Stretching the shoulders - important element workouts for arms, shoulders and back. The Kalutsky brothers will tell you which exercises effectively stretch the shoulder muscles.

Multiple record holders of the Guinness Book of Records, the Kalutsky brothers acrobats know a lot about good stretching! As a child, brothers Kirill and Danila completed a 3-year yoga course in 3 months! Yoga was followed by acrobatics and gymnastics classes, and already at the age of five, the brothers could perform elements of masters of sports in sports, rhythmic gymnastics and acrobatics. The editors of the site also admire their flexibility and plasticity, and invites you to learn from the guys the skill and perseverance!

The success of the performance, as well as the success in creating perfect body depends on prior workouts and muscle health. In this article, Kirill and Danila will tell you how to properly stretch the shoulders in order to improve the recovery of the deltoid muscles after intense exertion, increase muscle elasticity and joint flexibility.

Stretching the upper body not only prevents muscle stiffness, but also improves posture: if the muscles shoulder girdle weak, the person looks stooped. Shoulder stretching exercises also increase blood circulation and make breathing easier.

Exercises to stretch the shoulders

Do this deltoid stretch after arm, shoulder, and back workouts, or as a solo workout. In any case, it is worth stretching only on the warmed up muscles, therefore, before proceeding directly to stretching the shoulders, do a warm-up. This will warm up and prepare muscle fibers to an effective stretching response. Perform all exercises as correctly and carefully as possible, in no case making jerky movements so as not to load the joints, ligaments and muscles. Hold the end position for 30-60 seconds and remember to breathe correctly.

For stretching exercises, you do not need special equipment, everything can be done and. Make sure you have a rug to stand or sit on and a free wall. And now, following our experts, the Kalutsky brothers, let's start the exercises.

Delta stretch

The first exercise is the simplest: try to bring your right hand to your left shoulder as much as possible. Do not lift your shoulder when doing this deltoid stretch. right hand... Repeat for the other hand.

Interlacing of hands

For execution next exercise you need to literally twist your hands like in the video. Place your right elbow on the inside crease of your left arm, and with your left hand, grasp the wrist of your right hand. Bend your elbows to engage the rotator.

The lock behind the back

Another effective exercise for stretching the shoulder joint. Bend your left arm at the elbow, put it behind your back and stretch towards your neck. Bend your right hand, put it behind your head and point it down towards the left. Ideally, your hands should be locked together. Move your elbow upper arm as far as possible behind the head, so the deltoid muscles stretch better.

You may not be able to do this exercise right away. You can prepare for it by stretching both arms alternately. To do this, bend one arm, press it against your back and pull up towards your neck. With your other hand, press down on the elbow, helping the shoulder muscles to stretch. Repeat the same with the hand raised above your head: press down on the elbow, helping to reach the shoulder blades.

Wall Shoulder Stretch

Technically, the exercise is similar to stretching the latissimus dorsi with an emphasis on the wall. latissimus backs with an emphasis on the wall. Here's how the Kalutsky brothers advise doing it:

Put your hands on the wall and try to keep your hands as close to each other as possible. Turn the dimples from the elbows up. Step back with your feet, pull your chin towards your neck and begin to stretch your shoulders. At this point, the lumbar and thoracic spine will also be stretched. Try to bend as much as possible. If it doesn't work, put a weighting agent (pancake 5-10 kg) on your back and stand like that.

Alternatively, you can do the following exercise.

Stretching the muscles of the chest and front of the shoulder girdle

Exercises for stretching deltas against the wall

Also for stretching shoulder muscles the famous Kalutsky acrobats recommend another exercise with an emphasis on the wall, it is very effective for stretching not only the deltas, but also the back. Do it like this: raise your right hand and rest it against the wall. Left hand place on your right shoulder and pull your shoulder down. Then turn your back to the wall by doing Roundabout Circulation shoulder to the bone. Try to reach with your right shoulder against the wall. Repeat the same for the left hand.

I've been doing it for six months and have pulled the front delta of the shoulder, especially with the bench press. I reach 90 kg. and the delta begins to hurt, this does not happen on low weights. Can you explain how to get out of this situation

First of all, you need to make a correct diagnosis.

