Shoulder programs. Shoulder training: how to make your shoulders wide Building your shoulders to mass

Find out how to build broad shoulders as quickly as possible, with minimal risk of injury. Only proven advice from professionals!

Many gym goers use the rule, lift more and you will get bigger, these words have some truth, but they need to be used wisely. Dumb lifting of weights will give initial results, but then you will not get the long-awaited effect and your results will stall, plus you will get injured.

To do this, you need to connect your brains, use different training schemes, apply different degrees of load, and so on. We present to your attention 16 main rules for the correct development of shoulders, with minimal possibility of injury, remember them so that training your shoulders for weight will be successful.

1. It starts with the overhead press

Start working on the seated press while you are full of strength and energy, you can do it both with and with, it is better to alternate them, and not get hung up on one of them. This basic exercise perfectly works all 3 sections of the deltas, and other supporting muscles; it is very important to work in the range of 6-12 repetitions, this is where muscle hypertrophy comes into play.

Do not try to do this exercise at the end of the workout, when the muscle fibers are working with the rest of their strength; lift the small one, but the muscles will not work well.

2. Do seated and standing presses

There is no fundamental difference between these 2 exercise options, but there is one significant difference.

When done in a seated position, you work the shoulders more specifically, which is better for more targeted delt pumping, but it doesn't allow for the use of lower body strength. Therefore, you can handle the weight, much less, and reduce the quantity.

If you use the standing option, this is called, here you can work with heavier weights and increase the number of repetitions, due to the fact that the initial impulse of movement comes from the lower part of the body, including the legs, abs, and lower back in the work. It is recommended to use in heavy approaches so as not to damage the lower back. It is because more weight is taken that more muscles are involved in the work and there is an increase in the mass of not only the shoulders, but also the whole body.

Alternate these exercises, this will give impetus to the development of large deltoids.

3. Free weights come first

Always work with a barbell, dumbbells or kettlebell first, this is because lifting a weight involves a lot of stabilizer muscles to keep the weight from swinging overhead. This requires fresh strength in the body and not tired muscles.

After this procedure, having exhausted your shoulders, you can move on to exercises in simulators to finish off the muscle fibers and get 100% full strength.

4. Isolated exercises after basic ones

Many people, due to the severity of the exercises, ignore bench presses and start with, for example, this is where the big mistake lies. Isolated, single-joint exercises specifically work a specific area of ​​muscle, but do not act as mass-building exercises for the entire shoulder.

These isolated exercises can be used at the end of shoulder training, using and.

5. Don't forget about the chin pull

10. Make sure your shoulders develop evenly

Uneven development of the shoulders is not only noticeable and unsightly, but can also be the cause of a rotator cuff injury.

Guys who often train their chest and do other exercises to develop it have larger front deltoids than their side ones. At the same time, they do not pay special attention to the sitting press, because the main thing is to have a beautiful, powerful chest.

Because of this, the shoulders look underdeveloped in appearance, the chest is large, and the shoulders are not wide enough. Not liking traction exercises for the back leaves the rear part of the deltas out of work.

All this leads to weakness of the shoulder joints, which may not withstand the load of strength exercises, as other muscles grow and require more and more load.

The first exercise for the deltas is the bench press, and the second should go to the lagging part of the shoulder, and then to the more developed area.

11. When performing an isolated exercise, you should not straighten your elbows.

When the elbows are slightly bent, the load is directly concentrated in the shoulders, but as soon as they straighten, part of the load will go into the triceps and the elbows will experience unnecessary tension. Therefore, choose adequate weights based on your physical condition, do not violate the movement technique and watch your elbows.

12. Take care of your rotator cuff

It is responsible for the circular movements of the arms in the shoulders, so neglecting it can lead to negative consequences. Few train it, it doesn’t matter how much you pump it, it’s not visible, but its main task is not to show off externally, but to balance the shoulder joint.

Rotator cuff - consists of 4 muscles, always before training your shoulders, take small dumbbells in your hands and perform circular movements with your arms, slightly bending your elbows. Perform 10-15 rotations forward and then backward, repeat this for 2-3 approaches.

13. React instantly to pain

Sharp pain during exercise is bad pain and is nothing like post-workout pain. If it occurs,
immediately finish the exercise and move on to another, similar one.

For example, replacing a barbell bench press with a dumbbell press puts your shoulders in a more natural position, does not break them out as much and is less traumatic, although it does not allow you to take on such a large working weight.

