulders. Sit on a bench facing the back, tilted to the floor almost to a horizontal position. Grasp the handles of opposite low pulleys so that the cables cross under the back and turn your elbows out. Raise your arms forward and out as high as you can, moving them slightly forward and contracting your rear deltoids. Return to starting position and repeat. Do 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.

10. Breeding hands while sitting.
Sit on a bench and grasp the handles of the opposite high pulleys so that the cables cross in front of your face. Extend your arms back and down. To make the movement more difficult, keep your arms fully extended. Do three sets of 12-15 reps