Dumbbell swings to the sides: variations, benefits, which muscles work

Benefits and disadvantages of exercise

Pros:

• Allows you to thoroughly work out the middle part of the deltoid muscle.
• Dumbbell flyes are an isolation exercise.
• The ability to perform the exercise both at home and in the gym. You can also perform side swings not only with dumbbells, but also with other sports equipment, for example, with elastic bands or in the lower block of a crossover.
• Suitable for absolutely everyone (women, beginners and professionals).
• The exercise is used for both pumping and mass gain.
• An excellent option for endurance training, relevant in relief training and for weight loss.
• Can be used in supersets, trisets and drop sets.

Minuses:

• Among the disadvantages, we can note possible discomfort and even pain in the back and shoulder joints for those athletes who have injuries to the spine or shoulder.
• Also, the exercise is not intended to increase the strength of the deltoid muscles.

How to correctly do dumbbell raises while standing on your shoulders - the technique of raising your arms to the sides and 5 mistakes

Do you dream of a toned, athletic figure? Training different muscle groups will help you achieve the desired result. Their regimen is selected individually with an experienced mentor, which helps to achieve optimal and sustainable results quickly enough, even at home.

What muscles work?

Standing swings are practiced by both beginners and advanced athletes. It is suitable for both men, girls and women. They can be used both for gaining weight and for losing weight and burning fat in the shoulder area.

Unlike the bent-over dumbbell raise, in this version we stand straight, and the load is aimed at pumping primarily the middle deltas. The trapezius and supraspinatus muscles are actively involved.

The result is rounded, sculpted and wide shoulders, on which the eye literally stops. Plus, such training with dumbbells is basic for building muscles involved in a wide variety of physical activities.

Dumbbell lateral raises while standing with both hands

To achieve an impressive and sustainable result, it is enough to master once and strictly follow the step-by-step technology. You can do the workout yourself, in front of a mirror, or have someone more experienced monitor your technique and adjust the details.

Technique:

1. Use dumbbells of the same weight, stand stable and comfortable, place your feet shoulder-width apart (as wide as possible). The arms are relaxed, the dumbbells are slightly turned towards the torso and located to the side of the hips. Stay straight and look forward.
2. Inhale more air and hold it in your lungs and raise your arms vigorously but smoothly. The main tension is concentrated in the deltas, feel it. The line of the arms, shoulders, back, when looking at the trainee from above, forms a straight line with an angle of 180 degrees .
3. Important nuance! As you lift the dumbbells, keep your elbows slightly bent at a slight angle that is comfortable for your arms. Lock this position and do not deviate from it.
4. Upper “mark” - dumbbells raised to shoulder height. Having brought the dumbbells to this height, exhale and slowly begin to move the dumbbells back down. Proceed to the next approach immediately, without pausing. Don't give your muscles a break within one set.

Extend your arms to the sides at a leisurely but rhythmic pace. Avoid jerking and sudden movements. The recommended number of approaches is three to four, ten to fifteen repetitions.

One-handed version

The general principle of execution is similar to the classic exercise with dumbbells. But this variation of this exercise has its own characteristics, which must be taken into account if you decide to include it in your complex:

1. Training with the body tilted towards the working arm is carried out at a squat rack. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and grab the rack bar with the other hand. The legs are moved together, heels and toes touching. Stand in this position closer to the counter (at a distance of about 30 centimeters).
2. Preparing for correct hand placement. The arm is located along the body. The dumbbell hangs freely in the hand, the inner side of the hand is slightly turned towards the body. The torso should be positioned hanging at an acute angle (feet closer, head further) relative to the stand.
3. Holding the bar with your hand, straighten your arm. By tilting the entire body to the side, unnecessary activity of the infraspinatus muscle is limited, all the necessary tension is focused on the delta.
4. As with the main variation of the workout, smoothly move your arm with the load to the side. The movement stops at shoulder level . After a short pause, inhale and slowly lower your hand back down.

Carefully! Despite the popularity of such training, its apparent ease and simplicity, this exercise requires a careful and careful approach. The fact is that in the process of work, groups of shoulder muscles are involved, which are quite vulnerable if handled carelessly. Even minor injuries can lead to temporary impairment of muscle performance, discomfort and pain (even in a calm state), which means you risk disrupting your training schedule and delaying the desired result.

What muscles work when raising dumbbells to the sides?

The main muscles that work when performing the movement are the middle deltoid muscles. If you perform the movement without following the technique, the front or back of the deltas will be involved in the work. Also involved in the work are the core muscles and, with excessive amplitude, the trapezius muscles.

Standing dumbbell lateral raises

1. Place your feet hip-width apart with your knees slightly bent.
2. Lower your arms with the dumbbells downwards, then bend your elbows, maintaining the position, bringing the dumbbells closer to each other at pelvic level.
3. Lean your torso forward slightly.
4. As you exhale, swing through the sides, pushing your elbows and little finger out, turning your hand up toward the ceiling.
5. Exhale and slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting position.

Bent-over dumbbell raises[edit | edit code]

Muscles working when raising arms with dumbbells in a forward bend: 1 - deltoid; 2 - trapezoidal; 3 - latissimus dorsi; 4 - teres minor; 5 - big steep Main article:
Bent-over dumbbell raises

Inventory

:dumbbells.

Core muscles

: rear deltoids.

Additional muscles

: back muscles, middle deltoids.

Level of training

: from beginner to advanced.

In this exercise, it is important to choose a weight of dumbbells that will allow you to perform the movement without playing along with your back. Otherwise, the entire load will fall on the back muscles, and not on the rear deltas.

Step 1

. Take the dumbbells and bend forward 45°, extending your arms with the dumbbells in front of you. Keep your knees bent.

Step 2

. Without raising your torso, spread your arms with dumbbells, bending your elbows.

