The Only 3 Exercises You Need To Do To Develop Monstrous Delts - bodybuilding110

For most people, shoulders are simply an accessory muscle that they work at the end of their chest day or mix in on another day. I know and watch several people at the gym do a few presses and mix in a few front and side raises and then call it a day. Some of these people work hard when they do their shoulder workout but simply put, treating your caps like an accessory muscle isn’t going to get your the kind of shoulder muscles that turn heads.

But when it comes to deltoid training all people think about is the classic overhead presses. No doubt it is a great exercise for your shoulder strength but if you’re chasing boulder shoulders, it simply isn’t enough. Also, 3D deltoids are the hardest thing to achieve naturally. We’ve done some digging in the Bio-mechanic mines to find out the best exercises for your delt-development. 


First, Let Me Give You A Basic Insight Of Your Deltoid’s Anatomy

Now, Try These 3 Moves

1) Side Lateral Raises With Cabels (Bending Forward)

Lateral raise is a great muscle builder for your medial dletoids. However, being an isolation movement the load on your muscle fiberes is invariable throughout the range of motion and also becomes zero at some points.

Performing this exercise with cables puts constant tension over the  medial head providing maximum stimulation for maximum gains.Bend your torso little forward while alling the movement of your arm with medial deltoid fiberes makes this exercise even more effective.

Suggested sets and reps: 3 sets with 15-20 reps

2) Incline Dumbbell Lateral Raises

Every coin has 2 sides. Though cables put constant tension over your muscles, you can’t increase the load a lot. And remember progressive over-load is another important factor for hypertrohy. This version of lateral raises allows you to get strong in the movement as well as target the medial deltoid muscle fiberes effecitvely as it changes the force vector. Utilizing different angles and rep ranges when training a muscle group can be a winning stratergy.

Suggested sets and reps: 4 sets with 12-15 reps

3) Reverse Machine Flies With Half Reps For Posterior Deltoids

Now that we’ve killed the medial delts. It is time to shed some love over the posterior region of your deltoids. Reverse machine flies is the ultimate-isolatation mass builder for your rear deltoids. However, most people do it wrong. They go through a full range of motion, pinching their shoulder blades bringing the middle back, rhomboids and trapezius muscles into the equation. In order to purely isolate the posterior delt muscle fiberes perform the reverse-fly movement with half reps, that is, only till the point your arms reach your side, ensure to perform the reps slowly to get the mind and muscles connection.

Suggested sets and reps: 4 sets with 10-15 Reps

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Top 6 Exercises To Build Shoulder Muscles

The shoulders have a dramatic impact on the silhouette of the body. Strong, broad shoulders are universally respected as a symbol of power and authority. If your chest and arms are gigantic and your shoulders are under developed and narrow, you are still going to look weak. A lot of women’s clothes have shoulder pads built into them, and some men’s clothes too, so achieving broad, sleek shoulders can be beneficial to both sexes. 

Strong shoulders will help improve the form of other exercises involving the arms, such as bench presses and deadlifts. If you are a professional fighter, well-conditioned shoulder muscles will help you keep your stance together longer and avoid injury. A strong shoulder girdle, including the rotator cuff, will vastly improve the chances of avoiding weightlifting and other sports injuries.

1st build shoulder muscles exercise – shoulder press with smith machine

The smith machine is great to build shoulder muscles, especially for beginners as you can perform the movements with support. It is also a great way to isolate your shoulders and not using your back as support, because that will defeat the whole purpose of working on your shoulders.

The smith exercise to build shoulder muscles is also great when you want to increase your lifting weight as you can lift without worrying about collapsing.

2nd build shoulder muscles exercise – Standing shoulder press

The standing shoulder press is used by many bodybuilders to build shoulder muscles. You can either use a barbell or dumbbells. What is important to remember with this exercise to build shoulder muscles is to pull your abs all the way in and stand as straight as possible, because you want to avoid having a bending back and thereby avoid injuries.

When you increase your weight with this exercise to build shoulder muscles, it is possible that you can’t stand straight all the time. In this case I will recommend you to invest in a bodybuilding belt as it helps keep you standing straight.

3rd build shoulder muscles exercise – Sitting shoulder press

The sitting shoulder press is another great exercise to build shoulder muscles and the same techniques has to be used as with the standing shoulder press. What I sometimes do with this exercise to build shoulder muscles is to start out with the standing shoulder press and when lifting heavier weights, I choose to sit down and make use of the back support that is provided when using a bench.

4rd build shoulder muscles exercise – Military Press

Often referred to as a standing overhead press, this is a monstrous training exercise that can add great size and definition to your shoulders. Many trainers consider it to be one of the mandatory exercises for all serious weightlifters, in league with the squat and bench press.

Ideally you would set up your bar on a rack of some kind, but if you are able to clean the weight from the floor, more power to you. Starting with the weight resting on your upper chest press the bar upwards, directly in front of your face to the point just before your elbows lock.  While maintaining control, bring the weight back down to the chest. Do not use your legs at all during this exercise, or it will be a push press, which is still effective for building overall strength, but is a different exercise and utilizes leg drive as well.


BUILD SHOULDER MUSCLES WITH DEFINITIONS

4th build shoulder muscles exercise –Lateral raise

The lateral raise is great to build shoulder muscles and you can either choose to do it sitting down or standing up. When increasing the weight with the lateral raise exercise to build shoulder muscles you can choose to give yourself a push with your knees as a slight support.

5th build shoulder muscles exercise –Front raises

You can use this exercise to build shoulder muscles, either with the dumbbells or barbell. Keep Your back straight and with your arms a little less straight take the dumbbells or barbell up.

