Shoulder Workout For Girls

The first thing girls should learn is that a woman will never pump up her huge, monstrous shoulders without taking hormonal drugs. After all, that's what you're afraid of, right? Forget about that fear. Training your deltoids will make your shoulders sculpted, defined, and sexy. You won't be embarrassed by your flabby arms when you put on a T-shirt anymore - they'll be toned and beautiful.

Pumped up shoulders make the silhouette more proportional, emphasizing a thin waist, and help maintain posture. In addition, proper deltoid training strengthens the shoulder joints, which are naturally the most vulnerable, and helps improve strength in other exercises involving the muscles of the shoulder girdle (pull-ups, push-ups, etc.).

The most important thing is to thoroughly warm up your shoulder joints before training. Since they are extremely mobile (this is what allows the arm to move in different planes), they are most susceptible to injury. Therefore, before strength training, the shoulders must be thoroughly warmed up and warmed up, and during the exercises, carefully monitor the technique.

How to pump up shoulders for a girl: anatomy of the deltoid muscles

The deltoid muscle consists of three bundles:

anterior – responsible for bringing the arm forward;
average - moves the arm to the side;
rear – ensures that the arm is moved backwards.
The anterior bundle of the deltoid muscle works in many basic exercises – classic and reverse push-ups, bench presses and dumbbell bench presses. The posterior bundle is involved in most pulling exercises for the back muscles. The middle bundle helps stabilize the shoulder joint in the deadlift and its various variations.

But all this does not mean that the deltoids do not need “independent” training - on the contrary, shoulder exercises will additionally strengthen them and help protect against injury when performing heavy basic exercises.

Shoulder exercises for girls

Seated Dumbbell Press

It is deservedly considered the most popular exercise for deltoids among girls. It works the middle and front bundles of the deltoid muscles perfectly. Additionally, it involves the triceps, so it is not advisable to train it before doing the bench press, otherwise it will weaken and you will not be able to fully load your shoulders.

To perform the exercise, sit on a bench, firmly pressing your shoulder blades to its back. Slightly bend in the lower back. Take the dumbbells in your hands. The starting position is arms bent, elbows "looking" down, dumbbells are at shoulder level, palm facing forward. As you exhale, press the dumbbells up, trying not to straighten your elbows completely, but to leave a slight angle. As you inhale, return to the starting position.

Wide Grip Barbell Row

Another basic exercise for the shoulders, it works mainly the middle bundle of the delta, but with a straight body position, the front bundle is included in the work, and with a slight forward tilt (15-20˚) - the back. A small share of the load also falls on the biceps.

Technique: stand up straight, feet shoulder-width apart. Take the barbell with a wide grip (so that when your arms are down, the distance between your hands is slightly wider than your hips). As you exhale, lift the barbell to chest level, concentrating not on bending your arms, but on moving your elbows up and to the sides. As you inhale, slowly, without throwing the barbell down, but smoothly lowering it, return to the starting position. To shift some of the load from the front beam to the back, slightly lean your body forward, but keep your back straight.

Standing Dumbbell Raises

Most often used as an isolation exercise for the middle beam. To do it, stand up straight, take dumbbells in your hands. As you exhale, smoothly raise your arms through the sides - at the top point, the shoulder should be parallel to the floor. Keep your elbow relaxed - do not straighten it completely, maintain a slight natural bend. As you inhale, smoothly lower your arms. Do not drop the dumbbells down - the movement should be controlled so that the muscles do not relax throughout the entire amplitude.

Raising the projectile in front of you

An isolation exercise for the front deltoid. It is best for girls to use dumbbells, as they are the easiest to vary the weight with. The starting position is the same as in the previous exercise. Raise the dumbbells in front of you - synchronously or alternately. At the top point, the shoulder should also be parallel to the floor, and the elbows should be relaxed.

Bent-over arm raises

The best part of this exercise is the posterior deltoid. To do it, take dumbbells in your hands, lean your body forward (approximately parallel to the floor) and slightly arch your back at the waist. For a more stable position, you can rest your forehead on a bench or other comfortable support. As you exhale, raise your arms out to the sides until they are parallel to the floor. Your elbows should be slightly bent and pointed upward. Lower your arms slowly and smoothly.

Shoulder Workout For Girls In The Gym

Girls do not need to set aside a separate day for deltoid training. Shoulder exercises are best combined with training other muscles of the upper body - back, chest, arms. We have compiled examples of such combinations - choose the option that is most convenient for you.

Option 1: Shoulders + Back
Superset: barbell row to chest (with slight body tilt) + dumbbell bent-over flyes, 4x10-12
Superset: standing lateral raises + raising arms in front of you, 4x12-15
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown to Chest, 4x10-12
Bent-over dumbbell row, 4x10-12
Pullover on the upper block, 4x12-15
Option 2: Shoulders + chest
Seated Dumbbell Press, 4x10-12
Superset: Bent-over dumbbell flyes + standing dumbbell flyes, 4x12-15
Incline Dumbbell Press, 4x10-12
Butterfly Machine Bringdowns, 4x12-15
Front Dumbbell Raises, 4x12-15
Option 3: Shoulders + arms
Seated Dumbbell Press, 4x10-12
Reverse Bench Dips, 4x10-12
Superset: Standing Dumbbell Flyes + Upper Pulley Triceps Extension, 4x12-15
Superset: Bent-over dumbbell flyes + cable curls, 4x10-12
Superset: Front Dumbbell Raises + Dumbbell Curls, 4x12-15

Style Summary

For girls, developed deltoid muscles are one of the indicators of persistent and responsible work on your body, as well as a good investment in the future health of your shoulder joints. Train them competently and carefully, warm up thoroughly, watch your technique - and your shoulders will repay you with their beauty and strength.