Lifting dumbbells with a neutral grip. Overhead Dumbbell Press

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Strong shoulders make the arms embossed, emphasize the biceps and triceps, help upper body look toned and athletic. We bring you the best shoulder exercises with dumbbells for women that you can do both at home and in the gym.

In the formation of the shoulder, one main muscle is involved - the deltoid, and the trapezius muscle also forms the back of the shoulder. It should be noted that the shoulders are one of most difficult in terms of physical development body parts. This is due to the complex structure deltoid muscles, which consist of 3 beams: anterior, middle (lateral) and posterior. The front beam is responsible for raising the arms in front of you, the middle beam is responsible for spreading the arms to the sides, the back beam takes the arms back.

Part of the exercises on the shoulders help to include several muscles at once: these are the so-called basic exercises. These include standing or sitting dumbbell presses, so they should definitely be included in your strength training. You can add to the basic exercises and insulating that work only one muscle group.

To train your shoulders, do the selected exercises in 4-5 sets of 12-15 reps. Select the weight of the dumbbells in such a way that you can do the desired number of repetitions. The dumbbell shoulder exercises listed below can be done at home or at the gym. The deltoid muscles are very easy to injure, so be careful when exercising.

Shoulder exercises with dumbbells

1. Dumbbell bench press with a direct grip standing or sitting

The dumbbell press is a basic shoulder exercise, always include it in your main workout. The dumbbell press predominantly engages the middle delts, but the front and back also take part in its execution. The exercise can be done standing or sitting.

Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, dumbbells are taken in hands with a direct grip and raised at eye level. Raise the projectile up, exhaling at the end of the lift. Pause briefly and lower your arms back to the starting position.

Sit on a bench, hold the dumbbells with an overhand grip at eye level. Raise the projectile up with an exhalation at the end of the lift. Pause and return to the starting position.

Main working muscles: front and middle deltas
: triceps

2. Dumbbell bench press with neutral grip standing or sitting

Dumbbell press neutral grip helps to engage the front deltas to a greater extent. This shoulder exercise with dumbbells can be done either standing or sitting. There is also a variant of execution with alternately raising and lowering the hands.

Feet shoulder-width apart, dumbbells raised at chin level with a neutral grip. As you exhale, lift the projectile vertically upwards, take a short pause, while inhaling, return to the starting position.

Sit on a chair, back straight, dumbbells raised at chin level with a neutral grip. Raise the projectile up as you exhale, after a short pause, return to the starting position.

Main working muscles: front and middle deltas
Additional working muscles: triceps

3. Breeding arms to the sides with dumbbells standing or sitting

This shoulder isolation exercise with dumbbells involves the middle delts.

Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, body slightly forward. Bend your arms and legs slightly. As you exhale, spread the dumbbells to the sides without changing the angle at the elbows. Return to starting position.

Sit upright on a bench with your elbows slightly bent. As you exhale, spread the dumbbells to the sides, trying not to change the angle at the elbows. Return to starting position.

Main working muscles: middle deltas

Another isolating exercise, only now for the back delt. Sit on the edge of the bench, tilt your body forward. As you exhale, spread your arms to the sides until parallel with the floor, arms slightly bent at the elbows. After a short pause, return to the starting position.

Main working muscles: rear delts

Isolation exercise for the back delt. Lie horizontally on a bench on your stomach, arms with dumbbells down, elbows slightly bent. As you exhale, raise your arms to a position parallel to the floor, without changing the angle at the elbows. On an inhale, lower to the starting position. You can change the angle of the bench to include new muscle groups.

Main working muscles: rear delts
Additional working muscles: middle deltas

This is an isolation exercise with dumbbells for the front and middle delt. Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, dumbbells are taken in hands with a direct grip. As you exhale, raise the projectile in front of you to a position until your arms are parallel to the floor. On inspiration, we return to the starting position.

Main working muscles: front and middle deltas
Additional working muscles: trapezium, pectoral muscles

Basic shoulder exercise with dumbbells. Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, hands with the projectile lowered and located near the hips in front. Raise the dumbbells up to the level of the chin, the dumbbells should remain parallel to the floor. Make sure your elbows are higher than your hands. Hold your hands at your chin for a second and lower them down.

Main working muscles: middle deltas, trapezius muscle (trapezius)
Additional working muscles: front delts

The trapezius muscle is also involved in the formation of the relief of the shoulders. One of effective exercises for the trapezoid are scars. Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, dumbbells in your hands at your sides. As you exhale, raise your shoulders as high as possible, then as you inhale, lower them back to the starting position.

Main working muscles: trapezius muscle (trapezium)
Additional working muscles: middle deltas

Before doing shoulder exercises with dumbbells at home or in the gym, be sure to warm up your muscles. Shoulders prone to injury, so follow the technique of performing exercises and do not force the load. See also a selection the best exercises chest with dumbbells.

Let's assume that you are not able to go to Gym but at home you have dumbbells. Most of the exercises presented here can be performed at home. All you need is a pair of dumbbells. The bench can be safely replaced with an ordinary chair or stool.

Keep in mind: with a conscientious approach to business, the result will be no worse than what you would have achieved in the gym. Combine power training with cardio and flexibility training, and then you will be successful.

Breast

To strengthen the chest muscle, 3 things are needed: concentration, control and contraction. You need to concentrate and know which muscles work in the exercise. Control means that you monitor the movements and speed of the exercises. The slower you do them, the more you load the muscle fibers. slow pace also reduces the risk of injury. When you focus on the muscles being trained, the effectiveness of the exercise increases.

Great chest workout. It can be performed on a flat bench, an incline bench, or a bench with a negative slope. Thus, you can shift the load to the middle, top, or bottom. pectoral muscles. Try to lower the weight slowly so that you feel the same muscle tension as when lifting the weight. Lifting dumbbells too fast can lead to injury shoulder joint. It is also important to choose the right dumbbell weight. The resistance should be enough for you to feel how your chest muscles work.

An excellent exercise for the development of the pectoral muscles. Its value lies in the fact that it makes it possible to exclude all auxiliary muscles from work and the load on the chest will be concentrated. Reduction of hands with dumbbells can be performed on a horizontal bench, an inclined one, and a bench with a negative inclination. This will allow you to better work out different parts of the chest. To perform the exercise, take dumbbells and lie down on a bench. The shoulder blades are brought together. Deflection in the lower back. Legs firmly rest on the floor. Hold the dumbbells at arm's length above your chest, palms facing each other. As you inhale, begin to spread your arms to the sides, slightly bending them at the elbows. As you exhale, bring your hands together, returning to the starting position.

With this exercise, you can increase the volume of the chest. To do this, lie on your back on a bench. Feet firmly rest on the floor. Hold the dumbbell in front of you at outstretched arms. As you inhale, lower the dumbbell behind your head (in the final phase of the movement, you can slightly bend your arms at the elbows). As you exhale, return to the starting position.

Back

IN Everyday life we use the muscles of the front of the body more, so the back muscles are often underdeveloped, which leads to a stoop. Your goal is to develop your entire body evenly. The exercises we offer with dumbbells will help you with this.

The bent over dumbbell row is a great basic exercise for developing your core and upper back. When performing this exercise, a special stand is used, which makes it possible to completely turn off the lower back from work in order to avoid injury. The value of the exercise is that it can help even out the imbalance of the back. To do it, do the following: put your left knee on the bench. Then bend down and rest your hand on it. The body is almost parallel to the floor. Deflection in the lower back. The right foot is on the floor. Hold the dumbbell with your right hand in a neutral grip. As you exhale, pull the dumbbell to the lower abdomen, by contracting the back muscles. On an inhale, slowly lower the dumbbell to the starting position. Repeat the exercise on the other side.

This is an exercise for working out the muscles of the back. Here they receive the main load latissimus dorsi. The main advantage of this exercise is that when it is performed, the load is removed from the lower back. Therefore, this exercise is suitable for people who cannot be loaded. lower part back. to perform it, take the dumbbells and lie face down on an incline bench. Hold the dumbbells with a neutral grip, with your arms straight on the sides of the bench. As you exhale, raise the dumbbells by bending your elbows. On an inhale, lower the dumbbells to the starting position.

Shrugi is an exercise that is aimed at training the trapezius muscle. Shrugs are performed with both dumbbells and a barbell. The advantage of dumbbells is that the movement of the exercise becomes more natural and the amplitude of the execution increases. To do this, take dumbbells in your hands and stand up straight. Stretch your arms at the seams. As you exhale, pull your shoulders up as high as you can. Hold this position for a second and return to the starting position.

Legs and buttocks

Although barbell exercises are considered the most effective for the muscles of the legs and buttocks (due to the possibility of using large weights), nevertheless, with the help of dumbbells, these muscle groups can also be worked out with sufficient quality. To achieve what you want, the main thing is to do the exercises correctly. All movements must be clear and precise. And as a result, in addition to impressive external results, you will get strong legs and buttocks, which will allow you to noticeably improve your performance in other sports, such as running and jumping.

1. Straight Leg Row with Dumbbells

IN this exercise the muscles of the buttocks receive the greatest load, rear surface hips and waist. The hands during the dumbbell row are in a more comfortable position than the fixed bar of the bar. Due to this position of the hands, it is possible to shift the center of gravity, due to which the load on the extensors of the back is reduced and the load on the back of the thigh is more concentrated. To perform this exercise, take dumbbells and stand up straight. Place your feet shoulder-width apart. While inhaling, pulling the pelvis back and leaning forward, slowly lower the dumbbells down. As you exhale, return to the starting position.

Squat is a basic exercise for strengthening the muscles of the front and back of the thighs and buttocks. By doing it, you also engage the muscles of the internal and external surfaces hips. To perform this exercise, take dumbbells in your hands and stand up straight. Feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly apart. Hands with dumbbells are lowered along the body, palms look inward. Keeping your pelvis in a neutral position, straighten chest. Inhale, hold your breath and draw in your stomach. Squat down as if you want to sit on the edge of a chair. Don't lift your heels off the floor. Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Return to starting position. At the moment of maximum effort, exhale.

Lunges with dumbbells are one of the best exercises for training the legs and buttocks. In this exercise maximum load get hamstrings and gluteal muscles. To do this, take dumbbells in your hands and stand up straight. Legs shoulder width apart. Connect the shoulder blades, lower your shoulders, tighten your abs. Hands with dumbbells are lowered along the body, palms are turned inward. Take a wide step forward with your left foot and lower into a lunge so that your left knee is over your ankle and your right knee is facing the floor. The right leg rests on the toe. Straighten your legs and take a step forward and lunge with your right leg. Keep alternating legs required amount once.

Biceps

As with any performance strength exercises, when training biceps with dumbbells are very important correct technique and concentration. Also try to avoid common mistakes doing biceps exercises. For example, many do not fix the shoulders and the body in a fixed position, which takes some of the load off the biceps. Only muscles that support elbow joint, while the shoulders, wrists and body remain motionless.

1. Curls with dumbbells

The dumbbell curl is one of the best exercises for training the biceps. The advantage of dumbbells over the barbell is in the increased amplitude of the turn of the hand, which provides a better study of the biceps muscle. This exercise can be performed standing or sitting on a vertical or incline bench. To perform it, take dumbbells and stand up straight (or sit on a bench). The elbows are pressed to the sides of the body and remain motionless throughout the movement. As you exhale, bend your elbows. On an inhale, straighten your arms back to the starting position.

2. Bending the arms with dumbbells with a grip "hammer"

Hammer - an isolating exercise aimed at development shoulder muscle(brachialis), the muscle that is located under the biceps and which gives it such a peak for all athletes. Perform the exercise standing or sitting on a bench. To do this, take dumbbells with a neutral grip and stand up straight or sit on a bench. The arms are extended to the sides of the body. As you exhale, raise the dumbbells to shoulder level. On an inhale, lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.

The peculiarity of this exercise is a large range of motion and a powerful peak contraction at the top point. The biceps receive the maximum load in this exercise. For correct execution Exercise Sit on a bench and place your feet slightly wider than your shoulders. Take a dumbbell, bend over a little and rest your right elbow on inner part right leg. As you exhale, lift the dumbbell to your upper chest. On an inhale, return to the starting position. Perform the required number of times and repeat the exercise for the other hand.

4. Bending the arms with dumbbells on the Scott bench

The Scott Bench Dumbbell Curl is a targeted biceps workout. The advantage of this exercise is that it excludes the use of cheating, therefore biceps shoulder receives the maximum load. To perform it, sit on the Scott bench and take dumbbells in both hands, palms facing up. You can also take dumbbells with a hammer grip (palms facing each other) - to work out the shoulder muscle (brachialis). As you exhale, straining your biceps, bend your arms as much as possible, lifting the dumbbells to your shoulder. Lower the dumbbells as you inhale.

Triceps

When you train triceps, as well as any other muscle groups, you need to use various equipment, including dumbbells, in order to diversify the load as much as possible. Try to feel the work of the triceps and always follow the technique. Remember that when you focus on how your muscles work during a workout, you will use more muscle fibers. Therefore, each repetition and approach is more effective, and you get the desired results much faster.

french press- is a unique exercise for training triceps. This exercise allows you to work out the triceps along its entire length. When performing this exercise, the emphasis is on the load of the long head of the triceps. This exercise can be performed lying down or sitting. We propose to consider the option of performing the French bench press. Lie down on a bench and grab the dumbbells with your palms facing each other. As you inhale, bend your arms and lower the dumbbells to your ears. As you exhale, extend your arms at the elbows, returning to the starting position.

Another exercise with dumbbells for pumping triceps. This exercise may not be the best for training triceps, but doing it diversifies your arm training, which will undoubtedly benefit you. It is performed as follows: take a dumbbell in your right hand and rest your left knee on the seat of the bench. With your left hand, also rest against the back or seat of the bench. Bend your working arm at a right angle - this will be your starting position. Now straighten your arm at the elbow to full extension, hold for a split second and return to the starting position. Perform the required number of times and repeat the exercise for the second hand.

Shoulders

In most deltoid exercises, you hold the dumbbells at a considerable distance from the body, so they seem heavier than the barbell. Therefore, in order to properly work out the muscles, start exercising with not very heavy dumbbells. The following exercises will improve the shape of the shoulders by developing and strengthening the deltoid muscle.

This exercise strengthens the middle and anterior bundles of the deltoid muscles. To do this, set the back of the bench at a right angle. Take dumbbells and sit down. The knees are bent, the feet are flat on the floor. Bend your arms at a 90-degree angle and spread them apart so that your shoulders are parallel to the floor. The palms are facing forward. Tighten your press. The back is straight, the lower back is tightly pressed against the back of the bench. Holding the position of the torso, raise your arms with dumbbells above your head. Slowly return to the starting position.

The Arnold press is a basic exercise for the development of the deltoid muscles. In this exercise, all three beams are involved, but the main focus is on the middle and front beam. Due to the turn of the arms, the rotator muscles of the shoulder are also included in the work: coracobrachial, supraspinatus and infraspinatus. The technique for doing this exercise is as follows: stand up straight or sit on a bench. Take dumbbells in both hands and fix them at neck level, while pointing your palms towards you. Inhale and holding your breath squeeze the dumbbells up while rotating your hands at the wrists. Exhale at the end of the movement. Inhale and lower the dumbbells along the same path.

Incline dumbbell raise is the most effective exercise for the posterior deltoid muscle. This exercise is the only one that allows you to qualitatively work out the back head of the delta. To perform it, take dumbbells and lean forward, slightly bending your knees. Hands with dumbbells are lowered down. As you exhale, spread your arms out to the sides at the same time. On an inhale, lower your arms to the starting position.

4. Breeding dumbbells to the sides

This is an isolation exercise for working out the middle bundles of the deltoid muscles. You can do it standing or sitting on a bench. To do this, take dumbbells with a neutral grip, palms facing each other. Stand up straight or sit on a bench. The arms are slightly bent at the elbows. As you exhale, spread the dumbbells to the sides without changing the angle at the elbows. On an inhale, lower your arms to the starting position.

12 T-nation experts talk about exercises with dumbbells.

1. Cup squat

Dr. John Racine, Strength and Athletic Trainer

For some reason, the goblet squat is considered a preventive and rehabilitation exercise, which is prescribed only for the elderly and injured. Of course, it can be performed for these purposes, but if you take big weight, this variation of the squat turns into one of the most effective exercises for increasing the strength and mass of the legs.

Why don't lifters do it? Some try to quickly forget about the injury and the shameful movements that they did in the exercise therapy room. And others are simply unaware of his power potential. Cup squats are useful not only for the development of the muscles of the bottom, but also strengthen the cardiovascular system and increase endurance. Holding in front of you during a set of weights requires considerable stability. shoulder girdle and spine.

Do you think that if the bar is much heavier, then squatting with it is better in every way? Find the biggest dumbbell in the gym and try to do as many reps with it as possible. The next day, you will feel how much your legs have worked out, and you will probably want to include the goblet squat in the program. And after a while, you will find that in a regular squat with a barbell, the weights began to increase.

The only warning: if you are lucky enough to find a giant dumbbell, then do not pick it up from the floor, but take it from a bench or box, like a barbell from racks.

2. Rotate dumbbell press

Nick Tumminello – coach and writer

I included this exercise in my book Your Workout Perfected. In addition to pumping up the deltas, it works out the muscles that turn the body and improves the mobility of the pelvic girdle. Very useful for athletes who need to transfer force from the bottom of the body to the top: boxers, strikers, throwers, etc.

Here's how to do it:

Stand straight with the dumbbells up to your shoulders.
Squeezing the dumbbell with your right hand, turn to the left.
To better rotate the pelvis, lift right leg on the toe.
Slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
Then repeat the same on the other side.

After strict presses, you can add jerking with the legs (see video). It is even more useful for boxers and hand-to-hand fighters.
When you get comfortable with alternating presses, you can try jerking with both hands at the same time; or use only one hand - this will add power to the blow, and strengthen the stabilizers of the body more.

3. PJR pullover

Akash Vagela - Powerlifting and Bodybuilding Coach:

A couple of years ago, triceps were my lagging group. I kept flipping different exercises and technique until he learned the move from Paul Carter. And I've been doing it every week since then. It has two huge advantages: 1) it works the long head of the triceps better than any other movement, 2) it spares the elbows - unlike many exercises for triceps.

A regular pullover is performed in two versions - with straight or bent arms, and here you bend your arms while lowering the dumbbell behind your head (the triceps are fully stretched), then, raising the projectile back, straighten your arms. It turns out the average between a pullover and a French bench press (extension of the arms).

Add 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps at the end of each top workout.

4. Triple press

Tom Morrison, weightlifting, martial arts and CrossFit coach:

It's a megaset for building mass and building endurance: you alternate between three pressing movements, stretching the set. Of course, you need to be able to correctly perform all these exercises, work them out first with small weights.

Strict press: lifting the dumbbells to your shoulders and fixing the position of the body, squeeze the shells with the force of only the triceps and deltoids. Do not help with the body and legs.

Push press: sit down a little and, straightening your legs, push the dumbbells at the beginning of the movement, then squeeze with your hands. (in TA called "schwung bench" - translator's note)

Half squat push: first push the dumbbells, and then sit down a second time, straightening your arms. Then rise from a semi-squat with dumbbells over your head. In weightlifting, the exercise is called "jerk jerk".

