How to pump up shoulders with dumbbells and barbell? Top 5 effective exercises

blogger, athlete, fighter and host of the show “Our Cause”

Many exercises have been invented to pump the shoulder girdle: using free weights and exercise machines. What should you pay attention to when compiling a workout? It is important to realize that these muscles have their own characteristics, which affect, among other things, the construction of a training plan. Firstly, shoulders practically do not form fat, which means that it is quite easy to form a beautiful relief. Secondly, the musculature in this area is characterized by instability and requires careful workout and focus to avoid injuries.

Working out the shoulder girdle is necessary for both men and women who dream of a beautiful figure and a noticeable relief. How should shoulder training be built correctly, so that the maximum result is achieved? What exercises allow you to make delts a real decoration of the body? I will tell you about everything in order.

How to properly pump shoulders?

If you want beautiful and healthy muscles, you need to start not with training. First you need to know what muscles they are, where they are located, how they interact with other muscles and what parts they consist of. This information is important so that in the future you can correctly distribute the load and make an effective training plan.

The delta is the muscle that forms the contour of the upper arm. Biceps and triceps do not belong to it, so training on these parts of the arms will not help pump the “cans”. The deltoid muscle is attached to three bones at once – clavicle, scapula and shoulder. If you’ve had fractures of these bones, dislocations, or any other injuries, training can be a challenge. You’ll have to talk to specialists to make it safe.

What do you need to do if you have had injuries?

1. Consult a doctor to determine your exercise tolerance.
2. Draw up an exercise program with a trainer and perform the exercises under his supervision.
3. Exclude overload if you have a history of fractures.

It is worth noting that the delta includes three muscle bundles – anterior, middle and posterior. Each of them can be pumped separately to achieve a good result.

Why pump the shoulders?

Many people may think that working out delts is necessary for general muscle relief. This is really true. If an athlete has pumped triceps and biceps, an untrained delta will spoil the proportions of the figure. But there are several other reasons why this muscle is worth your attention.

Experienced lifters, bodybuilders and fitness models know that delts are very unstable. Improper exercise technique can lead to serious injuries. Shoulders are involved in almost all sports – running, boxing, swimming, weightlifting and so on. And if they are weak, permanent fractures, sprains and dislocations are assured.

Why is shoulder pumping useful for women?

For girls, a moderately worked shoulder girdle will correct the proportions of the figure:

• visually reduce the waist;
• emphasize a beautiful V-shaped torso;
• visually reduce wide hips.

Girls do not need to be afraid to work on delts. Do not think that you will pump them up to a huge size and turn into bodybuilders. That takes years of training and heavy weights. Women’s programs will provide relief, but will not create a male shoulder girdle silhouette.

How to make a workout plan?

First you need to decide on a few things.

1. Exercise location. Do you work out at home, in the gym or outdoors.
2. The level of physical fitness.
3. Sports equipment. You will in any case need additional weight: it can be dumbbells, weight machines, tourniquets and so on.
4. Purpose of training. You want to increase mass, increase strength or gain relief.

For a good workout of the shoulder girdle you need a maximum of two days a week, it will be quite enough. However, it is important to know what to combine them with. Trainers suggest putting delts in the bundle “chest – triceps”.

Effective exercises for training

To achieve good results, trainers advise combining basic and isolated exercises for shoulders.

Lifting weights upward – a basic exercise

Technika

• Sit on a bench, and then put the projectile on your shoulders. Bring your shoulder blades together and keep your chest straight.
• Grasp the barbell wider than your shoulders.
• Raise the barbell over your head until your arms are fully straightened.
• Vráťte sa do východiskovej polohy.

Chin Pull – Basic Exercise

Technika

• Hold the bar slightly below shoulder width, arms slightly bent at the elbows.
• Pull your arms up almost to your chin.
• Vráťte sa do východiskovej polohy.

• Make sure that your shoulders are always below your forearms.

Arms to the side – an isolated exercise

This exercise can be performed at home with minimal sports equipment.

Technika

• Stand up straight, slightly bend your arms at the elbows.
• Begin to slowly raise your arms with dumbbells to the sides. They should reach parallel with the floor.
• Fix in this position for a few seconds, and then lower your arms.

Seated press – an isolated exercise

One of the most popular shoulder exercises.

Technika

• Sit on a bench, put your hands with dumbbells on your shoulders.
• Slowly squeeze the projectiles up, raising them above your head and straightening your arms at the elbows.
• Vráťte sa do východiskovej polohy.

Arnold press

Quite a challenging exercise that works the shoulders well. If you are bored with the base, it will definitely dilute your routine.

Technika

• Take dumbbells, stand up straight.
• Raise your arms bent at the elbows in front of you so that the palms face you.
• Spread your arms to the sides and press both dumbbells up.
• Lower your arms down and bring them back together in front of your face.

How to avoid injuries when working out the delts?

We have broken down the technique of the most effective and popular exercises for shoulders, but do not forget about the general recommendations that will allow you to avoid injuries.

Carefully work through the theory and then start practicing. Shoulders are an easily traumatized part of the body, so the technique must be perfected.

Do not neglect warming up. There are several options: dynamic stretching, joint gymnastics, one of the exercises, but with a light weight. All of them are effective!

Dýchajte správne. Exhale – on effort, inhale – on relaxation.

Control the movements. They should be as smooth as possible, conscious and without jerks. This way you will achieve much better results.

What should you do outside of training?

In order not to waste labor, it is important to lead a healthy lifestyle and outside the gym.

1. Adhere to a healthy diet, increasing your protein intake.
2. Eliminate alcohol and smoking. Nicotine slows the growth of muscle mass, which means that half of your efforts will be wasted.
3. Get plenty of sleep. Lack of sleep directly affects somatotropin and testosterone, which are involved in the formation of relief muscles. Poor sleep leads not only to lethargy, but also to reduced muscle gain.
4. Try to be less nervous. Stress increases cortisol levels and reduces the effectiveness of even the most intense exercise with heavy weights.

Tips on how to safely pump your shoulders

We’ve learned that the shoulders are a complex structure that is extremely prone to failure. These injuries take the longest to heal, and most of the time with surgery. Lastly, I’ll give you some helpful tips.

1. Work each muscle of the delts and strengthen them separately to create a unified ensemble.
2. Include sets in your workout and contrast pushing with pulling exercises.
3. Control the technique of execution. In the initial stages, it is better to have the support of a trainer.
4. Do not neglect training the small muscles that stabilize the shoulder (rotator cuff). They allow you to avoid health problems.