I didn't really plan to do articles on home bodybuilding exercises, but given the circumstances, I had to find a way to train at home :) . This article will be devoted to shoulder strength exercises, can be done at home.
Muscular shoulders complete the effect “V twist”, because this indirectly gives the impression of having a slimmer waist. So don't neglect them !
Even at home, you can stimulate enough for them to develop.
The shoulders can break down into 3 parties :
- The rear from the shoulder (Deltoid posterior).
- The front from the shoulder (Deltoid prior).
- The side from the shoulder (Deltoid lateral).
It is obviously very important to develop each portion of the shoulder, to avoid everything imbalance which will inevitably lead to injury. And you can imagine that shoulder injuries strongly limit exercises you can do to upper body (pectorals and back included).
Note that for some exercises, you will need to equip yourself with “weight” (dumbbell(s), Kettlebell(s) or even water bottles).
Now let's get to the heart of the matter !
Polyarticular exercises
I deliberately omit exercises like the military press, which you can find in This article dedicated to indoor shoulder strength training.
In this part, the exercises presented will only be to body weight.
Pike push-ups (Pike Push-Ups)
Unlike traditional pumps, the body should not be right, so as not to solicit the pecs. By body position, the load will be mainly placed on the front part of the shoulders.
Elevating your feet is not obligatory (you can just raise your buttocks so as to form a triangle with the ground), but I personally find that having my feet elevated makes movement easier. You can of course do this with any furniture (stool, chair etc.).
Version facile
This is the closest version of classic pumps. Remember to keep your body at an angle between 100° and 140°, as shown in the video.
During each repetition, control the descent, until you touch the ground with your nose.
Note: Keep in mind that the closer you put your hands to your feet, the more difficult the exercise.
Version standard
On this version, you're practically in a handstand (Handstand). The distance between the feet and hands being reduced, the load on your shoulders will be greater.
Version difficile
To make the exercise even more difficult, you can elevate your hands to increase the range of motion. This can be done with books for example..
Modulate the difficulty of the exercise according to your feelings. A good rep range to aim for for this type of exercise (with the aim of muscle hypertrophy) is of 8 at 12 repetitions (in this beach, you must be close to technical failure, namely no longer being able to do a repetition without “cheat”).
Handstand push-ups (HandStand Push-Ups)
Among the strength exercises for the shoulders at home, when the user authorizes the website of a third party to access his data Handstand Push-Ups (HSPU for short) are the most formidable.
Even if you have an advanced level in bodybuilding, this exercise, due to its difficulty, will always be a good challenge (unlike push-ups or bodyweight squats, which quickly become too easy for many practitioners).
However, it’s a technical exercise, who requires having a some level of strength in the shoulders and arms. You are literally carrying your entire body weight. SO, if you already struggle to do pike push-ups, don't even think about it !
The surface you are leaning on must be quite smooth. This will allow you to get up and down without too much hassle. “friction” which could disrupt your execution.
Version facile
Elevating your head relative to your hands reduces the range of motion and makes the exercise easier. This can help you become familiar with body position and hand placement.
Version standard
Amplitude standard. Your head should almost touch the ground. You can use a not very thick cushion or a hat, for more comfort.
Version difficile
As for pike push-ups, to make the exercise even more difficult, you can elevate your hands to increase the range of motion.
Isolation exercises
Lateral elevations
As its name suggests, This exercise will mainly target the part lateral from the shoulder. Be careful to keep your arms stretched out.
This exercise can be done unilaterally (one arm at a time), with a dumbbell a small bag or any other sufficiently heavy object (But not too much, in order not to degrade the quality of the movement).
Pay particular attention to execution, Because it is easily tended to use the upper trapezius when climbing. The goal here is to make the lateral deltoid work uniquely. So remember to make the movement towards the sides and not upwards.
Posterior elevations / Bird
Many practitioners(e)have a delay in the back of the shoulders, unlike the front which is very stressed during the numerous exercises of thrust (pumps, pike push-ups, bench press etc.).
And this type of muscular imbalance at the shoulder level strongly exposes you to injuries.
If you have this type of delay, I advise you to include this exercise at the start of your workout. Since you will be in great shape, you will have an easier time concentrating and performing well.
These are uniquely the arms that must move (without the shoulder blades). If you tighten your shoulder blades, the posterior deltoids will be much less well recruited (or not at all).
You can also do this movement unilaterally.
Examples of training programs
Here are some examples of programs to do at home. You are free to adjust them according to your level and your objectives., with the different difficulty levels seen previously.
For polyarticular exercises, take at least 2 minutes recovery between each series. For isolation exercises, you can take in between 1 and 2 minutes.
Example 1:
This session is very similar to a classic indoor session (Ici, handstand push-ups replace the military press). I deliberately added an additional series for the posterior elevations, because the back of the shoulders is very often underdeveloped compared to the rest.
HandStand Push-Ups: 4 x 8-12 reps - 3 at 5 minutes of recovery. Lateral elevations: 4 x 12-15 reps - 3 at 5 minutes of recovery. Posterior elevations: 5 x 12-15 reps
Example 2:
If you especially want to club the shoulders as a whole (and gain strength), you can opt for the type of program below.
Posterior elevations: 4 x 12-15 reps - 3 at 5 minutes of recovery. HandStand Push-Ups: 3 x 8-12 reps - 3 at 5 minutes of recovery. Pike Push-Ups: 3 x 8-12 reps
Conclusion
Unlike other muscle groups, we can easily strengthen your shoulders at home. Multi-joint exercises for this muscle group will always represent a good challenge, even for practitioners(e)s most advanced(e)s.
Isolation exercises requiring relatively low loads (perso, I use dumbbells 10kg most of the time), you can easily equip yourself at home to be able to do sessions that will properly recruit all the shoulder fascicles.
This article is already coming to an end. I hope it was useful to you.
Feel free to share it if so. !
See you soon on the blog !