Step 3

. Smoothly lower your arms, overcoming resistance.

When recovering from injuries, training for speed and strength, as well as to diversify the training process, use a rubber expander instead of dumbbells. The technique remains the same.

Using rubber bands at different angles allows you to target your muscles in different ways.

Swing dumbbells to the sides while sitting

The best option for performing dumbbell swings is the sitting option. You should choose a place in front of the mirror. The first approach should be a warm-up and when performing it, the athlete should use light weight.

1. While sitting on a bench, your shoulders should be straightened and your feet should be shoulder-width apart or wider. When performing swings while sitting, the legs will fix the position of the body and help maintain balance.
2. You need to look straight ahead. Hands with dumbbells should be slightly bent at the elbow joints. The bend must be maintained throughout the entire exercise.
3. Please note that the hands should not move along the body (in the same plane), but a little further, in front of it. This occurs due to bending at the elbow joint. The dumbbells are held with a straight grip, that is, the palms are turned towards each other at the lowest point of the amplitude.
4. The movement begins on inhalation from the lowest point of the amplitude, when the arms are located on the sides along the body.
5. The highest point of the amplitude is when the arms are parallel to the floor. If you increase the amplitude, the trapezius muscle will be involved in the work. But the elbows in this exercise (at the top point of the amplitude) should be higher than the hands.
6. You should hold the dumbbells at the top and then slowly lower them down while inhaling. The exercise is performed without jerking, slowly, concentrating tension only in the deltoid muscles.

Work of muscles and joints

The main working groups when swinging dumbbells to the sides are the middle fascicle of the deltoid muscle and the rotator cuff. The biceps and forearm receive a small load, and the rear deltoids are also slightly loaded. But the main advantage of this exercise is its ability to load the stabilizer muscles, which are usually the least developed. The point is that the exercise is performed in a very unusual and long amplitude, as a result of which the body has to coordinate the work of both arms by stabilizing the shoulder joint. Since the core muscles of the shoulders are loaded directly by the concept of weight, there is nothing left to do but load the free muscles. That is why in this exercise those muscle segments that usually remain unused are also stressed!

The exercise is isolating, so only one joint works, and it should be taken into account that this is the shoulder joint! The shoulder is the most flexible and mobile joint in the human body, and this comes at the cost of fragility, which is why shoulders are so often injured. warm-up and moderate working weight while performing dumbbell swings to the sides will help you avoid injuries It is also recommended to keep your elbows slightly bent so as not to put unnecessary strain on them. The spine is completely safe, but the athlete must still maintain lordosis, and this is also important from the point of view of load distribution.

One-handed bend option

When performing the exercise with one hand, it is very easy to injure the spine. To avoid possible problems, you should fix the position with your free hand. To do this, just grab the crossover stand or just the wall. Otherwise, the exercise is performed similarly to swings with dumbbells to the sides while standing.

Swing your arms to the side with an elastic band

For this exercise you will need an elastic band of optimal elasticity, which is selected individually. You need to take one side of the tape in your hand and step on the other side with your foot. If the length of the expander allows, then step on it in the middle and spread it with both hands. The movement is performed with the hand with the elbow joint straightened. The highest point of the amplitude is the level when the hand is parallel to the floor. This option is suitable for women and athletes during rehabilitation after injuries.

Implementation recommendations

Swings should be performed at the end of the training process.

An example of a workout for the deltoid muscles:

• Arnold press.
• Front swings.
• Vertical press.
• Swing dumbbells to the sides.
• Dumbbell rows on an incline bench for the rear deltoid.
• Bent over dumbbell swings behind the rear deltoid.
• Shrugs with dumbbells.

The exercise should be performed three to four sets of 8-12 repetitions. It can also be performed in supersets, trisets, and in workouts aimed at losing weight or cutting, it’s also great to do a drop set.

Technique for performing dilutions

This movement has only a few technical features. They are aimed at ensuring that the load does not shift to the anterior and posterior bundles of the deltoid muscles. The front bundles raise the arms, the rear bundles pull them back. It’s simple - you don’t need to allow a swing with a clear emphasis on bringing your shoulder blades together and swinging forward with dumbbells swinging in front of your chest. Options with shifting accents and cheating are loved by bodybuilding professionals for only one reason. These people train for years, sometimes decades. It’s difficult to “pierce” their muscles with anything and surprise them. That’s why they use methods that seem strange to the average person.

Important: This exercise is rarely performed first in shoulder girdle training, but almost always requires a joint warm-up. If you have already done standing and bench presses, you just need to perform a few rotations in the shoulder joint, moving your arm back. Those who have not done this require a full warm-up, with light presses with a body bar, abductions with rubber or without weights.

How to perform the movement:

1. Stand directly in front of the mirror so that you can see your movements;
2. Take dumbbells in your hands with minimal weight, but such that you can feel it;
3. Move your forearm to the side, along an arched path, raising your elbow to the side, but not higher than your shoulder;
4. Elbows slightly bent;
5. The dumbbells in the hands turn in the same direction as the movement;
6. When we move our arms to the sides, the little finger is at the top, the thumb is at the bottom, this causes the dumbbells to turn;
7. Lifting and lowering are performed smoothly and slowly, without cheating the body and additional unnecessary movements

In normal mode, the movement is performed for 10-12 repetitions. But there are also special cases. For example, a person has very responsive slow muscle fibers and needs high repetitions or statics, that is, holding dumbbells at the top point. Or an option with a relatively low-repetition regime is possible, if the opposite is true. Here it is important to observe yourself and do what the body responds to.

Important: the exercise should not be performed using inertial force in any of the options. If you need to push with your legs, jump, or move your body, the weight is too heavy and needs to be reduced.

DUMBBELL FLIES (swings)