Shoulder Exercises in the Gym

Normally we go to the gym to exercise, where we can exercise our bodies. Some people exercise to lose weight, some to build muscles, and some to maintain good health. There are many kinds of equipment in the gym, and each type of equipment is used to train different parts of the body. There are also specific equipment for shoulder training. Let's learn about the shoulder training methods in the gym.

Let's look at five shoulder exercises:

1. Seated dumbbell press

This movement is the most basic and classic shoulder muscle-building movement, which can correct potential shoulder imbalances during training. When doing a barbell press, your shoulders will often participate in the force to varying degrees due to their different strengths. This way, your shoulders will never be able to exert force normally, and because it is a barbell, it is difficult to find the problem, let alone correct it. But if it is a dumbbell, the situation is different. First of all, you will quickly find out which side is weaker. It will be even better if you can do this movement in front of a mirror. You can look at yourself in the mirror to find the tilted side. Usually the weak side will be more crooked.

Push the dumbbells up with explosive force, stretch your head slightly forward as the dumbbells rise, so as to avoid the chest from participating in the force, and then return the dumbbells to the starting position at a controlled and even speed.

Do 5 sets of 8-12 reps each, resting 90 seconds between sets.

2. Arnold Press

The Arnold press is a variation of the regular dumbbell press, which focuses more on stimulating the anterior and middle deltoids and the rotator cuff. Moreover, this movement will involve many small muscle groups to balance the entire upper limbs. These small muscle groups are also called balance muscles.

A correct Arnold press is to do this: hold the dumbbells in front of your chest with your palms facing inward, keep your arms close to your body, and as the dumbbells slowly rise, rotate your arms until your palms face outward, stay at the top for one second, and then return the dumbbells to the starting position at a controlled speed, rotating your arms during the retraction process, and your palms will return to the initial inward position at the bottom;

Do 4 sets of 8-12 reps each, resting 90 seconds between sets.

3. Barbell Upright Row

The main muscle groups targeted by this movement are the middle deltoid and trapezius, and the secondary muscle groups involved are the anterior deltoid, rhomboids and teres minor. This movement is considered a compound movement and requires an extremely standard posture, otherwise it is easy to get injured, which is why this movement is called the "shoulder killer."

You can choose a straight barbell or a bent barbell. Usually, the bent barbell puts less pressure on the wrist. Hold your hands a little narrower than shoulder width, keep your back straight, bend your elbows slightly, use the sides of your shoulders to lift the barbell up, and lift your elbows up and outward. Keep the barbell close to your body, and keep your elbows higher than your forearms. Raise the barbell until it touches your chin or is slightly lower than your chin, and then lower it back to its original position at a steady and slow speed.

Do 5 sets of 8-12 reps each, resting 90 seconds between sets.

4. Dumbbell Lateral Raise

This movement can effectively "burn" the deltoid muscles, strengthening the shoulders while improving their flexibility. To maximize the benefits of this movement, you need to ensure the accuracy of the movement.

Start with a pair of light dumbbells, bend your hips and knees slightly, lift the two dumbbells from the side, stay at the top for one second, and then slowly lower them; the key to this movement is to ensure that your elbows are parallel or higher than your wrists throughout the process, and your elbows should be level with your shoulders at the top;

Do 5 sets of 12 reps each, resting for 90 seconds between sets.

5. Barbell/Dumbbell Shrugs

The shrug is an isolation exercise for the trapezius muscles. It is recommended to alternate between dumbbell shrugs and barbell shrugs in a cycle, because barbell shrugs allow you to train with heavier weights, while dumbbell shrugs allow you to train with a larger range of motion, so mixing them together will achieve better results.

As the last exercise of shoulder training, shrugs should be performed in decreasing sets; first choose a weight that allows you to do up to 15 reps with all your might, then reduce the weight by about 30% after completing 15 reps, without rest, and immediately proceed to the next set, then reduce the weight and immediately proceed to the third set. After the third set, you can rest for 90 seconds. In this way, three sets count as one round of movements; remember to try not to let the shoulders move too much forward and backward when doing shrugs, and do not use triceps to pull the barbell or dumbbells, and stay at the top for one second.

Do 15 reps per set, 3 sets per round, no rest between sets, and 90 seconds rest between rounds.