In order to become the owner of a beautiful, slender and toned body, you need to make a lot of effort and adhere to certain conditions, one of which is constant physical activity. When deciding to go to the gym or work out at home, it should be noted that attention should be paid to absolutely all parts of the body, and not just the press, legs or arms. This is the only way to achieve attractive, symmetrical proportions. This is what you need to take as a basis, drawing up a program of individual training.
The shoulders are the part of the body that requires more attention and a special approach during the training process, however, as a rule, they are often left without attention. To pump your shoulders and give them the desired shape, special exercises will help, which, in fact, are elementary, but at the same time require impeccable execution technique. This is the only way you can get the desired result in the shortest possible time and not harm your body.
Shoulder Exercises: Presses
One of the most productive groups of exercises designed to train the shoulders are bench presses. They can be performed from a standing or sitting position, as well as using dumbbells or a barbell. There are some of the most common and effective presses used to build powerful shoulders.
Army press
Let’s start with the military press, which is performed both from a standing position and from a sitting position. To perform a military press, you need to spread your legs slightly wider than shoulder width, slightly bending them at the knees. In this case, the back should be slightly bent and lean forward slightly. After that, take the barbell with the right weight suitable for your level of preparation, direct grip, placing your hands slightly wider than shoulder width, and proceed to the bench press. Raise the barbell to chest level, bending your elbows, and slowly straighten them over your head. Hold at the top for a few seconds and then lower the bar to your chest. During the extension of the arms, it is not recommended to fully straighten the elbows in order to avoid excessive stress on them. Please note that when lowering, the bar should not touch the chest or lie on it. You can lower your hands with the bar down only after the end of the set.
Army press можно выполнять и из положения сидя. To do this, sit on a bench with your legs slightly apart, and do the exercise in the same order as above. Do not forget to bend your back and monitor the position of the bar and arms.
If you do not have a barbell, you can replace it with dumbbells. An army bench press with dumbbells is performed as follows. Sit on a bench with a backrest, with your back upright, and grab a dumbbell of a suitable weight in each hand. Bend your elbows and raise the dumbbells over your shoulders. Spread your arms with dumbbells to the sides so that your palms look forward. Take your shoulders back a little and straighten them well, tighten your abs and lumbar muscles to fix the spine in one position. Now gently unbend your elbows, lifting the dumbbells above your head, and at the top point, try to bring them as close to each other as possible. As you exhale, lower your arms to the starting position and repeat the exercise a few more times.
Bench press from behind the head
This bench press, like the previous one, can be performed both sitting and standing. If you are new to the sport and your muscles are not yet sufficiently prepared, it is recommended that you prefer the bench press in a sitting position. This exercise involves not only the shoulders, but also the lateral deltoids and triceps. Sit on a bench with your back straight and slightly arched at the waist. Grasp the barbell with both hands with a wide grip and lift it above your head with your elbows fully extended. After that, lower the bar, moving it behind your head, and place it on your shoulders without tilting your head forward. Upon returning to the starting position, the elbows should look down and the forearms should be parallel to the floor. When performing this bench press, legs should be shoulder-width apart, and the body should be slightly tilted forward.
Shoulder exercises with dumbbells
Despite the fact that the barbell is a more effective sports equipment for training the shoulders, exercises with dumbbells also bring great results. As a rule, they act as weighting agents during swings that involve the deltoid muscles.
Mahi to the sides
To perform the exercise, you will need two dumbbells with the same weight. Stand up straight or sit on a bench with your back straight and slightly arched in the lower back. Lower your arms with dumbbells along the body so that the palms are turned towards the thigh. Now slowly spread your arms to the sides, performing smooth swings and slightly turning the wrists with the palms to the floor. Try not to swing the body during the exercise, raising and lowering your arms exclusively with muscles and without sudden movements. Hands must be raised slightly above shoulder level, and then returned to their original position.
Mahi in tilt
This exercise allows you to work out the back of the deltoid muscle, which is rarely involved in standard basic exercises. In each hand, you should have a dumbbell with the same weight. Stand up straight, put your feet already shoulder-width apart and slightly bend at the knees, and tilt your body forward so that it is almost parallel to the floor. Bend your lower back a little, and straighten your shoulders. Hands with dumbbells hang freely, and palms look at each other. Now, without raising your torso, spread your arms to the sides, raising them until they are even with the body and also become parallel to the floor. The shoulder blades are slightly reduced, and the back remains straight. Do not loosen your arms and body by lifting dumbbells exclusively with muscles.
Arnold exercise
This exercise can be classified as one of the most effective and common exercises for training the shoulders and arms, working out the maximum number of muscles. To perform it, you need to sit on a bench, take dumbbells in both hands and bend your elbows so that the dumbbells are at the level of your face, and your hands are turned with your palms facing you. From this position, straighten your elbows, twisting at the wrists, turning your hands with your palms away from you. Raising your arms above your head, fix them in this position for a few seconds, and then return them to their original position by reverse scrolling.
Mahi in front of you
Thanks to this exercise, you will be able to work out the front deltoid muscles as much as possible. Stand up straight, spread your legs shoulder-width apart, take dumbbells in your hands and turn them with your palms towards you, lowering them along the body. Slightly bending your elbows, raise them in front of you until they are parallel to the floor, and then return to the starting position. Do not make jerky movements and do not help yourself with the body, loosening it. This will reduce the load on the deltas and overstrain the back muscles.
Features of shoulder exercises
It is very difficult to pump the shoulders completely and evenly due to the complex structure of the deltoid muscle located in the shoulder belt. That is why shoulder training should consist of a number of different exercises that involve the entire shoulder. In order not to be addictive, it is recommended to periodically change exercises, replacing them with similar ones and involving the necessary muscles. It is enough to train the deltoid muscles three times a week, giving them the opportunity to rest and recover. Try to alternate exercises with a barbell and with dumbbells. As for the weight, it should be gradually increased as the muscles adapt and strengthen.