These 6 exercises to build shoulder muscles are great for making your shoulder and not to forget, your body stand out from the crowd. If performed correctly, the exercises to build shoulder muscles will do wonders for you.

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Best Isometric Shoulder Exercises For Strengthening the Shoulders

For a layman, isometric exercises might sound like it is something extremely difficult and advanced. Well, let me break it down for you. Basically, if the position of the joint involved does not change and the engaged muscle movement also remains minimum during the exercise, then it can be termed as an isometric exercise. An isometric exercise is done to enhance strength and is an important constituent of any strength-training program. 

However, there are some things one must remember before they dive into a full-fledged isometric routine:

a) They are very limited when it comes to the target region. Thus, doing just one isometric exercise is not suitable. You must incorporate different exercises to target different parts of the same region.
b) In case you wish to increase your speed, this is not really for you as these exercises are performed in one specific position. It enhances your strength, not your speed.
c) Isometric exercises can be seen as beneficial for certain health conditions like Arthritis, Blood Pressure, etc. However, you must consult your doctor before you start with these exercises.
d) An isometric exercise involves contracting the muscles, but does not involve changing the length of it. It is usually done with an immovable object.
e) An isometric exercise has the capability to work on muscle groups you thought were impossible to train.
f) Isometric exercises, though mostly done with an immovable object, can also be done using your body weight making it extremely convenient.
g) Isometric exercises have also been seen to help in weight reduction. You will have to choose exercises properly, but weight loss is a definite possibility. 


Isometric External Shoulder Rotation

External rotation exercises are great for strengthening an injured shoulder.

First, you will want to find yourself a wall doorway to execute this exercise. When you find yourself by a doorway or wall, let your arm hang down with your elbow bent at a 90-degree angle.

For the external rotation, place the top of your wrist, neutral, up against the wall or doorway. From there, exert force towards the wall without moving your shoulder. When you do this you are able to contract the shoulder muscle without pain or discomfort.

You will want to use 20-80% force when pushing against the flat surface. Anything higher could still hurt your shoulder, depending on the severity of the injury.

Isometric Internal Shoulder Rotation

An isometric internal rotation exercise is very similar to the external exercise. You will be doing the same thing, but opposite sides of the wrist.

So, find your doorway or wall again, but for this one, it may be easier to use a doorway. Now, instead of placing the top of your wrist on the flat surface, place the bottom of your wrist against the doorway. Keeping the 90-degree angle with your elbow and arm to your side, exert force from the bottom of your wrist against the doorway.

You should feel the contraction of your whole arm and shoulder muscles and for best results, follow these moves up with 10 reps and hold each rep for 5-10 seconds.

 Isometric Shoulder Abduction

If you are following along, you should have a satisfying feeling in the muscles of your shoulder.

Shoulder abduction and internal rotations are no different. The shoulder abduction, very similar to the previous exercises, will incorporate the elbow instead of the wrist. So to do this, bring your elbow to the 90-degree angle and instead of placing your wrist against the wall or doorway, place your elbow there.

With the same concept in mind as the exercises before, perform the isometric exercise by exerting force from your elbow, against the surface of the wall or doorway.

Again, very similar to our previous moves, but very effective when preventing unnecessary pain when contracting the shoulder muscle.

 Isometric Elbow Rotation

Now, for this internal rotation exercise, you will want a pillow or folded up towel.

Place that item between your thorax and elbow. If you don’t know what your thorax is, it is that center bone you feel in the middle of your chest between your sternum and neck.

Now, with your item in place, contract and exert your elbow in towards your thorax. Once you got this down, repeat for 10 reps for a 5-10 second hold on each rep.

A simple, yet effective exercise that will strengthen your shoulders without further injury.


Isometric Shoulder Flection

Sometimes, the exercises you’ve never heard of can be the most effective and fun!  With a flection exercise, it’s as easy as one, two, and three.

Here is how the move works. First, place your arm along your side, and your elbow at a 90-degree angle. Then make a fist with your hand and clench firmly. Now, place that firmly clenched fist against a wall, but don’t punch it! Slowly, exert force against the wall by pushing without losing your position.

Perform this exercise for 10 reps and again, 5-10 second holds on each rep.

Turn around and do it for me one more time!

 Isometric Shoulder Extension

Lastly, is the shoulder extension.

For this move, you will want to stand up against a wall. From there, place your elbow flat against that wall and start pushing. You will want to make sure you don’t push yourself off the wall!

You will feel the shoulder and triceps contract and without any pain.

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3 Supersets for Super-Sized Shoulders |

Overhead presses are generally seen as the best exercise for the shoulders, but they depend on your triceps, too. As you get stronger, it can be harder to lock out your elbows to finish the movement, and you may not be able to give the delts the stimulation they need to keep growing. The solution: Superset presses with upright rows.

Superset 1
Dumbbell Overhead Press

Hold dumbbells at shoulder level and stand with a straight back and staggered legs. Keeping your core tight, press the weights straight overhead, then lower.

Barbell  Upright Row

Hold a barbell in front of your thighs with hands just outside shoulder width. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and row the bar upward until your elbows are bent 90 degrees. Keep your elbows in line with your wrists at the top.

Recommended Rep Range: 8-12 reps for 3-4 sets

Superset 2
Seated Shoulder Press

Set on a bench with it angled 90 degrees. Hold a pair of dumbbells, one in each hand. Raise the weights to either side of your head, resting on your shoulders. Press upwards, straightening your elbows. Ensure you keep a slight bend at the top of the movement and prevent locking out to avoid injury. Slowly lower the weights back down to the starting bottom and repeat the movement.

