What is the essence of the scientific approach to training? All merit belongs to Bret Contreras - a scientist-publicist and part-time athlete-bodybuilder. It was he who conducted the latest tests on the biomechanics of almost all exercises for all muscle groups and, using sensors, found out which types of training are more effective and which are completely useless. Using the data of his works, one can single out the best shoulder exercises that will really work for mass, volume and relief.
A little about the structure of the shoulders
The shoulder or delta muscles frame our shoulder joint and consist of three main bundles:
- front;
- medium (widest);
- back (the smallest);
All shoulder exercises are performed using the bench press or breeding technique, as these muscles are responsible for the strength and amplitude of arm movement. The heads of the deltas act as stabilizers in many sports exercises, which is why they are much inferior to other muscles in flexibility. This means that when training shoulders, it is important to stretch the fibers as far as possible across the motion vector.
Bench press
It is believed that this is the best shoulder exercise in the hall, which simultaneously works out both the middle and the back of the deltas. However, there are many technical nuances:
- This exercise cannot be performed without support for the back, because when working with heavy weight, our body will involuntarily deviate back, which means that the load will go into the muscle-stabilizers.
- Everyone knows that this is the most difficult and traumatic shoulder exercise for men, women without proper training should not undertake its implementation. The technique should be impeccable: the elbows are looking straight ahead, the grip is medium, the lowering of the bar is as slow as lifting. There should not be any jerks, cheating or dead spots in the amplitude of motion.
Incline Bench Press
Good shoulder exercise in the gym. Performing it at home, not having the necessary equipment, will be very problematic. It is traditionally believed that the bench press on an inclined bench uses only the upper lobes of the pectoral muscles. As Brett's studies have shown, this is a great way to pump the front head of the brachial muscle. In terms of effectiveness, this exercise is inferior to the first by only 5%. Therefore, if you have a choice, it is better to give preference to this less traumatic option for shoulder training.
Army bench press
A good option for exercise for the shoulders at home, as it can be done with a barbell, and with dumbbells, and even with weights. This type of training is slightly inferior to the first two in terms of efficiency, but it works quite well to increase the mass of the front deltas. However, this is a fairly universal exercise. Many athletes use it to form the contour of the upper chest. To do this, it is worth starting the exercise only at the end of the training, when the front deltas are already quite tired and will not "steal" the load. It is also important to comply with all technical features. This is perhaps the only shoulder exercise in the gym that does not require a large working weight and long amplitude. The technique of lifting the bar should rather resemble short jerks, in which all the muscles are as stressed as possible.
Upper block: pull with rope handle
When performing shoulder exercises in the gym or at home, it is worth remembering that each segment of this muscle requires a special approach to training. The main emphasis in the program should be on pumping the middle delta, because it is she who is responsible for the wide shoulder line and creates the coveted V-shaped silhouette.
Prior to the studies of Senor Contreras, it was believed that pulling a block with a rope handle was a typical exercise for pumping the back, especially the trapezium. But everything turned out to be much more interesting, it turned out that this type of training perfectly affects the middle deltas. The main thing is to observe all technical features:
- At the end point of movement, when the handle is attracted to the chin, it is necessary to spread the arms apart to the maximum. This allows you to achieve peak muscle contraction, which means that the effectiveness of the exercise increases significantly.
- There should be no dead zones in the exercise. This means that the muscles do not relax for a minute, but are constantly in a state of tension.
- To exclude the work of the muscles of the body, during the exercise it is necessary to deflect the body a little back. This will be especially useful for people of high stature.
Cross arms
A great insulating exercise on the shoulders in the gym, because it requires a crossover. To prepare the middle deltas for this exercise, you must first weary the trapezoid, which will necessarily pull a part of the load on itself. To do this, you can perform several approaches with the dilution of the dumbbells to the sides, and when the shoulders get a little tired, you can "finish off" them with targeted training. The secret of this exercise is in an atypical trajectory of movement, in which the middle deltas are constantly in a stretched position. Outwardly, it is very similar to a similar exercise with dumbbells, but here everything is different. The load begins in the initial phase of movement and persists throughout the exercise, since the "dead spots" are excluded. There are two versions of this exercise:
- The cable of the unit is located in front of the housing. Then the entire load goes to the front and middle of the shoulder.
- The cable of the unit is located behind the housing. Then, in addition to the middle segment of the delta, the posterior bundle also takes part in the exercise.
Many people like this exercise for variability, because by changing the setting of the legs and the angles of the body, you can include the muscles in the work in a new way, which means that more and more new fibers can be involved in the work.
Dumbbell Dumbbell Breeding
Performing exercises on the shoulders in the gym, you can not ignore the breeding of dumbbells in the slope. This type of training is indispensable for pumping the middle and back of the shoulder. However, for the operation of the central segment it is necessary to fulfill several technical conditions:
- It is important to change the usual setting of hands. The brushes should line up in one line, and not be parallel to each other. A traditional grip takes away all the stress on the biceps and brachialis.
- Little fingers must look up. This little trick will allow you to control the position of the hands.
- The breeding of hands should occur along a complex path: not only to the sides, but also a little forward.
Back Delta Exercises
Despite the fact that the back of the deltas is not so large in volume, it must definitely be trained intensively. The Vedas are the laziest muscle in the arm. She is very reluctant to get involved in the work, and various exercises on her shoulders practically do not involve her. It is almost impossible to pump it in isolation, but you can kill two birds with one stone: train the rear deltas and some other segment of the shoulder at the same time. Best suited for this:
- Thrust of the upper block.
- Breeding dumbbells in the slope.
The technique of these exercises has been described above.
Horizontal pull-ups
But there is another shoulder exercise that will allow you to work out the rear deltas along the way - these are horizontal pull-ups. It is best to perform them with the bar, and even more conveniently - in the Smith simulator, because there you can adjust the height of the bar to fit your height. A small technical nuance: you need to be tightened precisely to the head, and not to the chest. This exercise has a great analogue - rod pull to the shoulder girdle. To do this, you need to tilt the body parallel to the floor and perform movements in the most elongated amplitude. And if you do traction in the Smith machine, then the effectiveness of the exercise increases several times.
To summarize
For men, shoulder exercises in the gym or at home must be present. It is necessary to diversify the training program by working on all segments of this muscle. When building a class schedule, you must consider the following nuances:
- First of all, the most “lazy" muscles are trained, which are reluctantly included in the work. This means that the exercises on the rear deltas are the first to go into battle, then the middle ones. At the end of the lesson, you can proceed to training the front muscle bundle.
- Do not combine the day of training your shoulders with pumping your back or chest. Traction and bench press exercises will overwork your hands, which means that you will not be able to efficiently pump the target muscles, it is best to swing the deltas on the day of the legs.
- After pumping your shoulders, you can study the biceps and triceps. After all, deltas act as stabilizers in most hand exercises. But if you pre-tire them, you will increase the effectiveness of training the biceps and triceps.
In any case, you should definitely try all these exercises on the shoulders. Perhaps many of them will linger in your training program.