When it comes to bodybuilding, the weakest links in this chain can include the knees, lower back and shoulder rotators, as the human body has its weak links that will sooner or later loosen if not paid enough attention to them. Read more about shoulder training below, with a special focus on the shoulder joint, which is perhaps the most difficult of all three injuries to heal.
Shoulder Training
When doing shoulder training, you must pay attention to all aspects of the shoulder joint, and first start with the back of the deltoid muscle, the most neglected part of the shoulder. As for this part of the shoulder it gives the shoulder a nice and rounded look and since this muscle performs horizontal abduction of the shoulder it should be trained with this movement. When performing the exercise in a prone position, be careful not to connect the shoulders when lifting the load, as this can over-activate the muscle rhomboides and muscle trapezius. The joints should be in a neutral position. Another mistake that is often made is that when lifting the elbows, instead of staying level with the shoulders, they go backwards and in that way latissimus are too engaged. To train this part of the shoulder, it is very useful to perform the exercise on a seated rowing machine with a wide grip, taking care that the elbows are placed high.
When it comes to the middle head of the deltoid muscle, muscle fibers work like all muscles in the direction of extension, so if you are lucky and the middle head is right in the middle of the shoulder, it is enough to raise your arms to the side with the load. . For a large number of people, this head is slightly behind, so in that case you have to lean forward and perform a lateral lift in that position. You must take care that the shoulders must be in a neutral position and avoid any twisting of the shoulder joint. A great exercise for training the middle head of the deltoid muscle is upright rowing with a wide grip.
The front part of the deltoid muscle is the easiest to exercise and you stimulate this head by performing the following exercises: bench press, bench press, oblique bench press, push-ups, etc.
So, when it comes to shoulder training, shoulder rotators are the most neglected because a large number of people feel that they should not train them because they do not see them. However, by training this muscle group you can not only avoid injury but also increase performance. You can increase the weights you train with in exercises such as bench press, lateral lifting of dumbbells and all other exercises that require moving these muscles that stabilize the shoulder joint. The importance of activating this muscle group is proven by studies that have shown that if you do not do bench press for a year and still train shoulder rotators, you can still improve bench press, and if you do bench press and do not exercise rotators, they will not become stronger.
You need to take care of other parts of the deltoid muscle, so the muscles that perform internal and external rotation of the shoulder are very weak when untrained and need to be strengthened. Also, a muscle whose function is to abduct the shoulder to an angle of sixty degrees, is the muscle that is most often torn when a shoulder injury is injured and should be trained very carefully to avoid such a situation.
Exercises for shoulder rotators
Below we will show exercises for shoulder rotators that will help you be safe from injury and much stronger.
Lying abduction on the left and right
Lie on a bench on your left side and take a light dumbbell in your left hand. At an angle of 90 degrees are the upper arm and the forearm which is parallel to the floor. From this position, move your forearm to your body to touch your abdomen. Do 15 to 20 reps and change hands.
Lying abduction
When you have finished the previous exercise, lie on the bench and if you are lying on the left side, take the dumbbell in your right hand, which is bent at an angle of 90 degrees. with floor. Do 15 to 20 reps.
Landscape rotation
Lie on the floor with your upper arm at a 90-degree angle, while your forearm is at an angle to your upper arm. What you need to do is touch the floor in front of you with your dumbbell and then behind you without changing the angles and keeping your elbow in contact with the floor at all times. While performing these movements you will feel a slight burning sensation in your shoulder and this is a sign that the exercise is hitting the desired spot. Do 15 to 20 reps.
Front dumbbell lift
When lifting the dumbbell, the fist must be in a position where the thumb is facing the ground and the little finger is facing up. Since this is a slightly unnatural and delicate position, try to do the first few repetitions without strain.
To achieve the full effect and desired results with this training program, you need to stretch your shoulders after the exercises. Here are some exercises for that:
- Stretching behind the neck: place one hand above the head bent at the elbow, then grab the fingers with the other hand and pull lightly. Hold this position for ten seconds and then change your hand
- Front stretching: hold on to a solid object such as an exercise machine just below shoulder level. The arm should be straightened at the elbow, lean forward slightly and you will feel a stretch in the front of the deltoid and pectoralis. Stay in that position for 10 seconds and then change hands.
Remember that once you seriously injure the shoulder rotators they will never be the same again so it is much better to start training them right away while they are still healthy.
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