Try to increase the weight with each workout or add reps to the total.
But don't limit yourself to the same range for each movement - do as many technical reps as possible before you have to switch to the next variation.

5. Burpee + lunge

Eirik Sandvik, Sports Training Specialist

If you have to rest for a long time between exercises with a basic barbell (and physical form leaves a lot to be desired), try this superset:

Lower yourself into an emphasis lying down, leaning on dumbbells, and push up.
With a jump, put your legs to your hands, taking an emphasis while sitting, and stand up.
Do a reverse lunge on each leg.

An easy option is when doing lunges with dumbbells in lowered hands, but you can complicate it by lifting the dumbbells over your head.

Increase speed and add repetitions (performing a maximum of 30, 45, 60 seconds) without increasing the working weight. This exercise is for endurance, not strength. It is best to put it at the end of the workout as a finishing (finisher). When you get comfortable, you can alternate with supersets for other muscle groups to get a circular block for 3-5 minutes.

6. Slow Down Inching Press

Joel Seedman, PhD, Strength Coach, Athletic Training Specialist

Standing press - great exercise to develop strength; leg push press adds power; the one-handed version connects a lot of stabilizers and improves coordination. Add to it a slow lowering to increase the load on the working muscles.

As a result, you will not only work out the deltas and triceps, but also strengthen the shoulder joint, spine, core muscles (and improve posture), which will contribute to progress in other exercises.

Working with one hand and focusing on the negative will help correct imbalances in muscle development. If you have always used only two hands to press, this option will be difficult at first, but will bring many benefits over time.

It can be performed not only according to the power scheme, but also for the development of endurance; add repetitions - and just one set will exhaust you like a sprint with maximum acceleration.

7. Jump Cup Squat

Calvin Heinh, strength coach

Jump squats are very effective for developing speed and power (and activating the maximum number of fibers), but they are somewhat awkward to do with a barbell + not very good for the spine and knees. Even a technical landing with a barbell on the shoulders can overload the joints.

The option with dumbbells on the sides is better, but also not ideal: subconsciously you try to bring your knees together so as not to hit your hips with shells.

But here the goblet squat allows you to give all the best, freely working with your legs, and also unloads the spine. Try adding 3 sets of 5 reps per next workout legs.

8. Side swing

Tim Arndt, strength coach

In the past, dynamic rises through the sides were popular, but today few people do them - and in vain, they add strength and power to the deltas and traps.

Unlike strict side lifts, the swing is performed with acceleration, and with only one hand. To do this, of course, you will need a reliable support - a power frame or other simulator. And, of course, you should wave without fanaticism, without breaking your arm out of the shoulder joint. When the dumbbell stops lifting and starts to lower, consciously slow down the movement. Accelerated concentric and slow eccentric is the best combination for power and hypertrophy.

9. Squat with a dumbbell between the legs

Bret Contreras, strength and conditioning specialist

This is the favorite glute exercise of my client Tawna Eubanks McCoy, a fitness athlete. Although hall bros consider it “girly” and don’t even try it, believe me, 3 sets of 20 repetitions with a 50 kilogram dumbbell will convince the quadra and gluteal of any doubter.

Stand on the steps or plinths to lower the dumbbell between them until the legs are fully bent and the working muscles are stretched. Do 3-4 sets of 8-20 reps. Quads still lagging behind? Place pancakes under your heels so that the load is not removed at the top point. And for the development of the gluteal, alternate this squat with a bridge.

10. French press of two dumbbells with a neutral grip

Mark Dugdale, IFBB Pro Bodybuilder

While the curved bar or one dumbbell variation is common, I suggest trying two. This method has a number of advantages:

neutral grip (palms to each other) removes the load from the pectorals, which are included in the version with a barbell,
separate work with two hands activates the triceps more,
after strict repetitions, you can change the slope of the hands and continue the approach (see video), which cannot be repeated with one dumbbell,
this option is significantly lighter on the elbows and wrists.