Front Raises

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, holding a pair of dumbbells (or a barbell) in each hand. Ensure your palms are facing towards your body. Keeping your elbows straight, raise the weight(s) out in front of you, until they are parallel to the floor. At this point, stop, slowly lower them to the floor and repeat. Ensure you do not swing or use momentum to maximise muscle time under tension.

Recommended Rep Range: 8-12 reps for 3-4 sets

Superset 3
Face Pulls

Set up a cable with a rope attachment so that it is in line with your head. Hold each end of the rope and take a couple of steps back from the machine. In a controlled motion, pull the rope, parallel to the ground, towards your face. You should flare your elbows out in the process, bringing the rope all the way to your face. Pause, and return the rope to its starting position and repeat.

Standing Front Shrugs

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, holding a barbell out in front
of you with a neutral grip. You can alternatively use a pair of dumbbells which should hand by your sides. Ensuring you do not roll your shoulders, slowly shrug them bringing your arms up and keeping them straight. Try to touch your shoulders with your ears. Slowly lower the weight back down and repeat.

Recommended Rep Range: 8-12 reps for 3-4 sets

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4 Killer Rear Delt Exercises For Stronger Shoulders

Everyone loves a nice pair of shoulders. If you have a well-built chest, your front deltoid muscles are pretty good, but you also have to work on your rear deltoids to make sure that the top of your arm doesn’t look deflated and weak in comparison. This imbalance will affect all of your lifts that include your weaker delts, so you want to correct it as soon as possible.

The rear deltoid is the rounded muscle in the shape of a triangle at the top of your arm, where your shoulder connects with your arm. While it’s often called the ‘shoulder muscle’, it shouldn’t be confused and is not interchangeable with your trapezoids or your upper back. Your delts are made up of three bands of muscle fiber, comprising three main parts of the shoulder – anterior, posterior and medial. The anterior is on the front of your arm and goes into the chest, the medial is the small piece of muscle almost in the middle of your shoulder when looked at from the side and the posterior deltoids are on the back of your arm.

The anterior deltoids help your chest muscles when you want to flex your shoulders, and they also assist both your pectorals and your lateral muscles when you need to rotate your humerus. Your posterior delts help your lateral muscles when you need to extend your shoulders. Through electromyography, medicine has discovered that the delts are comprised of a minimum of seven muscle fibers, each controlled separately by your nervous system.

1. Rear Delt Fly

Practically speaking, the rear delt fly is the opposite to a chest fly. It may be performed using a fixed motion machine or with dumbbells. When using free weights, set up a bench at an inclined angle and face the headrest with your chest against it for support. Begin with the weights in front of you so that you are bringing them slowly back in a horizontal movement.

2. Rear Delt Cable Fly

Similar to the previous exercise, using cables will allow you a more natural range of movement and will also let you lift heavier weight than you would with dumbbells while taking balance out of the equation.

3. Rear Delt Raise

These may be performed from a seated or standing position. Either way, you need to begin with your chest facing the floor as much as possible. The dumbbells, in each hand, should be together with your arms extended in line with the middle of your chest. Raise your arms back, keeping them straight as in a rear fly until they are just past your back, then lower.

4. Rear Delt Row

This exercise can be performed several ways. The general aim is to begin with your arms extended straight ahead of you and pulling a weight back in a rowing motion. If you do not have access to cables or fixed motion machines, you may perform the exercise using dumbbells while straddling an inclined bench.

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6 Barbell Shoulder Workouts To Build Strong And Muscular Shoulders

Aside from strengthening your upper body muscles and the bones beneath them, you’ll safeguard your body against injury and let’s face it, you’ll create an aesthetic men want to replicate and woman go crazy over.

Want an amazing barbell workout to gain shoulder mass and muscle? Try this out!

1.  Please remember that grip is an extremely important part of every exercise. All overhead presses are not the same. It depends on your movements, your posture, the position of your elbows, the position of your arms etc. Be aware of what your form is.

2.  When you are choosing your weights, be practical. Yes, heavy is necessary but know your limits. Since shoulder exercises are complex, going all out without considering your limitations might lead to injuries.

3.  Reps are important but do not compromise quality for quantity. Complete your reps perfectly. Also, the longer the range of motion, the better it is for your muscles.

4.  There are some shoulder exercises that might need you to lock your joints. But if you do it for exercises that do not need it, you might just hurt yourself. So be sure to do your research.

5.  Remember to give your body adequate rest. Do not over train because that will lead to fatigue and breakdown. 3 days a week is perfect for a shoulder workout.

6.  Be sure to work on each part of your shoulder. An all inclusive workout will not only add to the mass but will also make sure that you work on all angles and parts.

Exercise #1 Barbell Overhead Press

Set the bar up in a squat rack or cage, and grasp it just outside shoulder width. Take the bar off the rack and hold it at shoulder level with your forearms perpendicular to the floor. Squeeze the bar and brace your abs. Press the bar overhead, pushing your head forward and shrugging your traps as the bar passes your face.

Exercise #2 Push Presses

Step 1: Pick a barbell and bring it to your shoulder level. Hold it with overhand grip such that your palms face up and your elbows point forward. Make sure that your upper arms are almost parallel to the floor. Let the bar rest on your upper chest.

Step 2: Lower your hips and bend your knees so as to do a half squat.

Step 3: Push through your legs, extend your legs and arms and push the bar over your head. Make sure that your arms are straight.

Step 4: Hold for 2 seconds and get it back to the initial position. Repeat.

