Strong shoulders not only look fantastic, they help you do all arm movements as well as prevent a dreaded shoulder injury. The dumbbell overhead press is a great move to work the shoulders because it engages all three “heads” of the shoulder muscles (anterior deltoid (front), medial deltoid (mid) and posterior (back) deltoid). Also, because you are using two weights (one in each hand) you have to work each shoulder individually so that you gain strength in both shoulders instead of relying on the stronger shoulder to help the weaker shoulder when lifting a barbell overhead. One more benefit of the overhead press is that you also use your lower body and abdominals to stabilize your body….therefore, it’s kinda like a work-you-whole-body move.
The Muscles Worked: Shoulders/Deltoids
How to:
- Start by standing with soft knees and tight abominals.
- Grasp a dumbbell in each hand and slowly raise them up so that your arms create a 90 decree angle (the weights should be on either side of your head).
- Press the arms and weights up over your head until you have a straight arm.
- Return to start (arms at 90 degrees) and repeat.
Trainer Tips:
- Hands and weights should be slightly in front of your ears and not behind the head for proper alignment.
- Do not look to the side while performing this move, instead look directly ahead. This will protect your neck.
- Exhale when you press the weight up and inhale as you lower the weight into starting position.
Make 'em Harder: I love making this exercise multifunctional by adding some balance challenge to it. You can do this move on one foot or on a BOSU for more core strength and balance work.
Enjoy!
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