Warming up the shoulders
Let's warm up first, okay? You should do this before every workout, but be especially careful with this process before training your shoulders. Walk on a treadmill for 10 minutes to speed up blood circulation and increase body temperature. Don't train until you sweat, but don't feel too sorry for yourself either.
While warming up, clear your head of negative thoughts. Imagine your head resting on top of boulders - this is how you will look after your workout. Think about how you will feel after completing the entire workout, how pumped up and big your shoulders will appear when you look in the mirror.
- Rotate your shoulders so that your joints and rotator cuffs are fully prepared for the stress ahead. Do 20 reps forward and backward.
- Next, take light dumbbells. Perform 20 external rotations with each shoulder, 20 front raises, 20 lateral raises, 20 shoulder rotations, and 20 back raises.
- Rest 1 minute. Now you are ready to train!
The exercises presented here are basic, but they work. The trick is that you will perform these four exercises with a huge number of approaches. This means that you will perform one set of each exercise consecutively before resting. You'll work the anterior, lateral, and posterior heads of the humerus until you've completed your trapezius workout. The entire deltoid muscle area will feel a rush of nutrient-rich blood. Let's find out how to pump up your shoulders with dumbbells!
Middle deltas
A set of exercises with an emphasis on the middle deltoids includes the following:
- Barbell row to the chin. In 4 series we perform from 8 to 10 repetitions, with an interval of 2 minutes between series.
- Bench press. In 3 series we perform from 8 to 10 repetitions, with an interval of 2 minutes between series.
- Standing dumbbell lateral raises. In 4 series we perform from 8 to 10 repetitions, with an interval of 90 seconds between series.
- Lifting the dumbbell towards a reclining position. In 4 series we perform 8 repetitions, with an interval of 60 seconds between series.
Examples of exercises
First, let's look at the basic basic exercises for the deltoid muscles.
Bent dumbbell press
Choose a weight that you can lift for 8-10 reps. Take dumbbells and sit on a straight bench. The secret of the exercise is that you pause at the bottom of the movement before performing the next repetition. This removes all the momentum from the movement, meaning you have to work harder to get it back. You will get stronger and eventually get the shoulders of your dreams.
Bent dumbbell press
Standing lateral raises with dumbbells
Choose a weight that you can lift for 10-12 reps with 3-second stops. In other words, once you reach the top of the movement, count to three as you lower the weight: One thousand one... one thousand two... one thousand three... now you can take action!
The right approach to training
To achieve maximum efficiency when pumping up your shoulders, you need to follow a few basic training rules. How to pump your shoulders correctly, watch the explanatory video at the end of the article.
Thorough warm-up
To prevent injuries and warm up the muscles and joint capsule, it is necessary to perform swinging movements with your arms without weights and up to 20 repetitions of basic exercises with light weights. As a result, light perspiration and a feeling of increased blood flow in the shoulder area should appear.
Ideal exercise technique
Accuracy and coordination of movements when pumping deltas is a prerequisite. Poor technique increases the risk of injury and robs the shoulders of some of the payload.
From general to specific
First, basic exercises are performed, then isolated movements to target the beams. In this way, the loading of all muscle fibers is achieved, providing a stimulus for increasing strength indicators and increasing mass.
Muscle failure
It is necessary to choose a weight that will allow you to complete the approach with maximum effort without compromising the technique of performing the exercise.
Bodymaster.ru recommends Training Plans:
Be careful, there is an important nuance in the exercise: at the lowest point, keep your shoulders parallel to the floor so as not to involve the trapezius muscles in the work.
Standing lateral raises with dumbbells
Bent-over dumbbell raises
To perform the dumbbell raise exercise while sitting in an incline position, take dumbbells, sit on a bench and bend over with your back straight towards your knees. The technique of performing when lifting weights is similar to the exercise of raising arms to the sides with dumbbells while standing: at the top point, contract the muscles well and hold for 3 seconds.
Do you feel a burning sensation in your shoulders? Fine! This is what it takes to succeed. Do 12-15 reps before moving on to the finishing exercise.
Bent-over dumbbell raises
Shrugs with dumbbells
Take dumbbells (use the weight from the previous exercise, seated dumbbell press) and perform shrugs. Hold the weight as best you can if you still have any left.
Anatomy
The basis of the shoulder girdle is the deltoid muscles. Where the deltoid muscle of the shoulder is located can be seen in the photo below. It includes three separate muscle bundles - anterior, middle and posterior. Each of the bundles is responsible for a specific direction of movement in the shoulder joint:
- the anterior bundle contracts when the arm is raised forward in front of the body and when it is turned inward;
- the middle beam does the bulk of the work when raising the arms through the sides;
- the posterior bundle is responsible for abducting the arm down and extending it backward.
The layout of the delta muscles is shown in the photo. Thanks to the complex structure of the delta, the arms in the shoulder joints are able to make intricate multi-plane movements. Other large joints in the human body do not have this degree of freedom.
Bodymaster.ru recommends Fitness Trainers:
Use belts if necessary. Contract the muscles at the top for a second before lowering the weight down. At the bottom, let them hang for one second to further stretch the trapezius muscles.
Continue the exercise until failure, or until you lose your grip. Now it's time to relax!