Exercise #3 High Pull

Grasp the bar with hands about double shoulder width and hold it in front of your thighs. Bend your knees and hips so the bar hangs just above your knees. Explosively extend your hips as if jumping and pull the bar up to shoulder level with elbows wide apart, as in an upright row.

Exercise #4 Military Press Behind Neck

Step 1: Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart. Hold a barbell behind your neck and a little over your shoulders.

Step 2: Push it straight up until your arms are almost straight.

Step 3: Hold for a second and get back to the initial position. Repeat.

Exercise #5 Barbell Overhead Front Raises

Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold a barbell with your palms facing down such that it is close to your thighs and your arms are extended down.

Step 2: Raise the barbell up to bring it over your head. Keep your elbows slightly bent.

Step 3: Pause for a second and lower it back down. Repeat.

Exercise #6 Javelin Press

Step 1: Grab a barbell and hold it lengthwise. Bring it to your shoulder level. Your elbows must be under your wrist.

Step 2: Push the bar up and go until your upper arm reaches your ear.

Step 3: Hold for a second and lower it back. Repeat.

Also, read   best-dumbbell-exercises-for-shoulders

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The 6 Most Effective Shoulder Dumbbell Exercises for V-taper Physique

Guaranteed to attract attention and make a man stand out from the crowd is an enviable V-shaped taper. Starting from wide “boulder” shoulders extending down into “cobra” popping lats and tapering down to a sculpted mid-section and V-cut obliques!  This perception of the perfect physique is not just attractive, but is also the criteria by which most physique and bodybuilding competitions are judged upon – the shoulder to hip ratio. So how do you acquire this physique? And is it just for bodybuilders or guys with perfect genetics that can achieve it? The simple answer is “no”.

Second to a wide cobra back, broad shoulders are the next most important feature of a great V-taper. While being naturally broad-shouldered is a blessing, developing a set of big, round delts will add extra size and definitely make even the narrowest shoulders look much wider!

There are three target muscles that really make your shoulders look wide and big: anterior deltoid (front delts), medial deltoid (middle delts), and posterior deltoid (rear delts). The following workout trains the delts with both laterals and presses to activate each of the three heads for optimum results.



Here is how to develop this part of your body with these six exercises:

1. Dumbbell Shoulder Press

This compound movement exercise targets your entire shoulder, but different variations provide enough diversity of movement to make your shoulders even bigger. Using a compound movement will help you gain muscle mass, dumbbell shoulder presses hit both your elbows and your shoulders.

How To:

    - Holding a dumbbell in each hand, sit on a bench that has back support.
    - Now raise the dumbbells to shoulder height one at a time using your thighs to help propel them up into position.
    - Make sure to rotate your wrists so that the palms of your hands are facing forward.
    - Now, push the dumbbells upward until they touch at the top.
    - After a brief pause at the top contracted position, slowly lower the weights back down to the starting position while inhaling.
    - Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

2. ARNOLD DUMBBELL PRESS

V-Taper Workout description:

1. Hold dumbbells in front of shoulders, palms facing your body.

2. Begin the motion by taking elbows out to the side. Keep raising elbows outward while pressing dumbbells over your head until your arms are straight.

3. Lower arms the same way and repeat.

3. Dumbbell Front Raise

This exercise isolates the anterior deltoid. I would recommend only performing this exercise if your anterior deltoid is underdeveloped in comparison to your other shoulder muscles, although this is highly unlikely due to the anterior deltoids’ great involvement in the bench press and incline bench press.

Training tips:

✓ I suggest performing this exercise using one arm at a time, in order to solely focus the muscle that is being worked.

✓ Keep form strict and use minimum momentum.
Step-by-step

1) Choose preferred dumbbell weight and stand upright, tighten torso and position weights at the front of your thighs (palms inwards).

2) The torso should remain strong and, without swinging, raise one side to the front of your body, holding a slight elbow bend (rotate palms towards floor) and keep rising until arm is parallel to the ground. Exhale throughout the movement.

3) After holding the contraction for a moment, inhale and begin to slowly lower the weight back to the thigh.

4) Alternate and complete with the right arm.

4. Dumbbell Shrugs

Dumbbell shrugs are focused on your trapezoid muscles. Shrugs and upright rows are the best way to build impressive trapezoids, but puts some pressure on your shoulder caps.

How To:

    - Stand with a dumbbell on each hand (palms facing your torso), arms extended on the sides.
    - Lift the dumbbells by elevating the shoulders as high as possible while you exhale. Hold the contraction at the top for a second.
    - Lower the dumbbells back to the original position.
    - Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

5. BENT OVER DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISES

V-Taper Workout description:

1. Starting standing and lean forward to take a neutral grip with dumbbells down by the side, keep your feet hip width apart whilst pressing into the floor.

2. Laterally raise dumbbells (no jerking) keeping a very slight elbow bend until dumbbells reach level with ear height (parallel to the floor) slight pause.

3. Lower back down to starting position re-engaging lift immediately as you hit the starting position (no jerking or swinging)

6. Dumbbell Bent-Over Lateral Raise

This exercise targets the posterior head of the deltoids. This muscle is often the weakest and underdeveloped in most people, so dedicating a lot of sets in your workout is key to achieving sufficient development.

Step-by-step

1) Pick up preferred dumbbell weight and position yourself in an almost early squatting position (see image above).

2) Keeping a tight torso, bend slightly at the hips, stretching the hamstrings, so your body is nearly parallel to the ground.

3) Raise the dumbbells in a reverse-fly motion; squeezing the scapula together at the end of the motion. Exhale during the movement.

4) Inhale and lower the weights slowly in a controlled manner. Repeat allocated/preferred repetitions.

