Quite a lot of questions for beginner athletes causes such an exercise as lifting a dumbbell in front of you. The fact is that it can be interpreted by beginners in different ways, and accordingly, it can be performed for completely different muscle groups. Therefore, from this article, the reader will receive a little more information about lifting dumbbells, as well as get acquainted with the technique of its implementation and the recommendations of professionals.
Exercise mechanics
The dumbbell pull in front of you can be carried out by different methods, where different muscles are involved. Before you study the exercises themselves, it’s better to start with the mechanics and find out what kind of exercises are in general. There is nothing complicated:
- lifting the arm extended in the elbow joint upwards involves the front of the deltoid muscles (shoulders);
- when you raise your arm up with flexion in the elbow joint (palms to yourself), the muscles of the arm biceps are activated;
- if the hands are turned with the palms away from you and the weight is lifted upward by extension of the elbow, the triceps of the hand will be included in the work.
Of course, these are not all exercises that can be associated with lifting a dumbbell in front of you. For example, if you change the angle of the body, you can make the muscles of the back, chest or abdomen work, however, this article is only about exercises from a standing position.
Bazooka hands
Lifting dumbbells for biceps is considered the most popular among both beginners and professional athletes. There is nothing strange in this, because the arm muscles are always in sight, respectively, any self-respecting athlete is simply obliged to possess impressive “banks”.
That's just not all novice athletes are able to correctly perform this exercise. I will have to help them with this. It should be noted right away that the position of the hand relative to the athlete’s torso is important here. The stronger the palm turns to itself, the more the biceps muscles are involved in the work. True, the danger of getting injured is greatly increased. All exercises with dumbbells are best started under the supervision of professionals. This will save beginners from problems in the first lessons.
During the exercise, the palms are best positioned so that they stretch toward the athlete’s chin in the process of movement - this is the most convenient angle of elevation. Do not forget that the elbows during the exercise should be as close as possible to the torso.
Hard work
Few novice athletes know that any work with weighting in a standing position puts a heavy strain on the spine. Therefore, in order to somehow remove the load from it, you need to learn how to shift the center of gravity. Ideally, all exercises with dumbbells are best done with an athletic strap that simply prevents the vertebral discs from deforming or moving during training.
The beginner will help to solve the problem with the distribution of load and the methodology of the exercise. The fact is that arms can be raised not only simultaneously, but also alternately. Yes, it really makes any exercise easier. In addition, the movements themselves will be more concentrated, and, accordingly, more correct.
Arm Muscle Development Technique
Lifting dumbbells in front of you with a load on the biceps muscles is best done at the end of the workout or after an intense workout. The fact is that small muscle fibers on the hands under the influence of the load easily break, leading the athlete to injuries.
It is not necessary to start lifting heavy dumbbells from the first approach, it is better to perform one approach with a low weight, as a warm-up. It is enough to take weighting agents of several kilograms (for example, 2 kg dumbbells) in order to warm up the active muscles well. Then everything is simple - the exercise is performed in 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps. Rest between exercises must be minimized. Ideally, the break should not exceed 40-60 seconds.
Broad shoulders are the key to success
And if you take into account the development of the deltoid muscles, then lifting a dumbbell in front of you is carried out a little differently. Here the main task of the novice athlete is the execution technique. Raising the arm up should be carried out along a strictly established trajectory of movement - any deviation quickly shifts the load on other muscles. By the way, this exercise for deltas is the most unloved among all beginners, because none of them knows how to perform it correctly.
As with bicep muscles, the dumbbell pull should be concentrated. However, here professionals recommend doing the lifts not one at a time, but at the same time. The fact is that in many people the shoulders are unevenly developed, therefore, in the process of pumping the deltoid muscles, a stronger arm will support weak fibers.
Technology decides everything!
It does not matter what weight the beginner works with, let it be 2 kg dumbbells or a 32 kg weight. In any case, the main role in playing sports is not weight at all, but the technique of the exercise. In fact, any athlete, knowing the execution technique, will be able to quickly build muscle mass with a slight weighting. But an athlete who ignores the technique will rush around the gym with heavy dumbbells for a long time, but will never achieve the result. Unless the injury can earn.
Also, beginners are often interested in another question: "How to breathe properly when lifting a dumbbell?" Indeed, with bench presses and squats, everything is clear - on exhalation, all power movements are performed, but in the max, the load increases when the arm returns to its original position. However, you do not need to concentrate on lowering your hands - the muscles become clogged only when you raise your hands, and this should be concentrated. Accordingly, exhalation should be done while lifting the dumbbell.
Finally
So what conclusions can be drawn? Firstly, lifting dumbbells in front of you is not one exercise, but a whole complex that allows you to develop different arm muscles. Here it is better for a beginner to immediately determine the exercises themselves and the focus of the load (shoulders, biceps, triceps). The second factor is to reduce the likelihood of injury - all exercises should be concentrated and performed without distortion of the spine. Well, the third factor is the technique of doing the exercises. An athlete must not only know the technique of proper hand raising, but also be able to breathe correctly during training.