Read how to properly swing your shoulders with a seated or standing dumbbell press. Technique for performing these exercises and video. Beautiful developed shoulders are the pride of men and the privilege of women. Physical training is essential for both sexes if they want to have a well-groomed shoulder girdle.
Dumbbell presses standing and sitting perfectly work out the zones of the deltoid muscles, making a significant contribution to the "building" of the dream body.
Wide and voluminous shoulders in men are one of the main advantages that others pay attention to. Elastic, slightly pumped shoulders in women make her look complete. Therefore, this muscle group must be given due attention to physical training for people of both sexes.
Dumbbell bench press standing or sitting is one of the most effective multi-joint exercises for working out the anterior clavicular bundle of the deltoid muscles. Slightly less, but also enough, the back and middle deltas are loaded. Read also about the incline dumbbell press.
In the process of performing the exercise, the elbows transform their position from a position below the shoulders to a position above the head. Unlike using a barbell, the range of motion is maximized during the dumbbell press. The shoulder girdle in this mode of operation creates a good hormonal background for natural muscle building.
Standing dumbbell press technique
Before proceeding directly with the dumbbell press itself, it is imperative to carry out a general stretching on all muscle groups of the upper shoulder girdle and pay special attention to the warm-up of the rotator cuff muscles. You can also do a couple of very light bench press warm-up sets.
- Take dumbbells in each hand with a straight grip.
- Straighten your back, leaving a slight deflection in the lower back, straighten your chest, and take your shoulders back. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, with your feet slightly turned outward.
- Tighten your abs and spine and keep your torso stationary throughout the set. The work will be done using the strength of the shoulder muscles.
- Starting position: place the dumbbells at shoulder level (the hands are slightly wider than the shoulders), palms turned outward. The forearms are parallel to each other.
- The head is fixed, the gaze is directed straight ahead.
- Take a deep breath and, with a held breath, begin to squeeze the dumbbells in a straight line upward (to the ceiling) until your arms are fully extended at the elbow joints.
- At the top of the movement, the shells must touch each other. The conditional line connecting the two dumbbells will pass through the head. A second delay in the upper phase will allow you to feel the maximum tension of the muscles being worked out.
- Saddle the exhale and smoothly return to the starting position along the same trajectory of movement. Without stopping and relaxing, begin again to perform the upward movement.
- Do the planned number of repetitions.
Seated dumbbell press technique
It is generally accepted that standing presses are more effective for shoulder development. Although the technical features of the implementation of the press with dumbbells in a sitting position in practice are not much different from them.
However, there is one differential feature - the bench press is safer and easier to perform, therefore it is considered universal for any level of training. Beginners with a fragile shoulder girdle and people who have problems with the lumbar spine should opt for it.
- Set the bench back upright.
- Take dumbbells in both hands and take the correct position of the body on the bench: press the back of the head, lower and upper back against the back.
- Then follow the same rules of execution as for the bench press.
This option for pumping deltas will reduce the possibility of cheating, because the torso will be in a fixed position.
General recommendations
Repetitions of presses should be done at a continuous pace without stopping at the lower point of the amplitude, so that the load on the deltas remains: they lowered the dumbbells and immediately squeezed them up. The movements of the arms with dumbbells should be uniform and smooth, without jerking when lifting and throwing when lowering. Only in this mode will the training result bring maximum efficiency.
Throughout the performance of the presses, there should be a strict constancy of the vertical position of raising the arms in the same plane with the back. It is necessary to ensure that there are no "walking" of the hands to the left and right sides, then the main load will fall on the middle deltas, and discomfort in the shoulder joints will be completely excluded.
You don't need to chase heavy weights when doing bench presses. Many athletes, especially beginners, grab heavy dumbbells from the start. As a result, the target load is shifted and the muscles being worked out do not receive proper "attention". In addition, it is fraught with loss of balance and various unpleasant situations (convulsions, dislocations, sprains, fractures).
So that the technique does not "limp" and there is no embarrassment, it is worth realistically assessing your capabilities and not striving to take more weight than your roommate. The burden should be such that it can be used for about 8-12 reps (no less) without cheating and deviations from the technique. Pioneers are advised to take relatively light dumbbells and work on perfecting the correct technique to automatism, and only then begin to gradually add weight.
The presence of a mirror during training is optional, but desirable. Its usefulness lies in the fact that it will be easier for an athlete, constantly seeing his display, to track his technique and correct mistakes. To reduce the pressure on your lower back when working with decent weights, do not neglect the use of a weightlifting belt. The nature of the loads allows you to train the shoulders, both for beginners and experienced athletes of both sexes. After all, women as much as men want to look attractive and have an "appetizing" athletic body. The dumbbell press is the basis for gaining high-quality mass and the correct formation of powerful deltas. Therefore, the exercise can safely "open" the training process of the shoulder girdle.
Video with Denis Borisov about standing dumbbell press:
