A healthy lifestyle and a fit body! The combination of these two things has changed the course of life for many people. It all takes lots of efforts and days of hard work to reach your fitness goals.
Many people love the convenience of gyms and take active part in group activities. With a room full of equipment, uplifting music and a whole bunch of fitness enthusiasts, working out becomes a great challenge. I’ve known people who loved to go to the gym just because of the crowd of inspiring people. Having a gym partner at the side makes it easier for some people to reach their fitness goals.
However, there are many people who find the busy environment of a gym quite distracting. That’s why they prefer personal training at home. With a strained and professional personal trainer providing undivided attention to their exercise routine, these people feel comfortable. By getting undivided attention, they are able to focus on their goals and work hard to achieve them. Some beginners are likely to take up this strategy and rightly so.
The Dilemma for Beginners
After living a life of considerable unhealthy habits, many people seek the comfort and blessings of a healthy lifestyle. The years of unbalanced diet and no-exercise lifestyle eventually starts to take its toll. At that time, you have a choice, either to continue on the same path of destruction or take a chance and make a better life for yourself. The biggest motivation during such a time is having a personal trainer who designs specific regimes for you and helps you get the fit body of your dreams.
The beginners usually have a hard time because they have to give up a lifetime of unhealthy habits. That’s why this blog is dedicated to all those beginners. I know that it might all seem daunting to you. The exercises, the diets and the need to curb your unhealthy habits. But believe me, this difficult phase will pass soon. Once your body gets used to the new routine, you’ll be able to relax and actually enjoy the transformation.
The biggest problem with beginners is that they lack guidance. They take unsolicited advice from the internet and end up hurting themselves in the process. I’ve had a number of clients who sustained injuries just because they wanted to follow the latest trend and used some YouTube videos. There is a goldmine of information out there and some of that is really useful. But the beginners who have no clue about the fitness world tend to get themselves in trouble.
Well, they learned the lesson and decided to get professional help. That’s how I came in the picture and the first thing one of my clients questioned me about was shoulder exercises. That’s when I realized how many beginners struggle with the same issue. Without the help of a professionally trained and certified personal trainer, beginners find it hard to adopt a regime that caters to their specific fitness needs.
Chris Falcon is a personal trainer and founder of Chicago’s Reactive Performance Enhancement Center. He stated that ‘some lifters think training for hypertrophy means they have to grab super-light weights and do as many repetitions as they can’.
I believe, and have always advised my clients, to lift adequate weight. The simple fact is that if you want your muscles to grow, the load must be substantial. The force also plays an important role here. When lifting, it’s essential to use extra force that remains consistent. I’ve seen many people lift with no stability or power. The end result? The exercise is futile and they end up taking a trip to the ER. All the people who think that training in bad form doesn’t matter just have to Google it. Torn ligatures and muscles hurt quite badly and can take a long time to heal. These seemingly simple injuries have the potential to become life-changing or at the least, disrupt your workout plans.
Shoulder Exercises for Beginners
During all of the exercises mentioned below, make sure you maintain the right posture. I’ve discussed the basics of a good form in another one of my blogs. Read it for more guidance. If you attempt the exercises with a bad form, not only will the results be affected but you can also seriously get injured. Sit up straight with your chest out and up. Let your spine maintain the normal curvature and keep your shoulders retracted.
If you are a beginner, it’s better to start with exercises that don’t involve any weights. First things first, you need to get your arms used to working out. If you’ve never exercised before and usually have a slow level of activity daily, your body would need some time to adjust. Your shoulders need to have the requisite mobility to complete any exercise. If you directly start with weights, you can seriously harm your shoulder joint.
So let’s start with a basic shoulder exercise. It’s simple enough but can really test the stamina of beginners. So let’s get to it!
WALL SLIDE
Stand against a wall and keep your arms up at a right angle, 90o. You can also call this the surrender pose. With your arms and hands still on the wall, slowly slide them up until they’re straight. Lower them back to the original position and repeat.
Do 3 sets of the exercise with 10 reps. Take 1 minute rest between each set.
SEATED DUMBBELL OVERHEAD PRESS
Sit straight and tall at the bench. Press up with just the right strength. Going too fast and with too much strength can hurt you so be careful. Align your biceps alongside your ears and go for your full range of motion. If your pressure angle is far forward of your head while you do both the arms at the same time, stop and just use one arm at a time. This will slow down the results but at least you won’t hurt yourself.