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The Best Science-Based Shoulder Workout for Mass and Symmetry (10 Studies)

Well developed shoulders are the key to completing a balanced physique and getting that broad-shouldered look everyone is striving for. However, the biggest mistake people make when it comes to their shoulder workout is neglecting to focus on all three heads of the deltoid muscle.

Neglecting all three heads is detrimental since proper development of all three portions is what gives them that 3 dimensional look.

Don’t believe me? Here’s some recent shots of my personal shoulder development:

As you can see, it’s the balanced development of the anterior, lateral, and posterior deltoid that gives my shoulder that full look. 

Shoulder Anatomy

To better understand this, let’s take a look at their anatomy.

Similar to the 3 tricep heads, the deltoid muscle is divided into 3 main parts. The anterior, lateral, and posterior heads. Also commonly referred to as the front, middle, and rear delt.

Note that all 3 heads will be activated to an extent during all shoulder exercises. But as made evident in the literature, each head can be emphasized through the use of specific exercises and the way you perform them.

So in this article I’m going to show you a shoulder workout optimized based on current scientific literature and our anatomical understanding of the delts. But before we do so, let me briefly talk about the front delts.
Is Front Delt Isolation Needed?

As I previously mentioned it’s important to consider all 3 heads of the shoulders. But keep in mind that the front delt already gets sufficient indirect work through several pressing movements.

This is because the anterior deltoid is already very active in exercises like the bench press.

And as shown in these two studies by Trebs and Lauver, its involvement in pressing movements increases significantly as the level of incline increases.

What this means is that since you’re likely performing a lot of flat and incline pressing movements involving the anterior deltoid, it’s better to focus more on the development of the lateral and posterior heads which are often more neglected in a routine.
This not only helps balance your shoulder aesthetically, but as shown in this study by the journal of clinical biomechanics, “strengthening the posterior head of the deltoid is desirous for ensuring shoulder joint integrity and reducing injury potential.”

Thus, in this routine we’re going to put more emphasis on the lateral and posterior heads of the shoulder.

Also keep in mind that the four rotator cuffs are important muscles that shouldn’t be neglected as they help stabilize the shoulder. But I’ll make a separate post for them.
Exercise 1 – Overhead Press (Emphasizes Front + Lateral Delt)

The shoulder press is an essential compound movement when it comes to shoulder training. This is due to the ability to easily overload it with weight and target all deltoid heads. Although there are several variations of this exercise which I will discuss, they all mainly target the anterior deltoid with some involvement of the lateral and posterior heads. 

 

This not only helps balance your shoulder aesthetically, but as shown in this study by the journal of clinical biomechanics, “strengthening the posterior head of the deltoid is desirous for ensuring shoulder joint integrity and reducing injury potential.”

Thus, in this routine we’re going to put more emphasis on the lateral and posterior heads of the shoulder.

Also keep in mind that the four rotator cuffs are important muscles that shouldn’t be neglected as they help stabilize the shoulder. But I’ll make a separate post for them.

Exercise 1 – Overhead Press (Emphasizes Front + Lateral Delt)

The shoulder press is an essential compound movement when it comes to shoulder training. This is due to the ability to easily overload it with weight and target all deltoid heads. Although there are several variations of this exercise which I will discuss, they all mainly target the anterior deltoid with some involvement of the lateral and posterior heads. 

In addition, the standing overhead press will also put more emphasis on the core musculature and serratus anterior muscle.

This exercise has been shown in studies like this one by Behren & Buskies to be the best exercise for the anterior deltoid.


In fact, it was even shown to outperform dumbbell front raises by 41%. Thus I’d argue it’s the only exercise you need to include in your regimen that emphasizes the front delt.
Now as for which variation is most effective, you basically have four options:

1. Barbell standing overhead press
2. Dumbbell standing overhead press
3. Seated barbell shoulder press
4. Seated dumbbell shoulder press

This study from the journal of strength and conditioning research compared the 4 variations. They found that the standing dumbbell press elicited higher anterior, lateral, and posterior deltoid activation than any of the other conditions.

So it may seem that research suggests this variation to be best. But I think realistically it’s a difficult exercise to overload especially once you get to very heavy weight.

For this reason, I’d opt for the barbell overhead press instead. It wasn’t very far behind the standing dumbbell press in terms of overall shoulder activation and outperformed the seated variations, making it a viable alternative.

But keep in mind that the other variations are still effective exercises and can be cycled through your program as needed.

For example, if you plateau on the standing overhead press then feel free to switch over to the seated dumbbell press. This switch can also be made if you get bored of performing one exercise for several months. Regardless, I’d suggest sticking to one variation for an extended  period of time before considering a swap.

Exercise 2 – Lateral raises (Emphasizes Lateral Deltoid)

This next exercise is commonly performed in the gym and is one I highly recommend for lateral shoulder development. It’s going to target mainly the lateral deltoid with moderate involvement of the other two heads and the upper traps.
 

 

This exercise was shown in this study by Behren & Buskies to elicit the highest activation of the mid delt when compared to other common shoulder exercises.

However, given that this exercise is so popular, I want to go into more depth regarding proper form and how to maximize shoulder activation while minimizing stress at the shoulder joint.

When you lift the weight to your side, the activation of each portion of the delt depends on the extent to which it’s in a direct line of force opposing gravity.

So without any shoulder rotation, you can see that the lateral deltoid as well as the anterior deltoid are in a direct line of force opposing gravity. Meaning they will both be sufficiently activated.