11. Dumbbell Bench Press

Tony Gentilcore, strength and conditioning specialist

This is one of best moves for those who seek to build outstanding pecs. Barbells are fine (you can use more weight), but dumbbell bench presses are always better for chest development. The range of motion of the bar is limited by the bar, plus you're only doing lifts, but with dumbbells the range is greater, and you can add an abduction by pressing the dumbbells together for the entire set.

I do as a utility after the regular bench press:

Bench press - add weight to heavy sets of three repetitions,
I unload percent by 10-15% and do another 3-4 sets of 3
I finish with this “compressive” dumbbell press in 3-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
And I regularly change the slope: head up, horizontal bench, head down. Give it a try and soon your pecs will start to cut through the shirt.

12. Spider Curl

Michael Warren - strength and athletic coach

A great exercise for working out a short bundle of biceps. Normally, the biceps are targeted on a music stand, but spider curls are better because they keep the muscles under tension at the top of the movement.

One Bitz Hack - Press the dumbbells together throughout the movement and pause at the top, then slowly lower. When you hit failure, pull your elbows back a little (reducing your range of motion) and grind out a few extra reps.

This is one of the main basic exercises for pumping the deltoid muscles. It will help you gain mass and strength in the shoulder girdle, make the shoulders wider and give them the desired rounded-convex shape.

The dumbbell press is one of the most popular exercises in bodybuilding. According to many professionals, it is almost impossible to “pump” the deltoid muscles without dumbbell presses. Most trainers believe that this exercise, first of all, loads the front bundles of the deltoid muscles, secondly, the middle bundles of the deltas are already connected to the work, and the back of the shoulder receives a completely insignificant share of the load.

The difference between the barbell press and the dumbbell press is that the amplitude and trajectory of movement during the dumbbell press is much larger, which means that the muscles get a greater load and are better worked out, which is undoubtedly a big plus for this exercise.

Ways to do the exercise

1. Standing and sitting dumbbell press

Take dumbbells, stand up straight or sit on a bench. In the starting position, the dumbbells are at eye level or slightly lower. Elbows are turned to the sides. Forearms are vertical. Deflection in the lower back. As you exhale, squeeze the dumbbells up, slightly connecting them above your head. On an inhale, slowly return to the starting position.

During the exercise, carefully control the trajectory of the movement of the dumbbells. Be sure to bring them over your head, by doing this you increase the dynamics of muscle work. Hands should move in the same plane.

Standing dumbbell press overhead.
Overhead dumbbell press while sitting.

2. Overhead Dumbbell Press with Neutral Grip

Take dumbbells and hold them in your arms bent at a right angle at shoulder level. Forearms are perpendicular to the floor. As you exhale, press the dumbbells over your head. On an inhale, lower the dumbbells to your shoulders.

Exercise options:

Standing dumbbell overhead press with a neutral grip.
Alternating dumbbell overhead press with a neutral grip while standing.
Dumbbell press with one hand overhead with a neutral grip while standing.
Overhead dumbbell press with a neutral grip while sitting.

There are a large number of different exercises, many nuances and subtleties in the technique of their implementation. One of these nuances is the type of grip that is used when performing a particular exercise. And really, how to take the bar correctly, how to put your palm on the horizontal bar, from below or from above, and at what width should you keep your hands on the bar?

Why use different grips.

Different grips are used to pump the muscles from different angles, affecting a particular area more concentratedly. muscle group. By changing the grip, you change the groups of muscles being worked out.

Thus, it turns out that there is no universal answer to the question: Which grip will be correct or which grip will be more effective. In most cases, the choice of grip will depend on the specific exercise and on the goals that you set for yourself when performing it.

Types of grips.

So, what are the grips? Depending on how the palm holds the bar or crossbar, there are three types of grip:

Straight or overhand grip.

Also called pronated grip, from the word pronation, which means rotary motion inside. In a position where the arms are lowered down, with such a grip, the palms will look back.

Neutral or Parallel.