Effective exercises for the front delts
Ball-shaped, unfolded shoulders in men are a sign of a competent approach to training the shoulders and good separation of the deltas. The large muscle includes 3 bundles: clavicular (frontal), acromial (middle) and spinous (dorsal). There is no universal exercise in bodybuilding that can be used to pump up all 3 zones at once. For each of them there is a series of compounding and isolating practices. The first ones are responsible for the mass, the second ones draw and polish the contours. Start by working on the front deltas. They work with pressing movements, front lifts, and deadlifts.
Scheme with a dynamic number of approaches
For this workout, you should only have two pairs of dumbbells: the first pair for presses and shrugs, the second pair for curls. You will perform all of these exercises before resting. For both beginners and intermediate weightlifters, rest periods should not exceed 2 minutes.
If you're an advanced athlete, rest 90 seconds before doing your next set. If you're a beginner, do two of these incredible sets for now until you get used to this workout.
Intermediate athletes can perform this circuit three times. Iron veterans are better off going through four rounds, really pushing themselves to give it their all.
This workout will not take you too much time, however, you can perfectly pump up all the heads of the deltoid and trapezius muscles with dumbbells.
Rear delts
How to pump up the rear delts when they are lagging behind? It is necessary to perform maximum movements that force the posterior bundle to work. The specialized program includes the best rear delt exercises in the gym and looks like this:
- Bench press. In 4 series we perform from 6 to 10 repetitions, with an interval of 2 minutes between series.
- Bent-over dumbbell raises to the sides. In 4 series we perform from 7 to 10 repetitions, with an interval of 90 seconds between series.
- Raising your arms to the sides while standing in a crossover. In 3 series we perform from 8 to 10 repetitions, with an interval of 90 seconds between series.
- Raising your arms back in the butterfly simulator. In 3 series we perform from 8 to 10 repetitions, with an interval of 90 seconds between series.
Shoulder training
A 2-minute rest is required between each exercise change.
Beginners: 2 laps
Intermediate: 3 laps
Advanced level: 4 laps
Bent dumbbell press
- 2-4 sets of 8-10 reps
- Body part: Shoulders Equipment: Dumbbells
Standing lateral raises with dumbbells
- 2-4 sets of 10-12 reps
- Body part: Shoulders Equipment: Dumbbells
Bent-over dumbbell raises
- 2-4 sets of 12-15 reps
- Body part: Shoulders Equipment: Dumbbells
Standing dumbbell shrugs
- 2-4 sets until muscle failure
- Body part: Trapeze Equipment: Dumbbells
Add to Calendar * Add to My Workouts * Print Workout
* — The service is in beta testing
And for more advanced athletes, we recommend trying additional exercises with greater isolation and load on one arm at a time.
How to build shoulder mass
To pump up massive shoulders, the following rules apply:
- use of heavy weights;
- a small number of repetitions in a series (from 6 to 10);
- The duration of rest between series is about 2 minutes.
Let's look at a typical exercise program for pumping up deltoid mass. These are the most effective exercises, which are the key to how to properly pump up your shoulders for mass.
- Bench press sitting behind the head. In 4 series we perform from 6 to 10 repetitions, with an interval of 2 minutes between series.
- Barbell row to the chin. In 3 series we perform from 6 to 10 repetitions, with an interval of 2 minutes between series.
- Bent-over dumbbell raises to the sides. In 3 series we perform 8 repetitions, with an interval of 90 seconds between series.
- Standing dumbbell lateral raises. In 3 series we perform 8 repetitions, with an interval of 90 seconds between series.
Training for pumping up shoulders - warm-up
Treadmill workout
- 10 minutes 1 repetition
- Body part: Quadriceps Equipment: Exercise
Circular movements with elbows
- 1 set of 20 reps
- Body Part: Shoulders Equipment: No
Rotating the shoulder away from the body while lying down
- 1 set of 20 reps
- Body part: Shoulders Equipment: Dumbbells
Alternately lifting dumbbells in front of you
- 1 set of 20 reps
- Body part: Shoulders Equipment: Dumbbells
One-arm dumbbell raise to the side
- 1 set of 20 reps
- Body part: Shoulders Equipment: Dumbbells
Bent-over dumbbell raises
- 1 set of 20 reps
- Body part: Shoulders Equipment: Dumbbells
Add to Calendar * Add to My Workouts * Print Workout
* — The service is in beta testing
Taking sports supplements - creatine, arginine, intra-workout, bcaa amino acid and pre-workout complexes will help you increase your strength. These sports nutrition products are specifically formulated to improve performance in sports and fitness for men and women. Just add it to your diet and go ahead to conquer new heights!
Work on the relief
To achieve relief and separation of deltas, the following postulates must be observed:
- use of average weights (from 50 to 70% of the maximum);
- number of repetitions in a series from 10 to 12;
- the use of super series, when two exercises are performed at once during a series without rest between them;
- The duration of rest between series is no more than 90 seconds.
A typical delta workout for relief looks like this:
- Bench press in front of you. In 4 series we perform from 10 to 12 repetitions, with an interval of 90 seconds between series.
- Dumbbell lateral raises while standing and bent over raises (super series). In 4 super series, we perform 10 repetitions of each exercise, with an interval of 60 seconds between super series.
- Swing dumbbells in front of you. In 4 series we perform 12 repetitions, with an interval of 50 seconds between series.
- Lifting the dumbbell towards a reclining position. In 4 series, we perform 10 repetitions without rest (one side of the body rests while pumping the other).
