The Best Postures To Train Your Shoulders And Abs
There are some exercises that allow you to train your shoulders and abs at the same time, so when you perform them, you can optimize your exercise time to the maximum. Learn about some alternatives below.
Training your shoulders and abs at the same time is possible, you just have to choose the correct exercises. Discover some ways to strengthen these muscle groups that you may not have tried yet.
Keeping your shoulders in good shape is very important, as it is one of the most widely used muscle groups. In addition, exercising them can help you achieve better posture, according to a Mayo Clinic publication. For example, it can be helpful in keeping the shoulders from sagging forward, which in turn helps prevent the cervicals from loading.
On the other hand, working the abdominals is convenient from the aesthetic point of view, since it helps to prevent – along with a balanced diet – that the middle area is flaccid and without any muscle tone.
Being in shape not only helps us look good, but also helps us feel better. In this sense, a Harvard Health Publishing publication highlights that a strengthened middle zone also helps improve body posture and prevent back injuries.
4 exercises to train your shoulders and abs
Although it seems strange that there are exercises that allow you to exercise these 2 regions of the body at the same time, this is so. Next, we are going to present you some of them that you can practice in the gym or even at home:
1. Iron
The plank is a very complete exercise, which allows you to work your shoulders and abs at the same time.
- To do this exercise, you must lie on your stomach, rest your forearms on the floor and stretch your legs.
- Once in position, lift your whole body leaving only the 4 supports mentioned and keep the position, as if you were a board.
- Contract your abdominal muscles to resist in this position.
Although it may seem that this exercise does not involve a greater difficulty, your opinion will change when you have been in this position for a minute or even less. You will notice not only how the abs are working, but also the arms and shoulders.
As stated in a study published by the journal Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science, this exercise brings great results, so it is recommended to practice it often. Often times, it is usually the last exercise in a full workout.
2. Side plank
There is a variant of the iron, and that is that you can do it laterally. In this way, you will do the exercise by laying on your side, leaning on the forearm of one of the arms. The other can be stretched or allowed to rest along the body.
This exercise allows you to work the shoulder muscles that support the body and the oblique abs. Sometimes you can stay static, like on the original plank, or lower and raise your hips for a more demanding workout.
3. Push-ups
Push-ups are an exercise known to all, but you may not know that it is very good for training the shoulders and abs. In fact, according to research published by Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise , it is an exercise that allows you to work almost the entire upper body, thanks to its various variants:
- Dumbbell push-ups: the hands are not supported on the floor, but on some dumbbells. As you lift your chest, slightly lift the dumbbell off the ground, first with one arm and then the other.
- Cross over the chest: When you raise the chest, the right hand will touch the left shoulder and subsequently the left hand will touch the right shoulder. This will allow your shoulders and abs to be further worked.
4. Exercise wheel
The exercise wheel, like the plank, does not seem to pose a major difficulty. However, at the time of carrying out the training, you will see that the shoulders and abs are worked much more than you thought.
- On your knees, put both hands on the exercise wheel and slide forward. The feet can be raised off the ground, but the only thing that will support will be the knees. The rest of the body should be elevated.
- Spinning the wheel, go forward; When you reach the maximum extension, you will have to go backwards, and this is when you must make a great force with the abs and shoulders.
- You have to be careful, because the tendency will be to bring the chest too close to the ground, which leads to curving the spine too much. Remember that you must maintain the posture at all times.
Be disciplined when training your shoulders and abs
All of these exercises allow you to train your shoulders and abs at the same time. If you don’t have the time to dedicate to exercise and you want to do a “2-in-1” workout, these jobs are undoubtedly suitable.
Its intensity and effectiveness will allow you to achieve the objectives that you have set for yourself. Of course, keep in mind that you should supplement them with an appropriate diet according to your goals – marking the muscles or increasing muscle mass, for example – and also getting enough rest.
If you practice exercise at home, you do not need to have specific equipment to be able to carry out these exercises. In the case, for example, of the exercise wheel, you can look for alternatives such as a small ball or a charged bottle. You already have what it takes to train your shoulders and abs!