Now when we internally rotate our shoulder, think about as if you were pouring water from a pitcher, this takes the anterior deltoid out of the equation and makes the lateral deltoid in the most direct line of force which is the one we want to target.

 However, this is a dangerous position for the glenohumeral joint to be in and will lead to wear and tear and shoulder impingement in the long run (which can take months or even several years to happen).
To fix this, what you want to do is externally rotate your shoulder when performing this exercise.

But you may notice the muscle in the direct line of force now is the front delt, so to address this and put more emphasis on the mid delt, you can do one of two options.
Option 1: Slightly lean forward so that the lateral deltoid is now more in the line of force.

Option 2: Perform the exercise on an incline bench which is the same idea. 

But in both cases you want to ensure that you’re slightly externally rotating the shoulder.

Exercise 3 – Reverse pec deck (Emphasizes Posterior Delt)

Now we are going to put more emphasis on the rear delts. As I mentioned earlier, their development is essential for balanced development of the shoulder and long term shoulder health. This exercise is going to mainly emphasize the posterior deltoid but will involve various other secondary muscles.

Studies like this one by Pinto and colleagues have shown that the reverse pec deck elicits higher rear delt activation than the seated row and lat-pulldown. Meaning that including them in your routine is essential for optimal rear delt development.

As for which handle to use on the machine, this study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning research showed that the neutral grip, where the palms face each other, elicited higher posterior delt and infraspinatus activation than the pronated grip where the shoulders are internally rotated and the palms face down. This indicates that the neutral grip might be the better option.

Why is this the case? Well, aside from horizontal abduction, the posterior deltoid also functions to externally rotate the shoulder. Since the neutral grip involves more external rotation than the pronated grip, it makes sense that it elicits higher rear delt activation.

The researchers also proposed that the pronated grip position places a considerable stretch on the posterior deltoid. Thus, this position may prevent it from developing adequate force due to the length tension relationship. But, this hypotheses requires further study.

However it’s important to note that there was a lot of variation in this study. Some subjects found the other grip more effective, so try out both and see which feels better for you!

Exercise 4 – Lying Face Pulls

This exercise is my personal favorite when it comes to really isolating the rear delts and is something I highly recommend you try out. Although this variation will target similar muscles as the traditional standing face pulls will, it will lessen the involvement of the traps (more specifically the upper traps).

This is because, as shown in this study from the Journal of Sports Medicine, the upper traps are more active during standing exercises since they work as a postural muscle.

Thus, laying on the ground eliminates the effects of gravity and can decrease excessive activation of the upper traps.

This is beneficial because most people tend to have overactive upper traps which will tend to overpower the rear delts in many movements. So by performing this exercise lying down, it enables the rear delts to be more involved by lessening the involvement of the upper traps.

However, keep in mind that the traditional face pulls still have their benefits when it comes to strengthening the rotator cuffs and postural muscles. So I’d strongly advise that you still incorporate them somewhere in your routine or do a few sets of each variation.

 
Shoulder Fiber Type

As for fiber type, the shoulders have been shown in numerous studies to be pretty much an even 50/50 split between type I and type II muscle fibers.

Generally, it’s thought that high reps with low weight maximize type I fiber growth and low reps with high weight maximize type II fiber growth. Some studies agree with this. However, others show that both fiber types will grow regardless of the rep range used.

But I think that research is still leaning towards including a varied rep range given their fiber type distribution. Thus, I think that both high reps and low reps in your shoulder workout would be the best option in terms of hypertrophy.

Sample Workout

So to wrap this all up, here’s a sample workout you can do using the exercises previously discussed. Feel free to swap or add exercises or split the workout in half if you’re training shoulders more than once a week.

Overhead press: 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps

Lateral Raises: 4 total sets (2 sets 6-10 reps, 2 sets 12-15 reps)

Reverse Pec Deck: 4 total sets (2 sets 6-10 reps, 2 sets 12-15 reps)

Lying Face Pulls: 2 sets of 8-12 reps

Standing or Kneeling Face Pulls: 2 sets of 8-12 reps

source : https://builtwithscience.com

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One Month To Bigger Shoulders!

In many ways, the shoulders are the calves of the upper body.
They’re small, stubborn muscles that, for most of us, seem to refuse to grow no matter what we do.
High reps, high volume. Low reps, low volume. These exercises. Those exercises. All for naught.
I think we can both agree that I didn’t exactly have genetics on my side.
What I did have, though, was determination, and so I stuck with it.
Well, in this article, I want to teach  how you can use this knowledge to make your shoulders bigger and stronger in the next 30 days.

Warming Up!

Shoulders are a really versatile muscle group which means they have a very wide range of motion, but it also makes them more susceptible to harm. Make sure that you always warm up before exercising for 5-10 minutes. Your warm-up should include light sets and range of motion movements to prepare your rotator cuffs and elbows for the workout that will follow. Do these warm-up exercises before starting either workout, by lifting lighter weights and recuperating for 20 to 30 seconds between sets. Your warm-up set should have 2 minutes of rest between the sets and should look like this:

•     External Rotation with Cable: 2 sets,  10-12 reps.
•     Cable Internal Rotation: 2 sets, 10-12 reps.
•     Car Drivers: 2 sets, 10-12 reps.
•     Triceps Pushdown – Rope Attachment: 2 sets, 10-12 reps.

Shoulder Workout 1

This first workout serves to stress your body as much as possible, so use the heaviest weights you can manage. You need to build power, but make sure that you don’t lose your form or hurt yourself just to lift a few more pounds. Your broken ego won’t hurt nearly as much as a torn muscle. If, by some chance, you can manage to lift even more reps than the ones listed here, don’t. Throw on more weight and lift that weight the right number of times. If necessary, use wrist wraps and elbow sleeves to keep these areas safe because they’re more prone to injury, but always remember – you’re lifting that weight because you safely can. Have two minutes of rest between sets so your body can get ready for the next one and give it one hundred percent.

