Shoulder Workouts

Do Your Front Delts Need Extra Training? Here’s What to Know Should I train front delts? is right up there with Do you even lift? as the most-asked question among gym veterans. So, do you really need front delt exercises in your lifting routine? The front deltoid — that showy strand of muscle on the front of your shoulder — is one of the more prominent areas in the upper body and activates whenever you press or push something with your upper body. So if you do any pressing movements at all— from push-ups to bench presses to dips to overhead presses — you’re already hitting your front deltoids pretty hard. Whether you also want to include isolation moves like the front raise in your program depends on your history and your goals. Here’s what training your front deltoids can do for you — and the best moves to use when you do. Shoulder Muscle Anatomy Your shoulder joint — the connection point between your upper arm and torso, nerdishly termed your glenohumeral joint — is widely considered your most mobile joint. Working in conjunction with your scapulae (shoulder blades) behind and your clavicles (collar bones) in front, your arm can cover more than a half-spherical range in front, below, above, and to the side. The three-headed deltoid muscle is responsible for a lot of that movement, with each distinct head responsible for moving your upper arm in a particular direction. The anterior (front) deltoid The front deltoid runs from the outer end of your collarbone to a spot on the outside of your upper arm called the deltoid tuberosity, a few inches below your shoulder joint. Like the other two heads of the muscle, its primary function is flexion — raising your arm in front of your torso. So if you place your arm by your side and raise it forward and up until you’re reaching overhead, voilà — that’s the anterior deltoid at work. That means that any movement where your upper arm traces a similar path stimulates the front deltoid, whether your arm is straight or bent. All overhead presses fit the bill, and, to a lesser extent, dips, and all flat, incline, and decline bench presses. The lateral (side) deltoid The lateral deltoid originates at a bony spot on the top of each shoulder called your acromion, which attaches to your shoulder blade. Like the anterior deltoid, it attaches at the deltoid tuberosity below the shoulder joint. As its name suggests, however, the lateral deltoid abducts your arm, raising it directly out to the side. The posterior (rear) deltoid The final head of the deltoid is the oft-neglected posterior delt, which originates at the outer end of the top edge of your shoulder blade, and connects — again — to the deltoid tuberosity. It’s responsible for extending your arm, or raising your arm behind you. The posterior delt also externally rotates your arm, turning it outwards at the shoulder joint. Do You Need Front Delt Exercises? All three heads of your deltoids deserve a place on your training menu. They all perform important functions, applicable to sports performance and daily life alike — and they look cool when they’re well developed as well. Miss any one of them, and your shoulder joint can start to get hitchy — like a wheel with a couple of spokes missing. But in most programs, the front delts aren’t the problem; the list of exercises that stimulate the front deltoids — directly or indirectly — is long, and most well-written strength-training programs include at least one of them. Do those moves consistently, and you’re unlikely to need to add an isolation move like a front raise into the mix, with a couple of exceptions: If you’re a bodybuilder and you feel your front deltoids are noticeably lagging in development compared to the rest of your upper body, even when you perform pressing exercises regularly. If you participate in a sport where deltoid strength is exceptionally important — tennis, boxing, throwing sports — then well-chosen, carefully-executed front deltoid work will strengthen that area and may make it less susceptible to injury. If you’ve tweaked your front deltoid — by overdoing it on the bench press, for example — and your doctor advises you to return to full activity slowly — then careful, slow front-deltoid work can be a great way to transition back to heavier pressing movements. 11 Best Front Delt Exercises If you’re structuring your workouts to include front delt exercises, pick a few of these effective moves. 1. Anterior deltoid raise Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your side. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, lift the weights up directly in front of you to shoulder height with your palms facing each other. Lower back down and repeat. 2. Overhead press Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding two heavy dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing each other. Keeping your elbows in, slowly press the dumbbells upward until your arms are straight. Lower your hands back to your shoulders and repeat. 3. Bench press Lie on a flat bench holding a pair of dumbbells directly above your chest with your palms facing forward. Your head, upper back, and butt should touch the bench, and your feet should be flat on the floor. Slowly lower the weights to the sides of your chest, keeping your elbows about 45 degrees away from your body. Pause, and then push the weights back up to the starting position. 4. Push press Stand tall with your feet hip- to shoulder-width apart holding a pair of dumbbells by your shoulders, palms in. Keeping your back flat and core braced, push your hips back and bend your knees, lowering yourself into a partial squat. Push up explosively with your legs as you extend your arms and press the weights directly above your shoulders. Lower the weights back to the starting position, and repeat.

