nothing appeals to people as much as plump, full deltoids, which give the body a well-rounded, balanced physique. Balanced deltoids give the illusion of wider shoulders and the appearance of a narrower waistline, thus contributing to the beauty of an inverted triangle physique.
The deltoid muscle group consists of three heads: The anterior, middle and posterior fascicles. Many athletes prefer to do deltoid or predominantly anterior deltoid movements, which can lead to overdevelopment of the anterior deltoid and underdevelopment of the middle and posterior deltoids. However, not everyone has a genetic advantage in the shoulder and some athletes need to do isolation movements to further train the anterior deltoid.
the barbell front planche is a good isolation movement for training the anterior deltoid. During the movement, the pectoralis major (upper pectoralis), the middle deltoid bundle, the middle and lower trapezius and the anterior serratus act as supporting muscle groups.
The supporting muscle groups assist the target muscle groups during the movement. The upper trapezius, scapular lift (upper shoulder/rear neck) and wrist extensors (lateral forearm) play a stabilising role in this movement. Stabilising muscles contract without significant movement and help the body to maintain posture or hold joints in place. The shoulder is usually subjected to higher frequency and intensity of impact because it consists of a higher ratio of slow muscle fibres compared to other muscle groups.
how to perform a barbell front planche
start by placing the barbell on the floor or on a rack and then choose the appropriate weight. Add an even amount of weight on both sides of the bar. Do not put 10kg on one side and 15kg on the other. An unbalanced load will not improve your training and can lead to injury. If this is your first workout, then choose a conservative weight that will allow you to complete 8 to 12 reps safely.
Once you have chosen the right weight for your workout, place your feet hip-width apart. Pick up the barbell from the floor with a shoulder-width grip and hold the barbell squarely (palms back to you). A grip that is too wide will reduce range of motion and reduce stimulation of the anterior deltoid bundle.
a grip that is too narrow can lead to excessive internal rotation of the shoulder, causing discomfort to the joint and increasing the risk of injury. Your elbows should be straight (but not hyperextended) or slightly flexed throughout the movement.
Once you have confirmed your stance and grip distance, take a deep breath, tighten your abdominals and prepare for impact by lifting the barbell in front of you upwards. If you find yourself swinging your body or bending your elbows significantly, then the barbell is too heavy. Lift the barbell until your upper arms are parallel to or slightly above the floor.
if you want to increase the intensity of your workout then continue to lift the barbell with straight arms until you have it above your head. This will further stimulate the anterior deltoid bundle, as well as the smaller stabilising muscles of the shoulders and upper back. Shoulder flexibility may limit your ability to lift the barbell completely overhead, but most trainers should be able to straighten their arms to parallel with the floor.
Once you have lifted the barbell to the desired height, contract the anterior deltoid and hold for 1 to 5 seconds. Then control the barbell and slowly lower it to the starting position, but most people will place the barbell directly on their thighs. The elbows and arms should remain relatively flat while the barbell is underneath.
some exercisers will exhale as they lift the barbell, or at the top or in the middle of each movement. Choose a breathing style that feels most natural and comfortable.
This movement can be done using straight sets, pre-fatigue sets, decreasing sets, rest-pause sets, supersets, triple sets, giant sets, pause movements, half movements, forced reps or slow centrifuges. As with other movements, the most important part is quality movement posture and training progressions. Training progression can take many forms (e.g. Increasing weights, increasing sets or reps, shortening rest periods, improving movement quality, etc.), but it is important to strive to improve every time you enter the gym.
barbell front planks tips
keep your arms straight - your shoulders should be straight or slightly bent throughout the movement. It is important to keep your elbows straight and not to over extend the joint as this can lead to injury.
Keep elbow and arm flexion to a minimum to ensure that the barbell front planche does not become a reverse bend. It's not about ego; moderate weight goes a long way to stimulating the anterior deltoid bundle.
Peak contraction: If you want to increase the intensity, hold the barbell still with the arms parallel to or slightly above the floor. Holding the barbell in this position for 5 to 10 seconds will increase the tension and the duration of anterior deltoid stimulation. Increasing the time that the muscle is under tension is a good variable to use to adjust the progression of the training process.
avoiding momentum: The great thing about the barbell front planks is that they can be done in a slow and controlled range. Put your pride aside and don't try to get more weight on the barbell front planche than your standard training range.
In this movement, weights that are particularly heavy cause the body to sway as a way of generating enough momentum to lift the barbell. This sway significantly increases the likelihood of injury and allows for less stimulation of the target muscles.
complete overhead lift: If you want to increase the intensity of the barbell front planks, lower the training weight slightly and increase the range of motion by lifting completely overhead. The increased range of motion will further train the anterior deltoid, middle rhomboids and lower rhomboids, as well as improving scapular depression posture.