At the first manifestation of pain, do not kill the muscles by clenching your teeth, immediately apply measures - massage, ointments, ice application, otherwise you will be treated by doctors and severe inflammation of the shoulder cuff will leave you behind training for a long time.

14. Train your shoulders in a variety of ways

Shoulder mass training requires variety; don’t get stuck on the same exercises and don’t perform exercises with the same weight. As muscles adapt to the load, they respond less over time and muscle growth slows down.

Therefore, do different exercises, alternate load phases from heavy for 6 repetitions, to medium for 8-10 repetitions and light for 12-14 repetitions. Change the angles of inclination, body positions, use dumbbells, barbells, exercise machines and crossovers, you can see the full list of exercises -.

15. Share the loads correctly

You should not train your shoulders on the same day as your chest; the ideal option would be to train your legs, worse with your back.

When bench pressing, the front deltoid gets the load, and when you go straight to shoulder training, it will already be tired, which will not give you the opportunity to work with a good working weight and load the deltoids well, especially the front one.

16. Don't forget about trapezoids

Many, in pursuit of perfect shoulders, forget the exercise for developing the trapezius muscles - and if they are trained, then after training the shoulders. It will be much more effective to train the trapezius after the back. Well-developed trapezoids will create a beautiful body appearance, just like the deltoids.

Among the numerous muscles of the shoulder, the muscle deltoideus is mainly responsible for the mass and contours of the shoulder girdle, which is why exercises for increasing shoulders are aimed at it. Forming the outer contour of the shoulder, the muscle is involved in its flexion and extension and in abducting the arm to the side.

Anatomically, it consists of three intertwined bundles: anterior, middle and posterior. The front delts work to raise your arms in front of you and move your elbows toward your body; the middle ones raise their arms to the sides; the rear ones take them back. With a complex contraction, the deltoid muscle abducts the arm in the anterior plane; and the rear delts, together with other extensor muscles, work as external rotators of the shoulder.

The shoulder muscles are partially loaded during basic exercises on the chest, arms and back, but indirect load is not enough to target them. A workout that combines basic and isolated exercises for specific groups of muscle fibers helps to work out your shoulders. Exercises for shoulder mass can be performed on the same day with a program for arms, back, abs:

• train your shoulders in the second half of the session so that the joints are sufficiently warmed up and ready for stress;
• do shoulder training once or twice a week, otherwise you risk overloading your muscles;
• Vary the exercises from time to time. Do not let the muscle fibers get used to the load; give them “shock” series: forced repetitions, super- and drop sets.

The easiest way to work is with the front deltas: they work in all basic exercises. The most stubborn group of fibers is the back one, since it is not involved in basic movements and needs to be worked on additionally.

Lesson program

Standard shoulder training programs are designed for those who have been training for more than a year, but are not suitable for beginners. It includes basic (military standing press; Arnold press; barbell row to the chin) and isolating exercises - swings with dumbbells.

In one workout, perform 2-3 basic and 2-4 isolation exercises (3-4 sets/8-12 repetitions), including each swing variation. For beginners, until their body gets stronger, one or two basic exercises are enough. But reducing the load by reducing sets or repetitions is not worth it: a “cut-down” workout will increase shoulder strength, but muscle mass will not grow.

Presses: military and Arnold

Presses are considered basic multi-joint exercises: they load all the largest muscle groups. So, the Arnold press uses all the deltoids and shoulder rotators, while the military press focuses on the front and partly the middle deltoids. At the same time, presses strengthen your arms, improve your posture, and strengthen your abs.

Concentrate on the movements, pay attention to the stance. Move smoothly, without jerks or pauses. Incorrect body position, acceleration and deceleration of the rhythm transfer the weight of the burden to the spine and joints, which means that training becomes less effective and the risk of injury increases.

Lifting (pulling, pulling) a barbell to the chin is a basic strength load for the middle and rear deltoids; it also involves the trapezius, partly the biceps and triceps. The lift is done in the middle of the workout - after the bench press, but before the swings, it has a good effect on increasing the mass and volume of the shoulders.

Beginners can perform 3-4 sets of 6-12 repetitions, eventually increasing their number to 20-30 repetitions, or replace them with dumbbell lifts. For beginners in bodybuilding who are not confident in themselves and feel the risk of injury, it is better to train not with free weights, but on machines: a Smith machine or a crossover.

