Dumbbell floor presses for strength, size and health. Dumbbell bench press with one hand lying on a horizontal bench Press with one hand

By training the shoulders, we, as basic exercise, most often we use the army bench press. It perfectly loads the front and middle deltas, and allows you to show the maximum power potential of the shoulders.

Meanwhile, for the sake of diversity, you can apply another no less effective exercise - standing dumbbell press with one hand.

Target Muscles

Below are the muscles involved in the exercise in order of decreasing load on them:

Anterior bundle of deltas
Medium beam
Back beam
Triceps (acts as an assistant muscle)

Execution scheme

Stand up straight with your feet wide apart. Straighten your back and bend your knees slightly. Take a dumbbell in your hand, and rest your other hand on your side to maintain balance.
Inhale and begin to squeeze the dumbbell up, while trying not to tilt the working shoulder.
After overcoming the most difficult part of the amplitude, exhale.
Pause briefly at the top of the exercise, holding the weight above your head.
Return the dumbbell under control to the starting position. After completing all the planned repetitions with one hand, transfer it to the other.

Perform standing one-arm presses the very first in the delta training complex - no more than 3-5 sets of 6-8 times;
Throughout the approach, do not relax the press, this will allow you to keep the body straight. If you start moving with a “nod” of the body, then part of the load will be taken over pectoral muscles and there will be a dangerous overload in the lumbar region;
When working with a lot of weight, bounce your knees - this will allow you to take some of the load off your shoulder joints, significantly reducing the likelihood of injury;
Apply periodically

Fitness expert Sergey Strukov translated Greg Dea's text about the best exercise for the shoulder.

One-arm kettlebell press is for everyone

Whether you're looking to improve power and strength or are doing rehab with movement pattern recovery, the one-arm kettlebell press is the way to go.

I have used this exercise to compensate for the high volume of throws, catches, serves and contacts of international level volleyball and handball players. Athletes who systematically perform one-arm presses within training program, increase punching power and stamina.

But even if you are just doing fitness, you can use it to improve your posture and increase the strength of the shoulder girdle.

The one-arm press is the best because it meets the following criteria:

1. Safe start and end position.
2. Safe movement pattern.
3. Development of "jogging" power.
4. Identification and protection of weak links.

Now let's take a closer look at each of these benefits.

Safe start and end position

The starting and ending position in the one-arm press is safer than in other popular strength exercises for the shoulder, such as front and side raises. Long leverage when lifting weights in front of you and through the sides often forces the shoulder blade to move away from a stable position at the beginning and at the end of the movement. It is like lifting a crane off the ground before lifting a load onto a tall building.

Front and side raises cause more shoulder girdle problems than any other exercise, affecting the muscles that try to keep the shoulder blades in relation to the neck and torso (trapezius and rhomboids).

The main role of the scapula is to support the hand. It can move freely to maintain the correct position of the glenoid fossa in relation to the head of the shoulder. When the scapula is "pterygoid" (the medial edge moves away from the chest or leans forward), or the medial/superior part of the scapula is higher than the lateral part, which puts the glenoid fossa in a position that limits arm elevation. This is wrong and not stable. In this position, the scapula loses the necessary orientation.

The one-arm press, on the other hand, offers correct position. With one-hand presses, the shoulder blade is dynamically stable, there is unlimited freedom of movement with situational support and maintaining the correct position.

The movement begins in a stance, with the kettlebell directly in front of the shoulder. The weight is located on the forearm, with outside hand clenched into a fist, elbow pointing forward. The palm of the hand is directed towards the face. In the final position, the weight is strictly above the shoulder, the elbow is straightened. Both of these positions, initial and final, stabilize the position of the scapula.

Safe movement pattern

The bench press from the starting to the final position should be vertical. The elbow in the initial position is directed forward, and in the final position - to the side. This means that the shoulder joint moves from a neutral position to an outward rotation position, while the scapula moves in a safer position of upward retraction and rotation, allowing room for rotation and gliding. shoulder joint in a well balanced position.

Another useful overhead press variation suggested by the author of this article is Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Presses for Solid Shoulders.

Kettlebell press with one hand - a "clean" movement. It is practically impossible to determine the correspondence between the temporal parameters, sequence and coordination of the motor pattern. However, if the pattern is unstable, abrupt, or divided into stages, we call the movement "dirty and heavy." The opposite in fact movement is smooth, which we call "clean and light."

