5 Best Shoulder Exercises

5 Best Shoulder Exercises

Bent-Over Dumbbell Lateral Raise

1. Bent-Over Dumbbell Lateral Raise...

Some would argue that the one-arm bent-over lateral raise -allowing you to focus all your effort on one side at a time - is superior to the two-armed version....

Strengths:The bent-over raise is versatile and can be performed either standing or seated at the end of a flat bench leaning over your knees. And the use of Dumbbells means other muscles come into play for stabilization - which may not mean a heck of a lot for your rear delts but does help create a more functional physique overall....

How to do this....

With a Dumbbell in each hand and your chest up, back flat, knees slightly bent, and eyes fixed on a point on the floor just ahead of you, bend over at the hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor. Let the Dumbbells hang directly beneath you with your elbows fixed in a slightly bent position. From there, powerfully raise the dumbbells up and out to your sides in an arc until your upper arms are about parallel with the floor. Pause at the top for a squeeze, then lower the dumbbells back along the same path, stopping just before your arms go fully perpendicular to the floor...

2. Push Press,

Push Press

Heavy-compound-exercise,

Heavy-compound-exercise

The push press is an absolute powerhouse, combining a heavy overhead action with just enough momentum to handle serious challenging loads. It makes an effective lead off exercise for a mass-gain-focused shoulder workout,..

Strengths: The push press is a closed-kinetic-chain exercise, meaning the legs remain on the floor ...

The motion calls on multiple muscle groups, from your legs to your shoulders to your arms...

How to do this,

To get into position, either clean a loaded barbell from the floor to shoulder level or take it off pins in a power rack. Hold the bar with an overhand grip, palms up and elbows pointed forward, your upper arms near parallel with the floor as the bar rests at a point atop your upper chest, From a standing position, lower your hips and bend your knees to dip down into a quarter squat. Now recoil to explosively drive upward with your legs as you extend your arms and lift the bar overhead to full elbow extension....

3.Wide-Grip Smith-Machine Upright Row,

Wide-Grip Smith-Machine Upright Row

In Bodybuilding circles, you will come across your fair share of people who hate the Smith machine . So, it represents a crime against weightlifting, taking a trusty barbell and putting it on a track. It’s like training wheels for the gym....

Strengths: The upright row is often thought of mostly as a middle-Delt exercise, but research has revealed that the wide-grip row engages the rear Delts to some extent...

How to do this,

With your feet hip-width apart, stand upright, holding the bar of a Smith machine in front of your thighs with an overhand grip ,a few inches outside shoulder width. Twist the bar to release it from the safety latches and let your arms Hang straight, maintaining a slight bend in your knees and a tight core. Flex your shoulders to pull the bar straight up toward your chin, keeping the bar close to your body throughout. In the top position, your elbows will be high and pointing out to your sides. Hold that spot for a second before slowly lowering to the start position....

4.Dumbbell Lateral Raise,

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

We could point out plenty of flaws in the dumbbell lateral raise. The level of resistance is uneven at various points of the range of motion, and there’s even a dead spot if you bring the weights down in front of your body to start each rep.,

though, the lateral raise is still a must-do movement for wider, more impressive delts. You just need to focus on doing it right....

Strengths: Lateral raises put an impressive amount of tension on the middle delts, even if you do end up cheating a little on your final few reps approaching muscle failure,. That’s because they attack the target muscle in exactly the way they’re intended to function, bringing your arms upward and out, away from your body. By adjusting your grip just a little, angling so your thumb side is a little lower than your pinkie side ...

How to do this..

Stand with your feet Shoulder-width apart. Keep your abs tight, chest up and shoulders back, With your head straight, hold the dumbbells at your sides with a neutral grip, Without using momentum, raise the dumbbells out to your sides in a wide arc, keeping your elbows and hands moving together in the same plane. Raise the dumbbells just above shoulder level and hold momentarily in the peak contracted position. Slowly lower the dumbbells down along the same path and repeat for reps...

5.Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press,

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

The dumbbell shoulder press beats out the barbell version, but only by a nose. Either one can anchor a complete deltoid routine, and ideally, they would be rotated regularly with one another over the course of weeks or months, according to Hooper. That said, the dumbbell press allows the arms to flare out a little more to your sides, which targets the middle delts - and when it comes to width, mass and overall roundness..

Strengths: While you can’t handle the same loads as you can with a barbell, the dumbbell press offers additional benefits. “The seated dumbbell press would require a little more coordination, and having two separate dumbbells always prevents any strength imbalances...

How to do this,

Sit on a low-back bench, holding a dumbbell, in each hand above shoulder level with a pronated grip (palms facing forward). Keep your head straight, spine aligned and eyes focused forward with your shoulders shifted back as you press the dumbbells overhead in an arc toward each other - but don’t let them touch at the top. After a squeeze, reverse the motion under control to the start position and repeat....

Written by - Ankesh mihir