Mahi

Dumbbell swings are classified as isolated (targeted) exercises; they allow you to refine “lagging” muscle bundles after basic training. Swings are performed with light weight and carefully tuning each phase of the movement. To train the shoulder girdle, three types of swings are used:

Bent over dumbbell swings are done at the end of the session. The working weight for beginner men is 4–5 kg, and for girls – 1.5–2 kg, but to fully work out the deltoids, what is more important is not the weight, but the number of repetitions and quality of execution. It is preferable to do more repetitions with light weights than lift heavy ones and risk damaging your joints.

Training at home

You can professionally pump up your shoulders only under the guidance of a trainer in the gym. But if you are not trying to become like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but want to improve and tighten your figure, you can exercise at home. The list of the best exercises for shoulder mass at home necessarily includes push-ups, pull-ups, and exercises with an expander. Study in detail the correct technique using photos and videos, at first hold the tablet in front of you and repeat the movements after the trainer.

• Reverse grip push-ups. Get into a standard push-up position with your palms facing out so your fingertips are facing each other. During the movement, the elbows are pressed tightly to the sides.
  
• Supported handstand push-ups. Stand facing the wall, bend over and place your palms on the floor in front of you. Raise your legs up so that they rest against the wall, and turn your arms so that your fingers point “away from the wall.” Bend your elbows, lower yourself to the floor and rise up.
• Pull-ups. The deltoids are worked with partial pull-ups with a reverse medium grip. Perform 20 pull-ups per set; the number of approaches depends on your level of training and previous training load.
• Exercises with an expander. Beginners can practice with a rubber band folded several times, and those for whom this is too easy can use a more elastic expander. Standing on the tape and holding its edges, they perform extensions and raises their arms in front of them, and while holding the tape in their hands and without stepping on it, they perform bent over raises. After stretching the band, hold the tension until you feel a burning sensation in the muscles: for muscle growth, it is the degree of resistance that is more important, not the number of repetitions.
  

If you decide that you are ready to move on, watch online video training with Denis Gusev on the Bodylab website. Feel like you can follow the instructions of a professional bodybuilder? Go to the gym and you will succeed!

Massive shoulder training programs

Working with the shoulder muscles is associated with a certain danger: the composition of the shoulder girdle and the deltoid muscle bundles are susceptible to injury. When performing exercises as part of sports programs, you need to be careful and strictly follow the recommendations of specialists. Exercises in complexes are combined in such a way as to work the deltoid muscle from different angles; this method gives the best effect. You can exercise in the gym or at home, on exercise machines and using dumbbells, standing and sitting on a bench, fitball or leaning on an inclined plane. Get acquainted with the programs created by experienced trainers for women and men with different levels of training. Have fun playing sports!

Men, as a rule, always include several effective exercises for the muscles of the shoulder girdle in their workout. They shape the figure: they make the waist visually narrower, and they emphasize the arms favorably. And you can even study according to the compiled program at home Houses using barbell and dumbbells.

In bodybuilding, it is not without reason that athletes pay a lot of attention to training the deltoid muscles, as this not only increases their width, but also emphasizes the biceps, triceps and narrow waist. Professional bodybuilders consider the deltoids to be no less important than the pectoral or back muscles. At the same time, the deltoids are one of the most complex muscle groups, since they consist of three bundles, and there is not a single exercise that would evenly affect all bundles at once. In this article we will describe a shoulder training program for mass and a shocking workout for those whose deltoids are lagging behind, we will talk about the most effective exercises and the main principles of training.

To build bigger shoulders, an athlete needs to perform both compound and isolation exercises, with compound training coming first. Basic exercises can use several deltas and trapezius, but the load will be uneven. Beginner athletes are recommended to perform only the basics at first, and add isolating work when the lag of one of the deltoid muscle bundles is noticeable.

Shoulder training program while bulking

To pump up the deltoid muscles, one or two basic exercises will be enough for beginners, and for more experienced athletes it is necessary to perform 2-3 basic and 2-4 isolating exercises to pump up all the shoulder bands. Experts recommend performing 3-4 approaches in each exercise and 8-12 repetitions in each approach when working on weight. If your goal is maximum growth in strength, then the number of repetitions in the approach should be reduced to 4-6. Here's what our shoulder mass training program looks like:

• Standing barbell press (3-4 X 8-12);
• Seated dumbbell press (3-4 X 8-12);
• Wide grip barbell row to the chin (3-4 X 8-12);
• Bent over dumbbell swings (3-4 X 8-12);
• Swings with dumbbells while standing (3-4 X 8-12);
• Swing dumbbells in front of you (3-4 X 8-12).

This training program for deltas is only suitable for athletes with more than one year of training experience. For all beginning athletes, you will need to remove a few isolation exercises (swings), but leave in such basic movements as the military press, seated dumbbell press, and wide-grip barbell rows.

