Forget dumbbells — 5 calisthenics exercises that sculpt and shape your shoulder muscles

You may be learning the best calisthenics exercises for beginners, or you may just prefer the whole bodyweight workout thing, but either way, these five calisthenics exercises will tone, shape, and contour your shoulders. Helps build upper body strength without weights.

That’s right, even the best adjustable dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells can be left aside for now. Calisthenics refers to strength training using only your own body weight. You can also make bodyweight training more challenging by adding a push-up or pull-up bar, stairs, or your surroundings. This workout style is popular among casual gym-goers and professional athletes to increase functional strength, muscle, mobility, coordination, and strengthen bones, joints, and muscles.

Below, we will explain how to start your calisthenics training and list 5 of the best calisthenics exercises to strengthen and shape your shoulder muscles without lifting heavy weights. Here are some of them and some tips to help you navigate them.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Training with your own body weight in the gym means there is nowhere to hide, and calisthenics attracts many people for this reason. Trust me, lack of equipment doesn’t make you any less strong. But calisthenics can be scaled up to more than push-ups, pull-ups, and squats. Calisthenics can also cover calisthenics, Animal He Flow, and popular CrossFit skills like muscle-ups and handstands.

5 flexibility exercises to contour your shoulders without using weights

Try these 5 calisthenics exercises. Use the tips below to perform a program of 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps, depending on your ability. Rest 30-60 seconds between sets.

If you are a beginner or returning to exercise, please consult a qualified health professional before starting a new exercise regimen. Hiring a personal trainer can be expensive, but they will keep an eye on your form.

1. Hanging Leg Raise

Iro of a man doing hanging leg raises

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Hanging leg raises target your abdominal muscles, hip flexors, and lats, and strengthen your shoulders and grip strength. isometric contractions (without bending or straightening your arms). Pulling your legs toward your chest also improves hamstring flexibility.

how:

Stand under the pull-up bar and grip it slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
Extend your arms by wrapping your thumbs around the bar.
Tuck your pelvis toward your spine and tighten your abdominal muscles.
Extend your legs and hang from the bar. As you exhale, pull your legs toward your chest.
Pause and lower your legs to the starting position.

Additionally, instead of pulling your knees toward your chest, move your toes toward the top bar (see the video below for a quick tutorial). The toe-to-bar gymnastics movement should only be used as a progression to hanging leg raises in the bank if you’re already doing them.

2. Handstand push-ups

Image of a man doing a pushpike

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

There are several ways to approach this exercise, but don’t worry, you don’t have to be completely upside down. Let’s start with the bridge variations. This movement is similar to an inverted shoulder press, but you can progress from a full handstand position to a push-up. Here’s how:

how:

Start in a pike pushup position similar to downward facing dog.
Raise your hips high and stand on your toes.
Keep your arms and legs as straight as possible and engage your core and shoulders.
Bend your elbows until the top of your head touches the floor below you, just in front of your fingers.
Move your elbows back without letting them widen.
Push back to starting position.

This movement targets your upper body, including your front delts, triceps, pecs, and core muscles. To progress through the exercise, start in an unsupported handstand position (learn how to do a handstand here) or lean your body against a wall. Without arching your lower back, maintain a strong core and form a straight line from head to toes. From here, follow the same steps above to lower your head to the floor and push up to a handstand.

Illustration of a man doing handstand push-ups

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

3. Bench dip

Bench dips work your triceps, pecs, and shoulders. It can be done on a bench, two bars, or using a kettlebell. Here’s more information on how to perform tricep dips with proper form.

how:

Place your hands on a box, bench, or two weights with your fingers facing your body and your legs away from your body. It will be easier if you bend your knees.
Keeping your back straight, bend your elbows and lower your body toward the floor, pause, then push back to the starting position.

To progress through the exercise, stand between two bars (think of the bars at your local park) and grip each side of your body. He performs one exercise in which he jumps up, extends his arms, locks his shoulders and arms in place, crosses his ankles, bends his elbows, lowers them toward the floor, and presses back to the starting position.

4. Stop doing push-ups

Iro of a woman doing push-ups on a balance ball

(Image source: Getty Images)

If you’re stuck with standard push-ups, try the decline push-up progression. This movement puts more emphasis on your upper body and strengthens your muscles.

how:

Start in a push-up position with your legs raised on a bench or box behind you.
Train your core by stacking your shoulders over your wrists. Keep your hips in line with your shoulders.
Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor and stop.
Push up to the starting position.

Experiment with hand positions to advance the exercise. A narrow stance will strengthen your triceps, while a wide stance will emphasize your chest.

5. Inverted column

Iro of a man standing upside down

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

For inverted rows, use a stable bar, lower the barbell to the floor at thigh level, and lie underneath it. This movement affects your back muscles, biceps, and rear deltoids.

how:

Start with your chest in line with the bar and grip the bar with your hands, wrapping your thumbs around it.
Stretch your arms shoulder-width apart and engage your core.
Bend your knees to make the variation easier, or extend your knees outwards to make the movement more difficult.
Draw your chest toward the bar and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Pause, maintaining a straight line from head to toe, then lower to starting position.

If necessary, you can adjust the tempo or slow down the exercise to work the muscles more intensely. This is called the under-tension time method, and it works wonders for any (and all) calisthenics exercises.

Benefits of upper body exercises

Upper body flexibility exercises target various muscles such as the three shoulder heads, the anterior deltoids, the lateral deltoids, the posterior deltoids, the triceps, the biceps, the pectorals, and the latissimus dorsi (the large muscles on the sides of your back). Targets a combination of muscles in your back. , rhomboids, trapezius (upper, middle, and lower), and rotator cuff (shoulder stabilizer) to varying degrees.

Bodyweight training utilizes two important areas of fitness: functional training and compound exercises. This means you can move naturally (think pushing and pulling) and target multiple muscle groups at the same time.

Calisthenics training is extremely versatile and suitable for people at any stage of their fitness journey. In fact, I recommend it to anyone who can learn how to push and pull their own weight before moving on to weightlifting.

And research supports bodyweight training as well.of Strength and Conditioning Journal They found a significant increase in upper body strength in subjects who engaged in push-up training compared to bench press.

If you’re not sure how to start your calisthenics training, first warm up with mobility exercises that target the relevant muscle groups. Make sure to use dynamic exercises and save static stretches after your workout. I also recommend practicing compound contractions. This means contracting as many muscles as possible as you move. Controlling muscle activation can improve your neuromuscular system and improve balance and coordination.

5 flexibility exercises to contour your shoulders without using weights

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