3 Beginner Shoulder Training Mistakes That Are Holding Back Your Gains

You may think you need to carry the weight of the world when it comes to training your shoulders, but the sooner you learn that less can be more, the sooner you’ll be on the road to healthier, happier workouts.

To build a formidable upper body and achieve the V-tapered torso, many new trainees feel the need to attack shoulder training with the same ferocity as leg day, even though the delts are a much larger muscle group. little. The shoulders are also a much more complicated structure than other commonly trained areas, which makes it much easier to push yourself too hard, too soon if you’re not working it the right way. This can lead to lost time in the gym or worse, injury.

Overcome beginners’ mistakes with the help of men’s health fitness manager Ebenezer Samuel, CSCS “There is no part of the body that is more slaughtered in the gym than training the shoulders,” he says. Follow his advice to get going.

3 Beginner Shoulder Training Mistakes to Avoid

Here are three beginner mistakes that may be contributing to halting your progress.

Arch your back during the overhead press

The military press, any type of overhead press, actually works your shoulders when you lift the weight. However, many beginners tend to arch their back during the movement, turning it into an incline press exercise, shifting the focus from the shoulders to the chest and putting unnecessary strain on the back as well.

The solution: Anytime you’re doing any overhead press variation, keep your abs tight (think ribcage down). From that position, begin performing your overhead presses.

Shrug when you’re supposed to breed

Lateral raises are a great exercise to work the outer head of the shoulders. But once that raise turns into an upward shrug, cheating takes the emphasis off the shoulders.

The solution: As you do the lateral raise, make sure you always think about these cues: abs tight, shoulder blades down, and back. And as the weight increases, hold that position and it will help reduce any trap intervention and keep the focus on the delts.

You are overtraining your shoulder

Less is more when it comes to training your shoulders. If your entire split is dedicated to one muscle group, you’re probably doing too many exercises. The shoulders are a small group of muscles to begin with. Then keep in mind that your shoulders are involved in so many other workouts you’re doing in the gym, from upper-body training like your chest and back to their role as key stabilizers to the load when you’re performing core movements. lower body, such as squats. You’re doing a lot of work on your shoulders even before you start specific training.

The solution: When you start training your shoulders, limit yourself to two movements: an overhead press and a lateral raise or rear deltoid fly. Follow these pros and cons and you will quickly start to see bouldering shoulder results without aches and pains.