First: You have actually pulled the front bundle of the deltoid muscle.

Second: You have tendonitis of the shoulder and biceps. Although this is usually mistaken for a shoulder injury (after all, it hurts), biceps tendonitis is actually the result of the upper biceps tendon coming out of its bed at the upper end of the chamerus - the humerus. The pain is felt under the anterior bundle of the deltoid muscle and is therefore often mistaken for a shoulder injury. It is usually misdiagnosed as bursitis or a sprain of the articular bag of the shoulder girdle. Failure to replace the biceps tendon will cause shoulder disease as the biceps ligament stabilizes the shoulder joints. When it is in the wrong place, the lateral and posterior shoulder joints experience additional stress, gradually become inflamed and sick. Ultimately, it can all end up with separation of the shoulder joint.

Feedback

Having familiarized myself with your answer to my question, I decided to go to the Luzhniki physical training and medical dispensary. The surgeon, having examined me, reassured me, saying that it was periarthritis of the delta, and prescribed me Butadion ointment twice a day and Ortofen tablets twice a day, as well as physiotherapy. If this does not help, then the "Blockade", as far as I understood, is the injection of the medicine directly into the focus of pain. For about 5 days I have been taking "Ortofen" and using "Butadion" the pain has decreased, but I have not yet exercised for 10 days. I want to start training as my muscles are starting to lose tone. Maybe tell me how to train correctly in my situation, and where you can get advice on organizing training process, and the technique of performing the exercises, since I live in the suburbs.

Sincerely, Alexander.

I must say that your attitude towards our sport deserves respect. Continuing in the same spirit, you will certainly achieve significant success, and perhaps in 5-10 years I will still be proud to meet you.
Let's hope that the diagnosis is made accurately and the injury will not only be healed, but completely cured.

the site offers - personal advice and training

In the course of personal consultations (correspondence) by e-mail, you will have at your disposal "tools" with which you can change your figure - this is a diet, training program, diet, rest and so on. We will also teach you how to handle these tools so that in the future you can do whatever you want with your figure on your own - build muscle mass, strength or relief, burn excess fat, increase or decrease your weight within the framework of your genetic makeup. In fact, you just take a course to become yourself. personal trainer and a nutritionist (nutritional expert).

Also possible personal training with a certified trainer to study correct technique performing exercises with carrying out only in Moscow.

For more information about personal consultations or training, you can send us a question.

The permanent address of this article on the Internet is:

What You Should Know About Deltoid Training ...

The main problem of many visitors gyms, this is the presence of a good anterior delta, a good middle delta and a weak posterior bundle of the deltoid muscle.
Know that you have a disproportionate development if, when you stand relaxed, the front of the palms is turned more backward.
When doing forward raises, lift the weight 110˚ instead of the 90˚ most people usually stop at.
Maximize the work of the rear deltas by keeping the shoulders abducted to the sides at an angle of 30-45˚.
Most weightlifters do their side lifts incorrectly. The wrist, elbow, and shoulder should be level at the top, and the pointed side of the elbow should point straight back.
People with hypertrophied upper trapezius muscles tighten the dumbbells during lateral lifts. To avoid this, consider pushing the dumbbells away from you.

3D Deltas

The key to developing deltas that have a three-dimensional appearance is the proportional development of all three deltoid muscle bundles. This will allow your shoulders to appear full when viewed from the front, side, or back.

Cosmetically, the most common pattern of malformed deltas is well-developed anterior deltas, moderately developed mid-deltas, and severely lagging rear deltoids.

This is usually manifested by a significant inward twist of the shoulders. In other words, your front palms are tilted back more when you are relaxed.

This is possible if:

you love bench press and chest workouts in general
you tend to devote more to training the muscles that you see in the mirror

Another option for training the shoulders without stressing the front deltas, prioritizing the development of the middle delta until it is already thick and the front delta remains underdeveloped, especially when viewed from the side.

Rate your selfies

Before you start training your shoulders, you should find out which of the deltoid bundles is lagging behind in development. To prioritize.

