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When I first embarked on my fitness journey, I noticed that my shoulders grew the quickest.
My deltoids responded rapidly to the training I put into them, transforming my upper body strength and appearance.
Today, I want to share with you my five favorite shoulder exercises that played a pivotal role in this transformation.
These exercises not only helped me build powerful and well-defined shoulders but also improved my overall upper body stability and posture.
Let’s dive into these game-changing shoulder exercises and explore some delt-growing strategies with them!
The shoulders, or deltoids, consist of three main muscle fibers: the anterior, lateral, and posterior deltoids.
The anterior deltoid, located at the front, enables the shoulder joint to move up and down, such as when raising your hands.
The lateral deltoid, on the side, allows for the shoulder joint to move straight out from the body.
At the back of our shoulders is the posterior deltoid, which facilitates the extension of the shoulder joint outward.
These muscle fibers work together to provide the shoulder with its full range of motion, making it the most mobile joint in the body.
Why It's Effective: This compound movement targets all three deltoid heads and helps build overall shoulder strength and stability.
This exercise has probably brought me the most of my shoulder development.
Tip: Keep your core tight and avoid arching your lower back to maintain proper form and prevent injury.
Why It's Effective: It allows for a greater range of motion and isolates the shoulder muscles better than a barbell press.
Tip: Lower the weights slowly to enhance muscle activation and control.
Why It's Effective: By minimizing momentum, this exercise maximizes the tension on the lateral deltoids, promoting better muscle development.
Tip: Focus on lifting with your shoulders rather than your forearms for optimal results.
Why It's Effective: This exercise helps correct muscle imbalances and improves shoulder stability by working one side at a time.
Tip: Perform the press standing to engage your core and enhance overall stability.
Why It's Effective: This exercise targets the rear deltoids and upper back, promoting better posture and balanced shoulder development.
Tip: Keep your elbows high and squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end of the movement for maximum effectiveness.
When it comes to the anterior deltoid, we tend to overemphasize the development of this muscle group.
If you do various types of chest work (bench press variations), the anterior deltoid is targeted.
The following strategies are how to optimize anterior deltoid development.
As mentioned, if you bench a lot, stick to one or two major exercises like the barbell overhead press and dumbbell one arm shoulder press.
The anterior deltoids respond pretty well to heavier weight and lower reps.
Focus around the 5-10 rep range for some pretty solid shoulder development.
Limit the sets to about 4-8 weekly sets.
Remember: if you're benching, you're getting anterior delt work in!
When it comes to lateral deltoids, we know that we are usually limited to isolated lateral raise variations.
This means that we have to get creative when it comes to muscular development in this area.
The following are lateral deltoid strategies I recommend.
When raising the dumbbell or machine at the top portion of the lateral raise exercise, turn your hands inward so that your pinkies are up.
This will assist in contracting the lateral deltoid to a larger extent.
Most people lift the weight on a lateral raise with their forearms to bring the weight up.
This won’t contract the deltoid properly; you need to use your arms as levers that move with the deltoids.
If you have to go super light to achieve this, do so.
Tension on the lateral deltoids > weight raised.
Since it is difficult to properly progress on the lateral raise, it is recommended that you focus on higher rep ranges to develop these muscles.
Sets of 10-15 or 15-20 reps are highly recommended.
I prefer doing 2 sets of lateral raises and shooting for 15-20 reps because they give me an awesome pump.
There are more posterior deltoid exercises than the lateral raise counterparts.
Just like the lateral deltoid, the amount of weight we can do is limited.
The following is what we can do with our rear deltoids.
When it comes to the posterior or rear deltoid, we highly recommend utilizing high reps around 15-20 and, quite possibly, the 20-25 rep ranges.
This may sound unorthodox, but here are our reasons why:
While face pulls are my favorite, explore chest supported rear delt flyes and see if those work better for you.
If you're looking to take your deltoid workouts to the next level, look no further than Pre-Forged Mind & Body Pre-Workout.
Pre-Forged is a nootropic pump pre-workout crafted to help support nitric oxide production, which in turn enhances oxygen delivery to your muscles.
Featuring an efficacious formula of ingredients like Beta Alanine, Caffeine, L-Citrulline, and L-Theanine, this pre-workout was forged to boost your energy, performance, and overall well-being during even your most intense gym sessions.
Simply take one scoop 10-15 minutes before your workout session and you're good to go!
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Understanding the anatomy and function of the shoulder muscles is crucial for developing balanced and resilient shoulders.
By focusing on comprehensive training strategies that emphasize all three deltoid heads, you can work towards capping out your deltoids.
Remember to prioritize proper form, balanced workout routines, and adequate warm-up and cool-down exercises.
Respecting and training these muscles properly will not only improve your shoulder health but also contribute to your overall upper body strength and posture.
And if you're looking to level up your exercise & mental health journey, grab our 7 Depression Slayers Workouts and Digital book below.
Until next time, stay strong, and build out those delts!
There was a time in my life when my self-esteem was non-existent.
I would actively avoid social situations, second-guess every decision, and constantly seek validation from others.
The good news is that I found a way out.
No more complicated routines, no hour-long meditations, no Saratoga water ice-cold face baths. ;)
These past few years have been stressful as hell.
While we can’t always control external chaos, we can control how we take care of ourselves.