Best Shoulder Exercises: Most fitness lovers face some difficulties when it comes to shoulder training: lack of results, pain during training, poor exercise choices and neglecting parts of the deltoid.
The following best shoulder exercises will help you overcome any of the issues listed above.
The list to read is base on both the ability of the exercises to support the task. For example, you can press the bar with your head using a weight of 50 kg. At the same time, you can do side lifts with only 10 kg and on certain tests performed by the researchers to determine which movements activate the most deltoid fibers (during their tests, they measured the electrical activity in the muscles).
You can choose which exercise you like without having to complete all the exercises at once.
Press With The Right Bar
This type of press allows you to use the most weight or do the most repetitions compared to other types of press above your head. It is considered an exercise that works the whole body developing the explosive power, so it is not an excellent exercise to isolate the deltoid.
With the bar resting on the top of the chest, bend the knees slightly and push the heel bar explosively, through the knees to the arms. The lower body, deltoid, chest and triceps are all involved in the movement.
This movement is considered more one for the development of power than one for bodybuilding, but by increasing the power here you can load more exercises like the following. In addition, exercises involving almost the entire body stimulate more growth hormones than those that work on a single muscle group.
Tip:
Because this type of exercise uses more muscle in your body, do not use it at every workout, once a month would be enough. Also, when using it, make sure it is the first exercise you do, after a proper warm-up.
Note:
For those who want to build muscle mass, this exercise is not one that you should do every day of the shoulders, but if you have taken a break and just returned to work, it is good to use it to you regain your power.
Military press standing
This exercise is essentially a press that does not require the involvement of other large muscle groups, such as the legs. This brings the military press closer to an isolation exercise, even if it is not one. It is a press above the head that uses multiple joints and, because it is not in the seat, it still allows you to use a little forward to raise the bar.
With a bar on the top of the chest, push it over the head, stopping just before full extension of the arm, to maintain tension in the muscles. Keep your knees slightly bent to absorb any imbalance. You can use both military and dumbbell press.
Tip:
After a good warm up, choose a challenging weight for you, but not too heavy to maintain the correct shape. If you have weak triceps, grab a pair of dumbbells because they don’t require as much work on their part.
Note:
Make sure the back is firm and the hips neutral, if you move the risky hips to choose with back problems.
Press with the dumbbells in the seat
Changing the dumbbell at the press above your head will allow you to work each deltoid independently, so if one is weaker than the other you will help them balance both in strength and size. Also, the dumbbells make the movement more difficult to control, so stabilization muscles will enter the game and, once trained, will make you stronger.
Moving from the standing position to the sitting position eliminates both the involvement of the legs and the back, so you will focus more on using the deltoid. Because your arms can go more towards the edge of the trunk, the median deltoid is more involved in moving compared to the dumbbell press, which was used mainly by the previous deltoid because the bar was in front of your head.
Tip:
Do it near the beginning of the workout. You will be able to use much higher weights because you have the bank support. As you go with heavyweights, make sure you have someone to help you put the dumbbells in position and even get the last repetitions.
Note:
Putting the weights in position can be harder than it seems. For beginners: take the weights in your hands and place them on the thighs, close to the knees. Then quickly raise one knee to the shoulder to put the dumbbell in position, repeat for the opposite side.
Press with the dumbbell in the seat
Because this press is made from the seat, not only will you not be able to use the forward to push the bar, but you will also have a firm position on the bench that will help isolate the deltoid. Using a dumbbell in exchange for dumbbells requires greater triceps involvement, but that means you’ll be able to use a more challenging weight for deltoids if you have strong triceps.
When lowering the dumbbell in front, you can see the position of the arms that do not go to the edge (as in the case of using dumbbells), so the anterior deltoid is more involved in the movement.
Tip:
Do this workout at the beginning of training using a challenging weight. Use a 90-degree bench for stability and hold your chin forward to avoid injury.
Note:
Some bodybuilders lower the dumbbell to the neck, which involves the middle deltoids, but it is a more dangerous move, you can crash very easily. But if you want to mimic that movement more confidently, use your dumbbells with confidence.
Vertical bar with right bar / Z bar
This exercise is a compound (uses multiple wrists) targeting the median deltoid. Either the pulley, barbell, or Z bar activates the deltoid, but each variation of the exercise has its qualities. The comfort of the grip is crucial for this exercise. The dumbbell may be uncomfortable for the wrist, but the Z bar solves this problem. Do not use a short socket; instead use one that allows the arms to come out near the body when you raise the bar.
Tip:
Even if it is a compound movement, do not do vertical standing at the beginning of training. The best time is after pressing above the head or at the end of training with repetitions until failure (helps if the middle part of shoulders is smaller).
Note:
The wider socket protects you from injury to the shoulder joints and reduces the involvement of the biceps in movement. This way you will enjoy both a proper activation of the median deltoid as well as safety.
Conclusion
No matter how big your arms, chest, or back, an athletic upper body without a developed shoulder is incomplete.
The shoulder muscles are probably the most commonly used muscle group in the upper body. That’s why it is essential to train your shoulder muscles well.
There are three main muscles in the shoulder: anterior deltoid, lateral deltoid, and posterior deltoid. If you want a strong, balanced shoulder, you need to exercise these muscles.
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