Take your shot with your arms at your sides and your arms facing your body. Take additional front, back and side shots. So you can evaluate yourself from all sides, and then after a while compare the results of training. When viewed from the front, the shoulders should be rounded.

If your shoulders have a narrow bony structure and / or you have a wide hip structure, then nicely rounded deltas are what you need. You should pump deltas by giving Special attention middle deltoid beams using lateral rises.

On the other hand, if you are looking from the side, the front of the shoulders are not bulging enough, then you need to focus on the front delta. Use to train the anterior deltoid muscles different variants lifting dumbbells and barbells in front.

If you need to pump up the rear deltas, use the bent over row of dumbbell rows to work out the back of the shoulders.

Back double biceps

Keep in mind when evaluating your back delta, this is usually short muscle with a different appearance from the front delta. So don't expect the same from them. appearance like the front deltas. To gauge how well the rear delta is pumped, use the Double Rear Biceps pose.

Building a deltoid muscle training plan

Let's take a look at some of the basics of shoulder training before diving into their specifics. I can assume that you train your shoulders every 5-7 days.

You can train your shoulders in conjunction with other muscle groups. But if your shoulders are lagging behind in development, then do not swing them after pectoral muscles... It is better to train these groups on different days with a break of 2-3 days. So you will have more strength and energy to train your shoulders. This will allow you to lift more weight with correct technique.

The back delta is a pulling muscle, so on shoulder day it makes sense to train the deltoids with your back. Because the back delta functions like your back muscles, they help you pull your arms down and / or back.

So when doing shoulder adductions (pull-ups), shoulder stretches (dumbbell rows), bent-over rows (regular grip rows), your rear delts are seriously involved, whether you like it or not.

Shoulder Exercises, Sets and Reps

1. Rear deltas

To pump up the posterior deltoid muscle, 3-4 working approaches (excluding the warm-up) in an isolating exercise should be enough.

It may seem like one exercise is not enough, but remember that one of the functions of the posterior deltas is external rotation of the humerus. So if you do a few external shoulder rotation exercises each week (as you should) during your back workout, then a few sets of one exercise will most likely be sufficient.

However, if your posterior deltas are seriously lagging behind in development, then do two exercises that isolate the posterior deltas. Do three sets of each exercise. Here are three effective exercise to choose from:

Wiring to the rear deltas in a standing block
Swings or rows of dumbbells in an incline on the back deltas with an emphasis on the head on an incline bench
Bent-over Dumbbell Row with Rotation Exercise Technique Video

Note that this is not a triceps exercise. This is a movement in which you do not bend your elbows and pull your arms back using only the back deltas.

Beware of lifting the scapula to isolate the back delta, the shoulders should always be down. Keep in mind that the back delta function is to simply move humerus back without bringing the shoulder blades together.

No matter what kind of rear delt exercises you do, there are several biomechanical principles to consider. For beginners, to optimize the back deltas, train them at the optimum line of thrust, which is formed by abducting the shoulders (to the sides) at 35-40˚.

You also need to raise your arms with dumbbells in line with your shoulders, pointing your little fingers up. This will align the rear delta so that it does as much work as possible.

When the posterior delta is isolated, the problem for most people is actually isolating the delta for quality muscle contraction. For this reason, exercises with light weight with a number of repetitions of 10-15 are more often performed. Doing a heavy weight exercise with a small number of reps is more effective, but wait for the neuromuscular connection of the rear deltas to improve before moving on to higher weights.

2. Front deltas

Bench press standing from the chest

To train the anterior deltoid muscle, a barbell press from the chest is usually used. it good exercise for training shoulders. This is a basic shoulder exercise.

Press on the front deltas can be done with a barbell and with dumbbells. It is imperative to change exercises to include shoulder muscle stabilizers in order to keep the shoulders healthy.

Also, the front delt press is like the squat for the quads. On the other hand, forward lifts isolate the front deltas in the same way that straightening the leg isolates the quadriceps.

If the front deltas are yours strong point then focus on the upward press, with occasional lifts in front of you as a supplement. This, in combination with the bench press, is all that is needed to train the deltas.

