You want big delts?

[gopro]

Here is a very rarely used exercise that will literally destroy your delts, as well as tax many of your stabilizers...

The single arm dumbell press! Tricks...

-do them standing, not seated
-do them on one leg...get an incline bench, and put it all the way up to almost 90 degrees...have the seat facing you...put the left knee on the seat and put your left hand on the top of the bench (this is when working the right arm...of course do the opposite when working the left arm)
-use a weight that is about 75% of your regular two arm dumbell press weight
-when you can't get any more strict reps, begin to use a little knee bend and body language to get a few more reps (don't cheat excessively though)
-try them 2 ways...palm facing front the whole time, and palm facing in toward your head at the beginning of the rep...then rotate through the rep sp that the palm is facing front at the top..reverse the process on the way down
-do them first with heavy weight, or at the end of your routine, for a crazy final burn!

Have fun!

 

[Showdown]

Nice, nice, nice!!!

Just by mimicking your description next to my computer screen, I can see awesome-ass devestation to the stabilizer muscles used in this exercise. Could be brutal in a super or giant-set!!!

 

[Neil]

lol, I thought this was gonna be a DR. Pain thread
Looks intesting, I'll give them a try when I start training shoulders again.

 

[Robboe]

Have you tried them with a barbell?

 

[TJohn]

Yes, that isn't used very often at least with my group. Sounds like a good on to try though. Mix it up a bit. Would you totally replace bb mils with those on your shoulder day ??

TJohn

 

[Rob_NC]

Originally posted by The_Chicken_Daddy
Have you tried them with a barbell?

I do something similar with an empty barbell. The strength coach at Wake Forest taught me that one. He says it's mainly for core strength development, but hits the anterior shoulder really well. Controlling the long bar is difficult at the end of the set and hits many stabilizers.

 

[TJohn]

Originally posted by Rob_NC


I do something similar with an empty barbell. The strength coach at Wake Forest taught me that one. He says it's mainly for core strength development, but hits the anterior shoulder really well. Controlling the long bar is difficult at the end of the set and hits many stabilizers.

wow, that's interesting !! That would be difficult especially with an olympic straight bar

TJohn

 

[gopro]

Do it with a barbell if your interests lie in increasing core strength mostly...use a dumbell if you are looking for delt hypertrophy, which was the intention of the thread really.

 

[TJohn]

Please explain "core strength"

TJohn

 

[gopro]

Originally posted by TJohn
Please explain "core strength"

TJohn

Core strength concerns the muscles that provide the base of strength...the abs and back musculature. These are the muscles that "stabilize" the spine. Strengthening these muscles will greatly increase sports performance, enhance lifting ability in major movements, improve posture, and minimize injury.

 

[TJohn]

Originally posted by gopro


Core strength concerns the muscles that provide the base of strength...the abs and back musculature. These are the muscles that "stabilize" the spine. Strengthening these muscles will greatly increase sports performance, enhance lifting ability in major movements, improve posture, and minimize injury.

Thanks

TJohn

 

[gopro]

Originally posted by TJohn


Thanks

TJohn

You got it!

 

[Yanks20]

guess i will have to give that a try. tonight is shoulder night anyway so it will be balls to the wall. just one question do you feel you get a better burn after doing regular presses and then these or just use this as my primary pressing movement?

 

[gopro]

Originally posted by Yanks20
guess i will have to give that a try. tonight is shoulder night anyway so it will be balls to the wall. just one question do you feel you get a better burn after doing regular presses and then these or just use this as my primary pressing movement?

I feel these more than ANY delt exercise...pressing or lateral. Just use it as your only press for the day!

 

[Yanks20]

thanks, will give it a try this evening and let you know how it goes.

 

[ponyboy]

Just to clarify...

When using a barbell, are you still using one arm or two while having your leg up for support like a modified standing military press?

Seems to me the point is to work one side at a time for stability, but using a barbell would make this very strenuous on the flexors and extensors for wrist stablility. Or is that the point?

 

[HickeyNC]

Thanks again Gopro!

I'm going to try those.

 

[Rob_NC]

Originally posted by ponyboy
Just to clarify...

When using a barbell, are you still using one arm or two while having your leg up for support like a modified standing military press?