Here is the first workout:

    Push Press: 3-4 sets, 5 reps.
    Side Lateral Raise: 3 sets, 8 reps.
    Barbell Rear Delt Row: 3 sets, 8 reps.

Shoulder Workout 2

While the first one was aimed at making you stronger and more powerful, this set is completely different. Here, all you need to do is feel how your muscles work, without giving importance to the stress or resistance. You will always stress the shoulders with seated Arnold presses for 10 reps with 60s, but you will feel them far better with some lighter 40s instead. Every exercise in this routine needs a weight that you will have no problem lifting, one that will let you lift it more times than your normal rep count. This will let you concentrate on the muscles and it will enhance the time your shoulders spend under stress.

Lift lighter weights and feeling a bigger burn in your muscles will bring benefits in the long run. Remember that this isn’t a speed contest – you’ll get there, no hurries. You just need to watch your time under tension (TUT) so make sure you devote an extra 3 seconds for each rep to do the negative part of the movement. When you do the rep, make a pause so that you can feel your muscles with all the blood rushing through them. With more time under tension, you will break the wall between decent shoulders and awesome shoulders! You will need to rest for 45-60 seconds at most, so get back to pumping that iron whenever you feel ready as the pump that your muscles are experiencing is what will make them grow!

Here is the second workout:

•   Arnold Dumbbell Press: 3 sets, 10-12 reps.
•   Cable Seated Lateral Raise: 3 sets, 10-12 reps.
•   SUPERSET – Face Pull and Reverse Flyes: 3 sets,  12 reps per exercise.

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12 Best Dumbbell Exercises For Shoulders

To build robust shoulders you need to target them from multiple angles to activate all three heads of the deltoid muscle. Dumbbells are the perfect tool for the job. While barbell moves often require a spotter, and most machines fix your movement in one plane of motion, dumbbells require all your stabiliser muscles to work, force your core to hold everything together and offer plenty of versatility with every exercise.

This three-part shoulder complex from trainer Tom Dyer puts dumbbells to good use in targeting all three heads of your deltoids, helping you increase and maintain tension on the muscles, starting with the weaker rear deltoids and finishing by hitting all three in one big-hitting lift even Arnold Schwarzenegger would be proud of.

 Palms-In Shoulder Press

• Stand up and hold two dumbbells at shoulder level, palms facing each other.
• Push the dumbbells straight up until your elbows come close to locking and lower them back down after a short pause.
• Be careful NOT to jerk your back in an effort to help you raise the dumbbells.

Back Supported Palms-In Shoulder Press

• Sit on a bench (or chair) and hold two dumbbells at shoulder level, palms facing each other.
• Push the dumbbells straight up until your elbows come close to locking and lower them back down after a short pause.
• Be careful NOT to jerk your back in an effort to help you raise the dumbbells.

Palms-In Alternated Shoulder Press

• Stand up and hold two dumbbells, one at shoulder level and the other high with your arm extended, palms facing each other.
• Push one dumbbell straight up until your elbow comes close to locking and lower it back down after a short pause. Alternate hands.
• Be careful NOT to jerk your back in an effort to help you raise the dumbbells.

Seated Palms-In Alternated Shoulder Press

• Sit on a bench and hold two dumbbells, one at shoulder level and the other high with your arm extended, palms facing each other.
• Push one dumbbell straight up until your elbow comes close to locking and lower it back down after a short pause. Alternate hands.
• Be careful NOT to jerk your back in an effort to help you raise the dumbbells.

houlder Press

• Stand up and hold two dumbbells close to your shoulders, palms facing forward.
• Raise the dumbbells straight up until your elbows come close to locking and lower them back after a short pause. 
•  Be careful NOT to jerk your back in an effort to help you raise the dumbbells.        
   
• Seated Shoulder Press
  
  
  • Sit on a bench and hold two dumbbells at shoulder level, palms facing forward.
  • Push the dumbbells straight up until your elbows come close to locking and lower them back down after a short pause.
  • Be careful NOT to jerk your back in an effort to help you raise the dumbbells.

  Back Supported Shoulder Press

  
  • Sit on a bench with support for you back and hold two dumbbells at shoulder level, palms facing each other.
  • Raise the dumbbells straight up until your elbows come close to locking and lower them back down after a short pause.
  • Be careful NOT to jerk your back in an effort to help you raise the dumbbells.

  Lateral Raise

  
  • Stand up and hold one dumbbell with each hand in front of your hips, palms facing each other.
  • Raise the dumbbells to your sides until your arms are close to being parallel to the ground and lower them back down after a short pause.
  • Try to maintain the angles in your elbows still throughout.

  Bent-Over One-Arm Deltoid Raise

  
  • Bend down and hold one dumbbell with one hand between your legs, knees slightly bent.
  • Raise the dumbbell to your side until your arm is parallel to the ground and lower it back down slowly after a short pause.
  • Keep your back straight throughout.
  
  

  Seated Side Lateral Raise

  
  • Sit on one end of the bench and hold one dumbbell with each hand down the side of your body.
  • Raise both dumbbells sideways until your arms are parallel to the ground and lower them back down slowly after a short pause.
  • Keep your back straight throughout
  
  

  Reverse flye

  
  
  Dyer says “The rear deltoids are the weakest muscles in the shoulders so it’s best to start with them when you’ve got the most energy. Aim to hold the top of the lift for a second before lowering.”
  Holding a dumbbell in each hand, bend your knees slightly and lean forward 45° from your hips. Hold the dumbbells together below you and keep your shoulder blades retracted. With your arms slightly bent, raise the weights out to your sides until your arms are parallel to the floor. Slowly return them to the start.
  