For greater efficiency, experienced athletes recommend slightly changing their training program from time to time so that the muscles cannot adapt and progress constantly. For better results, it is necessary to sometimes change the exercises and use training methods such as drop sets, supersets or forced repetitions.

Security measures

The shoulder joint is considered the most traumatic, since it consists of three beams, is involved in both deadlifts and presses, and can rotate 180 degrees. To protect yourself from shoulder injuries, an athlete needs to know the correct technique for performing all exercises, perform a good warm-up at the beginning of shoulder weight training, perform warm-up sets before each working approach, do not work with maximum weights and have the support of a partner on the last approaches of the exercise. Experts also recommend avoiding exercises that force the shoulder joint to move unnaturally, such as overhead barbell presses, or working with a limited amplitude when performing such exercises.

What to do if deltoids are lagging behind in development

Many bodybuilding enthusiasts have naturally lagging deltoid muscles, and how to deal with this is a mystery to most athletes. But modern bodybuilding offers athletes to use various high-volume training methods, such as supersets, dropsets, forced repetitions, etc. These methods are much better at shocking the muscles and causing them to grow.

High-volume training methods involve a lot of exhaustion in the athlete, so they cannot be used in every workout. Using supersets and drop sets too often leads to overtraining. We do not recommend using the shoulder training program described below more than twice a month.

A shocking workout using drop sets and supersets

We start our delt training with a 10-minute warm-up - this includes various arm rotations, working with light weights, body rotations, etc. After this, we move on to the following exercises:

• Standing barbell press (2 warm-up + 3 working sets of 10 reps);
• Wide-grip barbell rows to the chin (2 warm-up + 3 working sets of 10 reps).

After such serious work, you can move on to using supersets on the front and rear deltoids:

• + (3 supersets of 8-10 repetitions in each approach) – rest between supersets is no more than two minutes, and the pause between sets is no more than 20 seconds. Also add a few minutes of rest before drop sets.

We assume that after performing the above exercises, the front and rear deltoids will be maximally exhausted. Now it remains to finish off the middle bundles of the deltoid muscles with the help of dropsets:

• (3 regular dropsets with the weights dropped by 50% on the second set, 10 reps in each dropset series).

If you are not familiar with drop sets, it looks like this: we take dumbbells with the usual working weight and perform 10 repetitions, then immediately take dumbbells 2 times lighter and do another 10 repetitions.

This workout is guaranteed to shock your deltoids and give them a powerful boost to their growth. During this lesson, we do not recommend training any other muscle group, since the load on the nervous system is already very large. If after completing all the exercises described you still have some strength left, then in the next workout, add 2 repetitions to each of the exercises, or add a few more approaches somewhere.

• Using the bodybuilding shoulder training program we described, you should not push yourself to failure while performing the exercises. Working weights should be selected so as to perform the required number of repetitions with a margin of 1-2 repetitions.
• Using supersets and drop sets makes the workout too intense, so during exercise we recommend replenishing your energy reserves with isotonic drinks or energy drinks. You can prepare such a drink yourself at home, we wrote about this in an article about energy drinks.

After such debilitating loads, the body requires nutrients for rapid recovery. Of course, you can eat a few hours after exercise, but drinking a protein shake immediately after exercise will be preferable.

Video: shoulder training with Sergei Agunovich

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Shoulder training is the best way to widen your back and create a V-shaped figure. Pumping the deltoid muscles helps strengthen the shoulder joint, allowing you to perform pull-ups and other back exercises with heavy weights. In addition, shoulder exercises increase the range of motion of the arm joints - which is extremely important when performing.

In order to pump up your shoulders, it is necessary to work the deltoid muscle from different angles - that is why there are many different exercises for the shoulders, performed with both a barbell and dumbbells. However, it is important to remember that the shoulder joint is considered one of the most fragile. Even a minor shoulder injury will prohibit any exercise involving lifting weights with your arms.

A basic shoulder exercise is the vertical barbell or dumbbell press. Also, for training the deltoid muscles for mass, rowing a barbell to the chin (or alternately lifting dumbbells) is effective - the exercises develop the rear and middle fascicles of the deltas, making the back visually wider. Swings and lateral raises, in turn, give the shoulders roundness and volume.

Shoulder muscles: training strategy

The deltoid muscle of the shoulder consists of three bundles - anterior, posterior and lateral. Each of them is responsible for performing a certain type of movement. The front and front parts of the middle beam perform pressing functions, the back part of the middle beam and the rear delta are responsible for traction functions. The middle delta has the largest volume, so it is, as a rule, given priority in training.

