Shoulder exercises help create a beautiful relief, neat contour and volume. But in this matter, the following are important: systematicity, a well-planned training program, and planned loads. You should choose the type of exercise that will allow you to work out the locally necessary muscle groups. But in order to know exactly what to focus on, you need to at least understand the anatomical structure of human shoulders.
What muscles are included in the anatomy of the shoulders?
The shoulder girdle connects the arms to the body. And the shoulder starts from the upper joint and ends in the elbow area. And these two concepts should be distinguished, because many are accustomed to perceive them as one whole.
Therefore, let's first look at which muscles are located where, so that later, when performing exercises, we can distribute the load to those muscle groups that especially need it.
Upper limb belt includes:
- deltoid muscle (forms a pronounced bulge, helps strengthen the shoulder joint);
- supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles;
- teres minor and teres major muscles.
The shoulder consists of the following types of muscles:
- coracobrachial;
- brachial;
- two-headed;
- triceps;
- ulnar.
We won’t talk in detail about the anatomical features of all groups and types; let’s go straight to the main thing - we’ll figure out how to pump up the shoulders, taking into account the location of each type of muscle on the human body.
Push-ups in a crypt (on a hill)
This is an alternative to regular push-ups, shifting the emphasis of the load from the pectoral muscles to the deltoids. To do this, you need to place the hip joint above the shoulder girdle. This way, most of the load will go directly to your shoulders. Let's get started!
- Take an emphasis lying on straightened arms.
- In a few steps, bring your legs closer to your hands, lifting your pelvis up.
- Place your feet wider than your shoulders for more stable support and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- As you inhale, smoothly lower your body down, bending your arms at the elbow joints.
- As you exhale, push yourself off the floor.
Perform 4 sets of 12 reps.
Initially, place your palms at such a width that at the bottom of the movement your forearms do not deviate from perpendicular to the floor. It's individual.
Raise your face as high as possible - this will free up space for a greater range of movement.
This exercise can be made more difficult by placing your legs on an additional height. Thus, you will shift the emphasis towards the deltoid muscles.
Effective exercises for training
There are various training sets, including both basic and local (isolated) sets of exercises. But let's sort it out in order.
Lifting the weight up (base)
These classes are especially effective and efficient for those who want to increase delt mass. The main load is taken by the anterior and lateral zones of the deltoid muscles. The execution technique includes five main sequential actions:
- sit down on a bench and then put the apparatus on your shoulders (someone should help you with this);
- bring your shoulder blades together and push your chest forward;
- grab the bar wider than your shoulders;
- lift the barbell above your head until your arms are fully extended. Make sure your head is slightly tilted forward. Remember about breathing - you cannot hold it, exhale is always done while straightening your arms;
- the last stage is the slow return of the bar to its original position. Repeat the shoulder exercise for a few more sets.
To reduce pressure on the spine, you should choose a bench with a backrest.
Overhead chest press
It should be done by analogy with the previous option. Please note:
- the bar is placed not behind the head, but on the chest;
- when lowering the sports equipment, it is necessary to move your elbows slightly forward;
- When pressing the barbell up, do not change your body position (do not lean back or bulge forward). Try to keep your body as straight as possible and your arms in the same plane as your body. Remember to breathe correctly - straighten your arms, exhale, and then inhale smoothly. Don't hold your breath.
This type of training shifts the main load to the anterior deltoid muscles.
Chin pull
This basic shoulder exercise is recommended to be performed with dumbbells or a curved EZ bar. This will take the stress off your wrists. Thanks to this, they will take the most natural position.
Technique:
- take a barbell or dumbbells so that the girth is slightly narrower than shoulder width;
- your arms must be slightly bent at the elbows;
- using the shoulder muscles, pull the projectile up almost to the chin (but do not touch it), reducing the tension in the triceps and biceps as much as possible;
- try to ensure that your shoulders are always lower than your forearms. Lower the dumbbells. This must be done a little slower than when lifting. This way you can distribute the load evenly. You should also remember about breathing - at the highest point, exhale, when lowering the projectiles, inhale slowly.
Hands to the side
Above we looked at the base. These workouts should be done with special equipment in the gym. Let's move on to local exercises that can be performed without problems at home with minimal sports equipment.
The first option is to raise your arms to the sides. To perform this, you will need dumbbells of optimal weight.
In this case, we pump the shoulders in the area of the middle delta beams. The technique consists of five main actions:
- stand straight, bend your elbows slightly;
- begin to slowly lift the dumbbells to the sides. Do this until your arms are parallel to the floor;
- fix the position of your hands for a few seconds;
- begin to slowly return the dumbbells to their original position, lowering them.
Important! The arms should be slightly bent at the elbow. The main goal of this exercise is not to raise them as high as possible, but to ensure that the shoulders are perfectly parallel to the floor.
Watch your momentum, do not swing your body, lean back or lean forward.