  Arnold press
  
  
  
  Dyer says “By now your shoulders should be screaming. Finish off with the Arnold press, a move pioneered by the Austrian Oak during his bodybuilding days. It uses all three heads of the deltoids so even when you’re tiring you can work all the muscles of the shoulder harder for the biggest growth and strength gains.”
  Curl the dumbbells up and bring them in front of you so your palms face you. Press the weights above your head until your arms are straight, twisting them as you go so your palms end up facing forwards. Reverse the movement so that the weights are in front of your chest again. That’s one rep.
  
  

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3 Exercise and Tips for Building Bigger Shoulders

Few men relish shoulder day, but you neglect them at your peril. Broadening out up top slims your waist to carve out that coveted V-shape and, because you've probably never properly tested them, gains will come quicker than anywhere else on your body.

For the best approach to pump-up up top we asked PT and osteopath James White for some of his best exercises, fashioned into an intense workout that builds muscle fast. Prepare to shoulder arms.

If you are a stylish, young and trendy male, cultivating a pair of big shoulders will give you a boost of confidence and make you stand out from the crowd.

Here are my Top 3 Tips for building bigger shoulders.

P.S. Look out for a bonus shoulder workout!

HIT Them Frequently

If you want to get good at something, what do you do? Practice, practice, practice… practice makes perfect! When guys train shoulders, most only hit them 1x per week, but you want to stand out right? So hit them 2-3x per week.

Incorporate Compound Movements

If you want the most bang for your buck, add in compound exercises like the seated dumbbell shoulder press and standing military press. These exercises recruit more muscle groups and allow you to lift heavier which gets you head turning shoulders! Include these exercises first (after your warm up) and use a 6-10 rep range.

Use Higher Reps

Doing higher reps will pump your shoulders with blood, which instantly makes your shoulders look bigger. You’ll also stimulate your body to produce a surge of feel good hormones called ‘endorphins’.
After your compound movement (see Tip 2), incorporate a higher rep range (15-25 reps) for each exercise.

The Workout:

Warm Up:

5 minute warm up on the cross trainer
10 circular shoulder swings forward + 10 backwards
2-3 light warm up sets of seated DB press (6-10 reps per set)

Exercise 1:

Seated dumbbell press: 3 sets x 6-10 reps

Exercise 2:

Side dumbbell lateral raises: 4 sets x 15-20 reps

Exercise 3:

Bent over dumbbell lateral raises: 4 sets x 20-25 reps
*Rest 60 seconds between each set

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The 4-Week Dumbbell Workout Plan: Shoulders

First of all, Congratulations on taking the 4 week dumbbell challenge!  You will be amazed how tone and fit you will get just by incorporating weights into your exercise routine and eating right for your metabolic type!.

Workout 4: Shoulders (Week 1)

2A Shoulder Press

• Stand up and hold two dumbbells close to your shoulders, palms facing forward.
• Raise the dumbbells straight up until your elbows come close to locking and lower them back after a short pause.
• Be careful NOT to jerk your back in an effort to help you raise the dumbbells.

Why: The key to building bigger, wider shoulders is to make these muscles work through their full range of motion, so make sure you lower the dumbbells all the way back to the start position at the end of each rep. 

1B Lateral raise

Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 60sec Tempo 2010

How to:

• Stand with dumbbells by your sides and palms facing each other.
• Lean forward slightly, then raise the weights to the sides, leading with your elbows.
• Slowly lower them back to the start under control.

Why: This is a fantastic move for hitting your side delts – the section of the shoulder muscles that, when developed, creates a strong and wide upper body to help create the coveted V-shaped torso.

2A Arnold press

Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 0sec Tempo 2010

How to:

• Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with palms facing you.
• Press the weights directly overhead, rotating your wrists as you lift, until your arms are straight, then lower them back to the start.

Why: It’s a similar lift to the straight overhead press, except your wrists rotate as you move the weights – and it’s this added movement that will fire up even more muscle fibres.

2B Upright row

Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 60sec Tempo 2010

How to:

• Stand tall holding a pair of dumbbells in front of your body with straight arms.
• Keeping your chest up and leading with your elbows, row the weights up until your hands reach chin height.
• Lower back to the start.

Why: Building bigger shoulders means you also need to work your traps, which is what this lift does brilliantly. Don’t go too heavy at first – it’s better to perform quality reps than max-weight ones – and never jerk the weights up and down.

3A Front raise

Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 0sec Tempo 2010

How to:

• Stand tall holding a pair of dumbbells in front of your body with straight arms.
• Keeping your chest up and arms straight, raise the weights in front of you to shoulder hit.
• Lower back to the start.

Why: This lift hits the front of your shoulders predominantly and, as with all shoulder moves, make sure you are controlling the weight at all times – it should never be controlling you. You can’t add muscle if you’re injured.

3B Shrug

Sets 4 Reps 10 Rest 60sec Tempo 2010

How to:

• Stand tall holding a dumbbell in each hand with straight arms.
• Keeping your chest up, core braced and arms straight, shrug your shoulders.
• Pause at the top, then lower the weights back to the start.

Why: It’s another great move for bigger traps, and the best thing about this move is that you can go heavy because its range of motion is so short. Keep everything tight and shrug the weights up powerfully to make it more effective.

 

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