many beginners who are just working out and want thicker arms or thicker pectoral muscles tend to result in body-skimming shoulders over time. Know that when your goal is to build muscle, train your deltoids at the start. These are the ideal ways to start building muscle.
We have collected 9 of the most practical and effective shoulder movements that work every part of the deltoids, but also the obliques and triceps.
however, before you start going to the gym, you should know that there is not only one way to train your shoulders with high training volumes.
Some gym goers think: To build muscle means you have to use super light weights for as many reps as possible
if you want your muscles to grow, the load on the muscles must be considerable and the force you generate from lifting the weight must be high enough and consistent.
When using the following best shoulder movements, use between 50% and 70% of the limit weight. This is especially true in highly mobile joints such as the shoulders. As always, warm up your shoulders with some movements as the shoulder workout will have a long trajectory of movement to ensure you don't suffer a routine injury like tendonitis.
1. Wall slides
why: This movement should be done without weights before each shoulder workout. Why. A key thing to remember when training the shoulders is that they need to have the necessary mobility to push overhead, without mobility this could cause potential problems for the shoulder joint.
Method: Stand against a wall with your arms supported at right angles to the wall. Slowly, push your arms upwards over your head, then return to a right angle, keeping your forearms and the backs of your hands close to the wall (if possible).
wall slide
2. Free weight push-ups
reason: Overhead press, pushing the weight straight overhead from ear height with a narrow or wide grip, is a great option for training the anterior and middle deltoid muscles.
Using dumbbells or kettlebells allows for a freer movement and isolates both shoulders, so if you have a weak deltoid side you can do this movement. It also trains the core, especially if you only do one side at a time
done with both arms together, alternating, or with one arm, these push-ups are great shoulder training movements. The movement allows for full shoulder mobility and the internal and external rotation of the shoulder joint makes the movement very complete.
free weight push-ups
3. Barbell overhead press
reason: The prime move for heavy weight training in the shoulders, once you are able to complete the movement in all directions, i.e. Lift the barbell all the way overhead, it is more suitable as a progression to free strength training (as opposed to the typical push press). The barbell is a perfect piece of equipment to load and push up a lot of weight, which will overload the shoulder muscles and help them grow.
barbell overhead press
4. Half kneeling t-bar push-ups
why: If you have limited shoulder mobility overhead and need a safer way to push up heavy weights, it is recommended to use a t-bar, which allows you to push up a greater load overhead than a free strength movement, which is a more friendly exercise pattern for those with low shoulder mobility. Do half knees (knees up, on the opposite side of the working arm), this will work the core and allow the lower part of the body to bear the weight as well.
half-kneeling t-bar push-ups
5. Standing rope face pull
this rope movement will train the posterior deltoid bundle and the back. With the pulley at chin height, this is essentially a wide elbow row while standing (with a slight bend in the knees). I prefer this movement to the high rope pull-down because it will stimulate the posterior deltoid bundle better and the rotator cuff moves more easily. It also doesn't leave too much room for deceptive movements.
standing rope face pull
6. Thoracic brace posterior deltoid flyes
also known as the 'reverse flyover', you can straddle a bench with your chest resting on the upward sloping bench and raise the dumbbells to your sides (as if your arms were turning into wings). This is a great postural alignment move which targets the posterior fasciculus fibres of the shoulders. Most people have the front bundle of the deltoids driving them when they do big weight push-ups, so this movement counteracts the forward force of the shoulders. This is absolutely essential if you want healthy, intact shoulders.
thoracic support deltoid posterior fascia flyes
7. Single arm side planks
why: Doing side planks with one arm at a time can potentially eliminate any muscle imbalances. In addition, it is an effective isolation movement for the middle deltoid bundle and will also train the core. Watch your body carefully and switch to a neutral hammer grip and scap if you have rotator cuff issues.
single arm side planks
8. Prone shoulder press
reason: By changing the angle of your body and lying face down on a bench, or even on a stability ball, the overhead press at this point will affect the posterior deltoid bundle and your core muscles more (rather than the anterior or middle deltoid bundle, which is the target of shoulder press training when you are standing). This definitely requires more strength and stability, but adding such a movement to your routine will definitely bring greater gains.
Method: Lie face down on the floor with a lighter dumbbell in your hand. Extend your arms parallel to the floor (arms overhead). Be sure not to let the dumbbells touch the floor. Lower them back to shoulder position. This is one movement.
prone shoulder press
9. Front + side planks
reason: The front planks (raising the dumbbells in front of your body and stopping at a height parallel to the floor) and the side planks (the same way but with the arms to the sides of your body) train the anterior and middle deltoid bundles respectively.
As a combination exercise, i like to alternate the two movements making the muscle fibres confused and leading to a more intense stimulation. To ensure that these stimuli are felt, choose a comfortable grip and slightly reduce the range of the lateral planks (so that you can see your hands in your field of vision), which is called the "Scapula". Also, whatever weight you see the flashy people using, choose a lighter dumbbell than you expect and make sure you're not cheating on the movement.
front + side planks
examples of 9 effective beginner shoulder moves that are moderately difficult and great for working out at home now that you can't go to the gym. With enough equipment and space, you can start training anytime, anywhere... It's not too late, so get practising!