Do 3 sets of the exercise with 10 reps. Take 1 minute rest between each set.
FRONT & LATERAL RAISE
Doing this combo of great exercises targets both your front and middle delts. By altering between the two, you keep your shoulders busy and the burn will surely reflect the power of this workout.
Keep a hammer grip on the dumbbells and raise them on your sides. Instead of going for the full 180o motion, keep them slightly inwards. This way you’ll be able to see them in your peripheral vision and it won’t strain your arms more than they need to be. Lower the arms and then switch to the front raise.
Keep your arms by your side, raise them up straight until they are parallel to the ground. Here too, bend your arms a little by using your full range of motion.
Do 3 sets of the exercise with 10 reps. Take 1 minute rest between each set.
REVERSE FLY
The reverse fly is great for beginners. It includes a range of motions and you get to work out your posterior. This works perfectly for your shoulders. So make sure you incorporate this in your regime.
You need to use the incline bench for this one. Lean on the bench with your chest down. The incline bench will provide the support your torso needs. Grip your dumbbells and raise them up on your sides. It might look like you’re flapping wings and that’s exactly the move that you’re aiming for. Don’t let your arms flail. Hold the dumbbells tightly and keep your movements steady. Lower your arms and repeat the exercise.
Do 3 sets of the exercise with 10 reps. Take 1 minute rest between each set.
STANDING FRONT AND SIDE RAISE
You’re going to love this exercise! Take your dumbbells, hold them with a hammer grip and hold your arms straight out. Make sure they are parallel to the ground. Don’t lose your grip on the weights. Lower your arms slowly and stop as they get to your side. Raise your arms again and repeat the exercise.
Do 3 sets of the exercise with 10 reps. Take 1 minute rest between each set.
PRONE SHOULDER PRESS
You can do this vertically too but by lying face-down, you can engage your core along with your rear delts. The vertical position also has its benefit as it engages your front and middle delts. So based on your goal for the exercise, choose the position. I recommend my beginner clients to go for the lying position as it is more fruitful.
Take your position and lay face-down on the floor. Use light dumbbells for this one. Extend your arms until they are parallel to the ground. Don’t let the dumbbells touch the ground (it might be harder than you think). Bring them up and touch the dumbbells to your shoulder.
Do 3 sets of the exercise with 10 reps. Take 1 minute rest between each set.
TRAP BAR SHRUG
Although the exercise says trap bar but even dumbbells will work for this one. This one looks easy because all you have to do is shrug. Hold the dumbbells and shrug your shoulders up and down. Keep at it and after a while you’ll start to feel it in your arms.
Do 3 sets of the exercise with 10 reps. Take 1 minute rest between each set.
Common Mistakes During Shoulder Exercises
A few days back I was talking to one of my clients and discussing the common mistakes that people make when doing shoulder exercises. All I had to do to prove this issue was go to a nearby gym and observe the exercisers. The people were hard at work and most of them made the mistakes that I had previously observed in beginners. Since they don’t get proper direction and are misguided by the avalanche of false information, they tend to make some common mistakes.
Fortunately the people who avail the services of personal training don’t have to work through these hurdles. From the start they get the best advice and hence are less likely to get hurt.
But for all the people who work out on their own, it’s important to know about these mistakes and avoid them at all cost. So let’s get started.
Underemphasizing Rear Delts & Overemphasizing Front Delts
I’ve observed that this is a common mistake that beginners make and that’s why I’ve included a few exercises for posterior delts.
Many of the people who take on personal training complain about the same issue. They think their rear delts don’t get worked out as often as they should. Many of the beginners are usually unaware that this problem even exists. They take up a workout routine and just follow that blindly. They fail to realize that their rear delts are getting no attention at all.
The best way to counter this is by including rear raises and prone shoulder press. Make sure that posterior is not your last workout for the day.
Going too fast
Remember that your body will need time to adjust to your new lifestyle. Speeding it up will do more harm than good. Don’t go too heavy with the weights at first and avoid using too much momentum.
The best way to engage your delts the right way is to do shoulder exercises while sitting. Pause at the bottom of reps so that the new rep begins from a dead stop. By eliminating swinging motion, you can get the most out of your exercises, without hurting yourself.
Go over your workout regime and see if you’re committing the same mistakes. Avoid them as much as you can and get the best results for your hard work. Just remember that things won’t happen in a day or two. So be patient, be consistent and your goals will become easier.