On the other hand, if you need to enlarge your front delts, then it is best to do one lift of the dumbbells or barbells forward in addition to the overhead press.

The two best exercises for the up press are the basic barbell press up (seated or standing) and the basic dumbbell press, either seated or standing. While many sets / repetitions work upwards, it is best to stick with 4 * 6-10, although 5 * 5 and 3 * 8-12 are also good choices and should be done correctly.

When it comes about isolating the front deltas from the rear deltas, the forward dumbbell raises are excellent, but the forward raises of the bar are more effective.

Regardless of which forward lift you choose, make sure the bar is at a 110˚ angle, approximately level with the top of your forehead. This is the peak at which the front deltas contraction occurs, not at the 90 ° where most people stop.

When performing options for lifting forward, it is preferable to select a repetition range of 3 * 10-12, sometimes take more weight and do 6-8 reps, sometimes less and do 12-15,

3. Average deltas

If you want to have bodybuilder-like shoulders, you should always include cross-side raises to accentuate the middle deltas, the most fundamental of which is cross-side dumbbell swings.

While most people swing dumbbells across their sides, many do it wrong.

For optimal tension of the middle bundles of the deltoid muscles, the palms should be facing down at the top point. Or, if you really want to load them well, tilt the protruding part of the dumbbells down a few degrees so that inner side hands turned up a little.

Also, the wrists, elbows and shoulders at the top point should be at the same level. In addition, the tip of your elbow should be pointing straight back and not at the floor.

At the top of the movement, most people tend to tilt the protruding side of the dumbbells too high, causing their wrists to be higher than the elbows. This is because the pattern of this movement allows for more front delta dominance to help you more than you want.

People with very strong upper trapezius muscles also tend to curl the dumbbells at a finishing angle close to 90˚. To avoid this, think about pushing the dumbbells away from you.

For variety, you can change the point of maximum tension of the middle bundle of the deltoid muscle by performing one of the following exercise options:

Lie on your side on incline bench... Perform dumbbell swings, raising your arm to a 90˚ angle, where the contraction of the middle deltas peaks.
Tilt your torso to the side with the weight as shown in the video:

If you need to increase the average deltas, usually three sets are performed by two different exercises abduction of the shoulders (lateral rises). Do one exercise in three sets of 8-12 reps, and the other in three sets of 12-15. And as usual, do sometimes more difficult or easier ones.

Two Continuous Shoulder Workouts

There are two fundamental, serious shoulder training programs, each targeting a different shoulder deficiency.

For lagging middle and rear deltas (but good developed front deltas):

For lagging front deltas (but good middle deltas):

The middle delta is a unique muscle bundle that is included in the work of almost any exercise on the shoulders. There is a lot of disagreement about the need to perform any separate exercises for a given beam, but we can say for sure: there are both basic and isolating approaches for training the middle deltoid muscle. For the load to be correct, it is necessary to refer to the anatomy.

Anatomy and function of the middle delta

According to anatomical reference books, deltoid performs the main function of the dorsal region - is responsible for the work of the shoulder blades. And the position of the shoulder joint directly affects the load of the deltoid muscles.

With the hands lowered and the shoulder blades moving, the back delta works;
when raised - front;
the middle beam performs the connecting role that has received the name.

This department works most effectively with the back delta, because it is closest to it. But for complete isolation, when performing exercises on the middle deltas, the angle should be reduced in relation to the posterior beam.

Basic Exercise: Behind-the-Head Barbell Press

Best Exercises on the middle delta start from base which, in mandatory, is performed by all categories of athletes: from beginner to professional.

For better control of the elbows, these exercises on the middle delta of the shoulder are advised to be performed in front of a mirror. Should choose sitting position , since when pressing the bar while standing, the legs are included in the process, and the shoulder muscle group receives insufficient load.

Execution technique:

Sit on a bench with your legs wide apart for a secure support. During exercise you can't bend your back.
Grip more than shoulder width apart, gently lift the barbell over your head.
Lower the barbell behind your back until a right angle is formed in elbow joint.
Squeeze the barbell over your head.