Also, the shoulder muscles are connected to the muscles of the upper back and trapezius muscles. That is why proper shoulder training should be based on varying exercises and working the muscles from different angles. The key is to focus on technique and use moderate weights, as the shoulder joint is extremely easy to damage.

Best Shoulder Exercises

The best and most effective exercise for pumping up the shoulders and increasing the strength of the deltoid muscles is the standing barbell press. Note that this exercise is one of the five important for the comprehensive development of body muscles. A variation of this is vertical shoulder presses - for example, seated or standing dumbbell presses.

The correct technique involves maintaining the press in conscious tension. This will help balance the load while strengthening your core muscles. Raising the barbell up is carried out while exhaling, during the movement the triceps look straight forward. The shoulder joint should always be in the joint capsule - you should feel that the shoulder always has support.

Basic shoulder exercises:

• Vertical presses - middle shoulder muscle
• Lateral dumbbell raises - side bun
• Pull to the chin - back and middle beam
• Reverse bent over flyes - trapezius and hamstrings

How to swing your shoulders correctly?

A shoulder exercise program should combine both barbell and dumbbells. The main advantage of exercises with dumbbells is the ability to focus on muscle symmetry - that is, to evenly develop the deltoid muscles and pump the muscles of the shoulder girdle at different angles. The standing barbell press increases mass, and flyes create volume.

In this case, the exercise that best influences the increase in the volume and mass of the shoulder muscles is considered to be the barbell row to the chin. By developing the rear and middle deltoids, it quickly makes the back visually wider. The wider the barbell grip, the more load is transferred from the trapezius to the deltoids - experiment and choose the grip that suits you best.

The effectiveness of barbell rows to the chin exceeds various dumbbell lifts in front of you and to the sides. A variation of the exercise is to alternately lift dumbbells to the chin. Hold dumbbells in both hands, but only pull one to your chin. The second dumbbell should act as a balance and counterweight to better distribute the load on the muscles of the shoulder girdle.

Massive shoulder training program

It is better to leave shoulder pumping for the second half of the workout in the gym - strength exercises in the first part of the training will prepare the joints for the upcoming loads. The workout itself should consist of a basic exercise and 2-3 isolating shoulder exercises with dumbbells (for example, dumbbell chin rows and dumbbell lateral raises).

Vertical dumbbell or barbell shoulder presses are performed in 3-4 sets of 7-10 repetitions each with mandatory preliminary warm-up of the joints and proper rest between sets. Each isolation exercise is performed in 2-3 sets and 10-15 repetitions with an average working weight. It is recommended to train shoulders no more than 2 times a week.

In addition, shoulders do not combine well with training the back and chest muscles, since in all cases powerful arm work is required. Most often, “shoulder day” is leg day. In addition, shoulders can be combined with biceps or triceps training.

	Seated dumbbell press The advantage of training shoulders with dumbbells is the variability of your grip. For example, if the dumbbells face each other, the load on the shoulder joint is reduced.
	Exercise for training the anterior shoulder muscles. It is recommended to lift the dumbbells one at a time - this makes it easier to control the technique.
	The best shoulder exercise to increase volume and roundness. In addition, the trapezius muscles are also involved in the work.
	Exercise for the lateral bundles of the deltoid muscles. When performing, the thumb looks down, and the shoulder joint is fixed in one position.
	Swings with dumbbells When performing the exercise, the body is slightly tilted forward, the shoulders are lowered as low as possible - imagine as if the trapezius muscles are pressed against the back.

Supersets and dropsets for shoulders

A superset is a combination of two different exercises by alternating their execution. The shoulder muscles respond extremely well to this training strategy. It is recommended to combine pumping of the front and rear delts, as well as two exercises for the middle part of the delts. In addition, as an advanced training technique, you can use trisets, working all the deltoids in one intense approach.

In turn, a drop set means reducing the working weight and increasing the number of repetitions from approach to approach. In each approach, up to 20-25% of the weight is dropped, a total of 6-8 approaches of the exercise are performed without a break. The dropset and associated pumping are the best completion of shoulder training. and, as a rule, each dropset workout is performed on different delta beams.

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Shoulder muscle training should be based on combinations of heavy vertical presses (for example, standing barbell presses) and isolation exercises with dumbbells, performed with medium weight and with ideal technique - this will allow both the even development of the deltoid muscles and minimize the risk of injury (the shoulder joint is one of the most fragile).