Dumbbell shoulder exercises should be added into every athlete’s programming. Weak shoulders can prevent an athlete from performing overhead movements like overhead squats, snatches or jerks and gymnastics exercises like handstand walks, pull ups or HSPU properly.
According to the NHS, the shoulder joint is an incredibly complex joint with a very wide range of movement. This means you should take care when training them, but also that strong shoulders are less likely to be injured.
In order to achieve well-rounded shoulders, you’ll want to work them from the front, sides and back. This means spending time developing your deltoids, which are formed by three distinct sets of muscle: the anterior, medial and posterior deltoids. These allow the shoulder to flex, rotate, extend and more.
The shoulders are amongst the most important muscles we use in daily life and help us push, pull and lift things overhead.
3 Simple Exercises to Mobilise Your Shoulders for CrossFit
Add these dumbbell shoulder exercises into your training to strengthen your shoulders all-round and target potential weaknesses.
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Dumbbell Shoulder Exercises – DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESS
To perform a dumbbell shoulder press stand with your feet hip-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand. Bring the dumbbells to the sides of your shoulders and press them upward until your arms are extended.
Make sure to keep your core engaged throughout. Lower the dumbbells back to the side of your shoulders to finish the movement.
If you feel yourself using other parts of your body to complete the movement try this exercise seated.
“For targeting the anterior deltoid, the dumbbell shoulder press elicited significantly higher muscle activation than any other exercise tested,” a study by the American Council on Exercise and scientists from the Clinical Exercise Physiology program at the University of Wisconsin found.
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