Performing exercises for the middle beam of deltas it does not follow getting too carried away with weights, this can lead to injury.

On initial stage attention must be paid to the technique of execution and only after that proceed to the gradual addition extra pounds.

Classic Isolation: Standing Dumbbell Swings

Mahami is best end training the middle shoulder delta, this will help stretch the middle beams a little. According to principle this exercise very similar to - stretches muscle fibers, and trains muscle group generally.

How to pump up the average delta using swings:

Stand up straight, straighten your back. You can take dumbbells in each hand or do it in turn, most efficiently, as it promotes greater concentration on action.
Swing the dumbbells to shoulder level. You should not hold your hand at the top point.
Put your hand back in starting position... Refunds must be made gradually, without jerking, and take 2 times longer than lifting.

Important! To perform such exercises correctly on a medium beam of deltas, you should choose the right weight.

Too much load the athlete ceases to pay attention to the technique: jerks appear, the dumbbell may not reach shoulder level, the body gradually leans forward. With such errors the exercise loses its insulating quality, and the load spreads to the rest of the muscle groups.

The deltoid muscle connects the top of the forearm to the shoulder blade, located between the shoulder and the collarbone. It is formed by three beams, therefore it is called a three-headed, and outwardly looks like the letter "delta", which is why it got its name. The deltoid muscle decides different tasks such as flexion, extension and pronation of the shoulder. The ability to rotate with your hands depends on it. With pain in the deltoid muscle, it is imperative to find out the root cause and deal with it. It could be trauma or inflammation.

Why does the deltoid muscle hurt?

Periarticular pain in the deltoid muscle is usually caused by joint instability, which is provoked by the following factors:

Stretching and straining the ligaments as a result of intense strength training.
The defeat of the articular bag.
Damage to the cartilage of the glenoid cavity.

All causes of pain in the deltoid muscles are divided into three groups:

Inflammatory, degenerative or traumatic damage to the tendons of the muscle in the form of calcific tendonitis, tendonitis of the rotator or biceps muscles, tendon ruptures, etc.
Capsulitis is a common, non-inflammatory damage to the shoulder joint capsule.
Subacromial syndrome or complex lesion of the periarticular system.

Diagnosis of pain in the delta area

For an accurate diagnosis, when the front or back delta hurts, you need to determine the localization of the pain, find out how the syndrome began to develop and make sure that there are / are no specific signs that accompany muscle pain.

Diagnosis begins with examining the patient and determining the symmetry of the shoulder blades, collarbones and upper limbs... By palpation, the muscles are examined for the presence of hypotrophic areas.

The deltas are checked for possible cuts, tested for balance and balance between passive and active movements. You also need to check the strength of the flexor and extensor muscles. Doctors identify important for diagnosis trigger points in order to confirm fibromyalgia. Finally, specialists palpate the points of the radicular exits in order to identify signs of radicular lesions.

X-ray, ultrasound, MRI and CT may be required to confirm the diagnosis, as well as an electrophysiological study to determine the tone of muscle tissues.

How is deltoid pain treated?

If, after pulling or performing, the back delta hurts very badly, treatment begins with the neutralization of all factors that provoke pain: the hand must be provided with complete rest. In addition, doctors sometimes prescribe anti-inflammatory nonsteroidal drugs in the form of ointments, tablets and gels. They will also tell you how to quickly relieve pain in the delta area.

In some cases, they resort to anesthesia with compresses from Dimexide solution. Corticosteroid injections and periarticular administration of homeopathic remedies such as Zeel and Traumeel may be prescribed.

For pain in the deltoid muscles, doctors often prescribe physiotherapy to activate the trophism of the periarticular tissues and improve metabolic processes. An additional healing effect is created by massages, as well as complexes of microelements and B vitamins.

In most cases, the treatment process, when the front or back delta hurts, lasts no longer than 5 days. Sometimes it is possible to limit ourselves to good rest and adjusting the training program in order to get rid of pain in the deltoid muscle of the shoulder. You can read more about that on our portal. In other cases, a course of treatment with drugs may be required to relieve pain, neutralize inflammation and improve muscle tissue trophism.