One-arm press position does not result in dovish movement: Many shoulder strength exercises that require lifting weights from behind the head result in an attempt to remove the weight from the neck. The result is a movement reminiscent of the movement of a pigeon's head, hence the name "pigeoning" ("pigeon" movement). The "pigeon" movement leads to displacement of the joints and activation of the muscles of the upper part of the neck, which leads to pain and restriction of movement of the head and neck. If you want to avoid "dove" movements, watch your neck when pulling to the chest or lifting in front of you. When pressing the kettlebell with one hand, the kettlebell is squeezed out of the normal position of the neck above the head, so there is no "pigeon" movement.

In the bench press pattern, the scapula additionally leans back, freeing up space for the rotator cuff to work and minimizing the risk of impact. In addition to tilting back, the shoulder blade rotates upward, opening up even more space. Rotation of the scapula requires coordinated contraction of all back muscles.

Jogging power development

This is a great exercise to develop inching power". Power is work done per unit of time, so it requires strength, speed, and movement control.

The advantage of the vertical press is the ability to lift more weight than in front of you or through the sides due to the relatively short leverage. Stimulation upper limb more, and the scapula remains stable. When the weight is too high, the movement loses speed, and therefore power. It becomes dirty and difficult. In this situation, you can do more work with a stable shoulder blade and more weight in the bench press than in competitive exercises (pulls, side raises, or front raises).

By the way, Zozhnik also has a review scientific research American Council on Exercise However, that study did not test kettlebell presses with one arm.

Protection of weak links

The final advantage of this great exercise is the ability to eliminate weak links that are associated with the risk of injury.

The thoracic spine and ribcage, and everything attached to them, are involved in the one-arm press just as they are in the two-arm press. It is difficult for us to understand and imagine precise movements in the joints, requiring complex coordination between the stabilizers and the main movers. When someone can't do any more reps or the weight being lifted reaches a plateau, we assume they've just reached their limit. But the reason is not always fatigue.

If you get a different number of kettlebell press repetitions with your left and right hand, we understand that the reason for the asymmetry may be in thoracic region spine, chest, all associated muscles, neck and shoulder girdle. Identifying side differences guides us to improve function in these areas, removing barriers to bench improvement. When a weak link is identified with dirty and heavy reps, we can change the weight and execution conditions for further improvement.

When the weight is too heavy for a normal pattern, compensatory movements appear. Most compensation occurs with the person leaning back to turn the movement into an angled chest press. In this case, the neck makes a “pigeon” movement, the lower back bends, and the shoulder blade moves away from the optimal position. "Pigeon" neck is a dysfunctional compensation that worsens the stability of the trunk. It can lead to pain, restriction of movement, and loss of motor control—three well-known risks of injury.

There are two simple ways to fix a similar error:

1. Sit down and complete the set. This reduces the demands on the hips and pelvis while providing a stable position for the lower back. Or you can stabilize your hips and pelvis by placing one foot on a chair or bench. The bent hip of the raised leg reduces the likelihood of forward tilt of the pelvis and arching of the lower back.

Put your foot on the bench - it will help.

If your lower back is still arched, just lift your leg off a chair or bench to prevent it. I prefer this single leg variation as it involves ground pressure through the feet, ankles, knees and hips rather than through the six bones of the pelvis. This is a more complex exercise that loads not only the shoulder girdle.
Placing the foot on a box can help correct pelvic rotation.

2. The second way is to reduce the weight and cleanly complete the set.. Is not the best choice as long as the person makes up for the light weight by chasing reps. It is also a less favorable strategy because it requires conscious control of technique. Self-limiting methods are preferable for adaptation than methods with conscious control. This helps keep the pattern in your nervous system better than weight loss.

Balanced Leverage - Strong Leverage

If you want good shoulders, then you need to switch to the one-arm press in your bench workout.

I have used this simple strategy for many years to train athletes with high shoulder volume. The combination of position, pattern, and effort power adjustment provided protection for athletes in pre-season, as well as association with other core lifts. Using the one-arm press, I improved the shooting ability of the Chinese national handball superstar with a torn lip and rotator cuff tendon. I used the bench press for my own development and surprised the big guys with no problem. initial weights greater than their maximum lifts in front of them.

Despite the apparent complexity of the position and pattern, none of my athletes who pressed to failure experienced injury or post-exercise soreness. Try this exercise. It works.

