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Shoulder exercises can be successfully performed both in the gym and at home. However, you should do it with some caution, as the shoulder muscles can easily be overtrained and injured. It happens especially often when someone performs exercises only for the front or back muscles of the shoulders – it is important to spread them evenly during all exercises. It is also important to adjust them to your own abilities; by imposing on yourself a program that is too demanding in the beginning, instead of having better results, you can only induce an injury. Various types of exercises are also crucial for the proper development of muscles; doing one exercise constantly can slow down your progress and it won’t develop the rest of the muscles in that part of your body. Exercises with dumbbells are very effective in the proper development of shoulder muscles.
What are the benefits of shoulder exercises?
Shoulder exercises is one of the simpler exercises, which at the same time brings visible improvement quickly. Well-strengthened shoulder muscles allow you to keep a straight, shapely figure. These exercises also increase arm strength, and because the shoulder muscles are connected to the muscles of the upper torso, they also strengthen the torso. Shoulder exercises they are also quite safe if performed correctly, and by strengthening the arms, they reduce the chance of injury, e.g. elbow joint.
What muscles work during shoulder exercises?
Muscleswhich are primarily active during shoulder exercisesare the deltoid muscles. They consist of three parts: the front part, the middle part on the collarbone and the back part on the shoulder blade. Each part dominates the different arm movements. So, for example, when moving the arm forward, the front part of the deltoid works first of all; the middle and clavicular parts work during sideways abduction movements, and the scapular part during the backward movement of the arm. The front part also works during exercises for the chest, and the back, scapula – when exercising the back muscles.
Shoulder exercises for beginners
Beginners should start training with the simplest exercises using lower weight dumbbells. It is important to quickly develop the first exercise technique that will be used primarily; it is better to master one technique really well than a few techniques a little worse. You should also not overdo the dumbbell weight. Good beginner exercises include lifting the arms to the sides at the lift, “squeezing” the dumbbell above the head while sitting, lifting the barbell towards the chin while sitting, lifting the barbell sideways up and forward and “squeezing” the barbell above the head while sitting. It is worth asking trainers working in gyms about the right set of exercises.
The duration of training should be adapted to the individual abilities of the practitioner, but in the case of beginners, training should last no less than 40 minutes, including warm-up. Always remember to stretch after exercise; stretching relaxes tense muscles, reduces the risk of injury and improves dexterity.
Exercises to develop the front and back shoulder muscles
Before any exercises always remember to do a five-ten-minute warm-up; Failure to do so may result in an injury. Warming up before shoulder exercises should consist of, among others with arm circles, strokes, wrist turns and stretching.
One of the simpler ones exercises with dumbbells it is lifting them forward, holding them with the thumb pointing upwards – the way you hold them is very important. Also, make sure your back is always straight while exercising.
Shoulder muscles also strengthens the so-called “Bench press”; this exercise is good because the pectoral muscles and the triceps are also working.
Exercises to develop the back, scapular shoulder muscles should be performed on an inclined bench with the backrest set at 75 degrees. For these exercises, sit down with your face facing the bench, and the starting position dumbbells should almost touch the floor; the exercise is performed by lifting the dumbbells up.