Seems to me the point is to work one side at a time for stability, but using a barbell would make this very strenuous on the flexors and extensors for wrist stablility. Or is that the point?

Use one arm with the same method of support as GP outlined. True, there is quiet a bit of stress on the wrist, that's why I put my thumb under the bar to keep it from pivoting backwards too much.

 

[Rob_NC]

WTF?! A double post, sorry.

 

[Mudge]

I just did shoulders a couple days ago, but I'll give this a shot. I've never been a fan of standing stuff, but I do have a belt now so I don't have to worry about the back so much.

Ok, here is a question, should I hold 2 dumbells or would I be defeating half of the stabalization effort?

 

[Vale Tudo]

This sounds great, tomorrow is shoulders and tris for me, I am definiteyl trying this one!

 

[ZECH]

I think I will try this Friday!!

 

[ponyboy]

Just got done with 4 sets of this exercise, and I must say that it hit my shoulders very nicely. The only thing that concerned me was my lower back, which seemed to be providing a lot of the stability for the movement, which can put unnecessary strain on it if done improperly. I would not suggest this movement for beginners.

GP, any way to combat that? Or is that what one would aim for when doing this exercise to train the stabilizers in the lower back as well?

 

[Yanks20]

i too did these last night and found at the heavier end my lower back was arching and more pressure was on my lower back. it did hit the shoulders very well and i will add this into my rountine every few weeks but not on a regular basis.

and just like pony said, is this part of the stabilizing movement?

 

[DWB]

Excellent routine!

I gave this a go yesterday and was totally impressed with it. The whole set up was comfortable, making it super easy to get the mind into the delts, right from the word go.

I did six sets for each side, palms facing the mirror. I progressively increased the weights for the first five sets, then dropped it back a tad on the final sixth set and went to failure (15 right delt,12 left delt)

Also, I worked one side first, till completed, then I tackled the other side.

Thanks for the routine, I'll pass it along to some others who I know will enjoy it.

 

[Mudge]

Thats why I brought it up, my back will feel most anything I do if its something that involves having to stabalize myself with the back. If I can hold a second dumbell then obviously it wouldn't be so bad, and this is the same reason I never believed in standing presses. I do have a belt though which would help in some regard.

 

[gopro]

Ok...I'm glad alot of you decided to give this a try. I think it is the best delt exercise out there, and just a great exercise overall.

I noticed a few of you mentioned lower back strain. Well, one of the reasons to do this movement is to strengthen the lower back. You should be strong enough in the lumbars to handle this. I go up to a 110 lb dumbell in this exercise with zero back strain...although not only my delts, but my whole body gets trashed with this weight.

Here are a couple of things about combatting the lower back thing...

-strengthen your lower back! (this exercise will help)
-make sure to warm up properly before this exercise...this can mean specific warmups for the lumbars and several gradual warmup sets before tackling heavy weight
-do thid exercise last in your routine instead of first...you will be forced to use less weight, but that is all relative, and, you will be better warmed up at this time
-if you wish to keep the stabilizers out of it you CAN do thid seated...I will do this sometimes for a variation...I sit in front of the dumbell rack and put one hand out in front of me on a heavy dumbell and press with the other hand...just the fact that it is an unilateral press will make it intense

By the way...if you can master this exercise and really push the weight up, you will find that ALL of your other 2 hand pressing exercises will go way up!

 

[Mudge]

GP, how tall are you? I've historically had a back problem every 6-8 months or so, where I just drop in pain, sometimes I can't get up for a few minutes (I think its a pinched nerve).

I will give it a shot, I dont doubt that certain parts of my back are not getting the workout they should. I however know for sure I have less problems with a good strong lower back.

 

[gopro]

I am 5'11" tall. I have a bad back myself. I injured it badly during a 500 lb squat. Since then I have spent ALOT of time strengthening it with deads, good mornings, and hypers...as well as alot of core work. I rarely have problems anymore.

 

[Neil]

Originally posted by gopro
I am 5'11" tall. I have a bad back myself. I injured it badly during a 500 lb squat. Since then I have spent ALOT of time strengthening it with deads, good mornings, and hypers...as well as alot of core work. I rarely have problems anymore.

Do you still squat?