In the position when the arms are lowered down, with such a grip, both palms are turned to the body and look at each other. The grip on the horizontal bar is also called neutral, when the palms look in opposite directions.

Reverse or underhand grip.

The so-called supinated grip, from the word supination, which means outward rotational movement. In a position where the arms are lowered down, with such a grip, the palms will look forward.

When performing exercises, the distance of the hands from each other is of great importance, therefore, depending on the width of the installation of the hands, the grips are also divided into three types.

Narrow grip.

With this grip, the hands should be placed already shoulder width apart. The amplitude of movement with a narrow grip is the maximum, which favorably affects the result. However, using narrow grip, you often connect non-target muscles, such as triceps, which take part of the load on themselves and the effect of the exercise decreases.

Medium grip.

With this grip, the hands are shoulder-width apart. The middle grip is the most common, considered classic and often serves to work out the muscles involved in the exercise. Ideal for beginner athletes.

Wide grip.

A wide grip is a grip when the arms are wider than shoulder width. With this grip, you can focus on the target muscle. However, this grip often reduces the effectiveness of the exercise, since it significantly reduces the range of motion.

According to the location of the thumb during the grip, the grips are divided into closed and open, or safe and dangerous, respectively.

Closed grip.

In this variant, four fingers hold the bar or crossbar on one side, and the thumb holds it on the other side, as if wrapping it around in a ring. When performing exercises with a barbell, this type of grip is usually used, since it is safe to hold the projectile with it. When performing exercises on the horizontal bar, it allows you to more tenaciously hold on to the crossbar.

Open grip (monkey, army).

This grip variant consists in the fact that the bar or crossbar is grasped not with four fingers, but with all five. Thumb in this case, it does not hold, but simply touches the projectile. It is believed that this grip helps to squeeze more weight. However, since the projectile can jump off the hand, it should be used with great care. In exercises with dumbbells, such a grip is generally not recommended. When pulling up on the horizontal bar, this grip is used by quite a few people, on this projectile this grip is also called monkey or army.

So, let's see what grips are used on various implements.

Grips when training with a barbell.

When performing exercises with a barbell, a closed grip is often used, which allows you to clearly fix the projectile in your hands. But still, there are also such athletes who are more comfortable holding the bar with an open grip. This mainly applies to back exercises and presses, especially the bench press, but since it is not safe, it will be better to use a closed grip.

Choice of direct or reverse grip often determined by the exercise itself, but a different grip width is often used when exercising with a barbell. All kinds of presses and pulls are often recommended to be performed with different grip widths, which contributes to a more complete study of the target muscles.

Grips when training with dumbbells.

Dumbbells should always be held with a closed grip. Unlike barbell exercises with dumbbells, it is possible to change the grip right during the exercise, this is often used. Holding the projectile at the starting point with one grip, we change it to another at the end point.

An example of a change in direct, neutral or reverse grip is the Arnold press or dumbbell side raiseswhen we supinate or prone the dumbbells while pressing to the top point. In exercises with dumbbells, the width of the grip is the distance between the hands, which is also customary to change in some exercises, bringing the hands together at the top and spreading them at the bottom, for example when bench press dumbbells.

The ability to use these techniques gives dumbbells an advantage over the barbell, which allows you to influence the muscles in a more diverse way and, ultimately, favorably influence their development.

Grips when pulling up on the horizontal bar.

This is where all kinds of grips are used, so it is with pull-ups on the horizontal bar. What you get as a result depends on how exactly you take up the crossbar. Different grips will help athletes with different levels of training achieve the desired result.

Using a reverse grip helps beginners in mastering pull-ups, as it makes it easier to perform the exercise due to the fact that a stronger biceps is included in the work and takes some of the load off the back. The width of the grip helps the experienced athlete to concentrate the load on certain areas of the back and work out the target muscles.

As you can see, different types of grip are an important part training process, so it's a good idea to take the time to learn how to use them in different situations. Knowledge of the subtleties and features various kinds grip, putting them into practice, will help to diversify and improve your workouts, which in turn will help you achieve the result you want.