It often happens that bodybuilders and powerlifters need to do dumbbell presses. This projectile has many positive properties, which include the involvement of a large number of muscles. However, in order for the one-arm bench press to be beneficial, it is worth knowing about some of the nuances of performing this or that exercise with dumbbells. To begin with, it’s worth noting that dumbbell presses come in, you guessed it, two types: presses with both hands and presses with one hand. In addition, there is also some middle type - alternating with two dumbbells. Presses with two dumbbells are usually performed to work out the side deltoid muscles and pectoral muscles. Each of these exercises should be performed by synchronous movement of both hands. The left and right hand should be a mirror image of each other, i.e. repeat the same path. If this is not taken into account, then it is quite realistic to earn yourself an asymmetrically developed body. Whether you're doing a one-arm bench press or a two-handed dumbbell press, you need to remember that tucking your arms forward or backward is not allowed. Otherwise, you can earn a shoulder injury. In addition, during the dumbbell press, the triceps are constantly involved in the work, so you need to take this into account and include such exercises in the training program on the days when you work out the triceps. Pressing one dumbbell implies the presence of a previous situation. However, there is a certain minus of such an exercise, which consists in the alternate involvement of hands in the work process. Thus, performing, for example, a bench press with one hand, you are pretty tired. But you will need to repeat the same exercise for the second hand, despite the fact that it is not always possible to reproduce this. In the end, the athlete can earn himself an imbalance in the development of the right and left muscles. In addition, in such an exercise, at the time of its execution with one hand, the supply of oxygen and glycogen is higher than when it is repeated with the second hand. And this causes a decrease in the effectiveness of training. In fact, this is very easy to avoid if you remember to change the order of hands in each subsequent approach. It is worth noting that the bench press with one hand, despite the fact that its execution technique is almost identical to the bench press with a barbell, is too uncomfortable and inefficient. Therefore, it is best to pay attention to other exercises with dumbbells.

Initial position

Place the kettlebell on the floor and lie down so that it is at shoulder level. Turn your body towards the kettlebell and grab it. Lie down on the floor gradually lifting the weight. Bend your arm at the elbow and put it next to the body, if you put it close, the load will fall on the triceps. If you put your hand at an angle of 45 degrees, the load will be more on the pectoral muscle. Shoulders should be fully pressed to the floor. If you took the weight in your left hand, then right leg stays straight. The left leg is bent at the knee and rests on the floor with the toe or foot, depending on flexibility. At the same time, the pelvis must be torn off the floor and put on its side as far as possible. The second hand lies on the floor at an angle of 90 degrees as a support. The stomach will need to be pulled in, and the lower back must be tightened.

Kettlebell press technique with one hand lying on the floor

Squeeze the weight up while exhaling, straighten your arm completely. At the top point, tighten the pectoral muscle and triceps, and then slowly lower your arm. Lowering your hand, the weight should not lie on the biceps itself, put it on the brachialis, the outer part of the arm.

Dumbbell press with one hand lying on horizontal bench- an exercise for the development of the pectoralis major muscle, belongs to the category of "balancing", since the work goes on one side and it is more difficult to keep, balance the weight than with two shells.

However, it is considered basic. The triceps and front deltas are also involved in the work.

Main working muscle groups: chest muscles.

Auxiliary muscle group: anterior delts, triceps

Dumbbell press with one hand lying on a horizontal bench - execution technique.

1. You need to lie down on a horizontal bench, holding a dumbbell in your hand. The hand with the dumbbell is pressed to the top of the thigh. The palm is turned inward.

2. Once you're in the prone position, help your upper thigh push the dumbbell up and bring it up. Or help yourself with your free hand.

3. Turn your wrist so that your palm is facing forward. This will be the starting position.

4. Slowly and under control, including the muscles of the stabilizers, lower the dumbbell while inhaling. Use your free hand to balance the dumbbell until you master the technique of this movement.

5. As you exhale, squeeze the dumbbell using the pectoral muscles. Fix your hand at the top, straining your chest, after a second pause, start moving down again. The movement in the negative phase should take twice as long as the movement up.

6. Complete required amount repetitions, according to your training program.

7. Change your hand and repeat the exercise.

8. To return the dumbbell to the floor, lift your legs off the floor by bending them at the knees. Rotate your wrist so that you can place the dumbbell on upper part hips.

9. At the same time, make a jerk, lifting your upper body and lightly pushing your legs forward. This movement will help you return to a sitting position. Only then put the dumbbell on the floor.