"Arnold Press"
This is the best shoulder exercise that allows you to fully work out the front deltoids. To do this you will also need a pair of dumbbells of suitable weight. It consists of the following actions:
- take dumbbells, turn your palms towards you;
- now you need to bend your arms at the elbows and, without spreading your palms, press your shoulders to your body;
- after that, start pressing the dumbbells up. Moreover, it is important not to “throw” them out with jerks, but to smoothly lift them, rotating your wrists at a time when the elbow area rises to the level of the chin;
- When you return your hands to their original position, turn your wrists in the opposite direction.
To get started, just do as many repetitions as you have the strength to do. After some time, you can add 3-5 approaches.
Dumbbell Raise
This is an effective way to pump up the front deltoids. Sports equipment is raised in front of you. To do this you need:
- take the starting position standing. In this case, hands with dumbbells are located in front of the thighs;
- make a grip with your palms facing you;
- bend your elbows slightly;
- raise the dumbbells in front of you.
Important! The goal of this exercise is to ensure that the highest point of lifting the dumbbells is reached at the moment when the shoulders are parallel to the floor. You cannot raise your arms suddenly or jerkily. It is forbidden to help with the body - it must be “fixed”.
Seated press
If you do shoulder exercises at the gym, it's a good idea to try the following technique:
- sit on a bench;
- place your hands with dumbbells on your shoulders;
- push your chest forward slightly and bring your shoulder blades together;
- start squeezing the shells with slow movements, lifting them above your head and straightening your arms at the elbows;
- slowly return to the starting position.
Handstand
This is the only static shoulder exercise. Advanced fitness enthusiasts can add positive and negative phases of the movement to it, that is, performing handstand push-ups. We will concentrate specifically on the stand. This exercise is perfect for completing a shoulder workout when the shoulders are already completely tired and the additional load in the form of static will provide a greater incentive for post-training recovery. As you may have guessed, we will need a wall.
- Walk with your back to the wall.
- Sit down.
- Place your hands on the floor and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Lightly jump with the soles of your feet on the wall.
- Smoothly, lightly step along the wall, fully straighten your legs and body.
- Having brought yourself into a working position, hold out in it for as long as you can.
Perform 2-3 approaches.
Features of drawing up a training program
All the exercises mentioned above allow you not only to pump up your shoulders, but also to create an ideal V-shaped figure. For better results, you need to train not chaotically, but according to a specific program. But there are certain features in this matter that you should be aware of:
- any shoulder training program should include sets of exercises for various muscle groups in this area. It is important to work on each zone. This is the only way to achieve ideal relief and a beautiful contour. If there is a need to work on individual parts (upper, side, front), then you should simply increase the number of approaches;
- We must not forget about pre-warming the muscles and joints - this minimizes the risk of damage;
- Each next lesson should be based on varying certain exercises and carefully working out muscle mass from different angles. This contributes to the proper development and formation of the silhouette you need;
- Don’t forget about rest and train every other day.
Results on the question: “How to pump up your shoulders quickly”
1. Train your latissimus muscles. Any wide-grip pull-ups or lat pull-downs.
2. Train deltoids. A better exercise for this is dumbbell raises to the sides with weight release and continuous repetitions.
3. Remove the belly! The larger your belly, the narrower your shoulders look compared to it. Of course, when burning fat, you will lose volume not only in the abdominal area, but also the width of your shoulders will decrease slightly, but sooner or later you will have to do this. You shouldn’t flatter yourself that underneath the inches of fat there are big muscles. Believe me, in most cases this is not true!
Now you know how to pump up broad shoulders. I am sure that now you will not go unnoticed and will stand out, because not many people know how to pump up broad shoulders.
Example program
A lot here depends on what goals you are pursuing.
If you want big shoulders, then the following training plan is suitable: Exercise Number of repetitions Seated dumbbell press from the shoulders up from 5 to 10 Lifting equipment in front of you from 5 to 10 Lifting dumbbells to the chin from 7 to 15 Raising arms with weight to the sides from 7 to 15 “Arnold press” 7-8 times
You must understand that good results can be obtained by doing exercises regularly and every other day.
To create a beautiful relief of the body as a whole and an ideal contour with a clear “drawing” of the muscles, the following training plan is suitable:
Exercise Number of repetitions Pressing up from the chest (with dumbbells or a barbell) about 7-8 times Pressing to the chin from 5 times Raising the arms to the side 10 times Raising dumbbells forward from 10 times Pressing a barbell behind your head from 5 times
The number of repetitions is indicated for the entry level. You can gradually increase the load by adding 2-4 sets. In addition, you can include other types of exercises in your shoulder training program, depending on what results you want to achieve.
Men should stick to the given schedule, but girls can halve the load.
To fully understand and understand how to perform the exercises correctly, we suggest you study several videos.
Exercise videos
The main secret of how to pump up your shoulders quickly
To achieve a quick increase in shoulder width, there is nothing better than correctly performed pull-ups or lat pull-downs. The fact is that this is the only way to pump up the latissimus dorsi muscles and make it wider. And the wider your back, the wider your shoulders. Right now, go to the mirror and tense your latissimus muscles and you will see how your arms rise a little to the sides and up, and the width of your shoulders has noticeably increased. In addition to the fact that massive lats add tens of centimeters to your chest circumference, they also visually make your entire upper shoulder girdle larger!