8 Side Delt Exercises to Shape Your Shoulders If you want improve the look of your upper body in a hurry, there are probably no movements more important to perform than side delt exercises. The deltoids — the muscles that lift, rotate, and articulate your upper arms — are visible from virtually any angle and look like halved coconuts on your upper arms and shoulders when they’re well-developed. Powerful side delts create dramatic detail in your upper arm, chest, and upper back, giving a rounded shape to your silhouette that screams, Hell yeah I work out. That’s a lot of bang for your buck for one part of a single muscle. Here’s how to develop them. Shoulder Muscle Anatomy Though we often think of it as a single joint, the shoulder is comprised of multiple joints: Glenohumeral joint, the main ball-and-socket joint connecting your upper arm and torso Acromioclavicular joint, between your collarbone and your shoulder blade Scapulothoracic joint, between your shoulder blade and your rib cage Sternoclavicular joint, between your sternum and your collarbone All these multisyllabic structures contribute to the extreme mobility of the shoulder joint, which allows your arm to move in virtually any direction. The three-headed deltoid muscle is responsible for a lot of that movement, with each distinct head responsible for moving your upper arm in a particular direction. The anterior (front) deltoid The front deltoid runs from the outer end of your collarbone to a spot on the outside of your upper arm called the deltoid tuberosity, a few inches below your shoulder joint. Like the other two heads of the muscle, its primary function is flexion — movement of your arm in a forward direction. Stand upright and raise your arm forward and up. That’s your anterior delt at work. The posterior (rear) deltoid Originating at the outer end of the top edge of your shoulder blade and connecting to the deltoid tuberosity is the posterior deltoid. Its main role is arm extension, or moving your arm backwards behind your body. If you raise your arm in front of you until it’s parallel to the ground, palm down, then trace a wide arc out to the side and behind you, that’s the main action of the posterior deltoid. The lateral (side) deltoid From the acromion, the bony spot on the top of each shoulder where the lateral deltoid originates, the side delt extends down the middle of your upper arm and attaches, like the anterior deltoid, to the deltoid tuberosity. As its name suggests, the lateral deltoid abducts the arm, lifting it directly out to the side. Since lateral abduction — side-raising — is also a component of overhead pressing and horizontal abduction, the side deltoid also assists the front deltoid in overhead pressing movements and the rear deltoid in many reverse-flying movements. It’s the muscle in the middle, always up for helping out the other delts. Benefits of Side Delt Exercises The side delts may be small — maybe the size and shape of three fingers — but their contribution to the health, function, and appearance of your upper body is outsized. 1. Improved shoulder function Most people — including many fitness enthusiasts — have front deltoids and upper chests that are disproportionately strong compared to their side and rear deltoids. This may be due to our tendency to overemphasize pushing movements (bench presses, pushups, etc.) for the chest and shoulders at the expense of pulling moves (rows, pull downs, etc.) for the back. That imbalance can lead to a host of issues, including limited mobility and poor function. Emphasizing side and rear deltoid development along with front deltoid work can help restore this muscle group to balance, making you more flexible and mobile in overhead reaching and pressing moves. 2. More strength If the muscles on one side of a joint are significantly stronger than those on the other, the joint can lose stability, which reduces its strength. By developing the side delts along with the often overpowering front deltoids and upper chest, you’ll help stabilize the shoulder, allowing it to express more strength in overhead pressing movements. Over time, that means more muscle for the entire deltoid — front, sides, and back. 3. An improved silhouette The side deltoids give your upper body a wider, more muscular look that’s immediately apparent when you walk in a room, even when you’re fully clothed. Visually, that inch of extra width in shoulders can make the waist appear smaller by comparison, emphasizing the V taper — wide shoulders and back and a narrow waist — that’s the hallmark of fit folks and bodybuilders. 8 Best Side Delt Exercises If you’re interested in growing and strengthening your lateral delts, these are the best exercises to do so. 1. Cable lateral raise Attach a “D” handle to the carabiner on a cable machine and select a light weight on the stack. Holding the handle in your left hand, stand with your right shoulder facing the machine with your right foot forward, and the toe of your left foot against the heel of your right, as if walking on a tightrope. Take hold of the upright on the cable machine with your right hand and lean your body to the left, keeping your shoulders and hips square. This is your starting position. Keeping your right arm straight and the palm of your left hand turned downwards, slowly raise the D handle out to your left side until your arm is parallel to the floor. Hold the top position for a moment, reverse the move, return to the starting position, and repeat for reps on both sides. 2. Dumbbell lateral raise Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding a pair at dumbbells at arms’ length by your sides, palms facing inward. Maintaining a slight bend in your elbows, raise your arms directly out to your sides until they’re at shoulder level (your palms should be facing downward at the top of the movement). Slowly lower the weights

Master the Cable Rear Delt Fly for Shredded Shoulders Want better posture, more strength in pressing movements, more mobile shoulders, and a more impressive-looking upper body — from all angles? There’s a single move that can get you there that you’re almost certainly not doing: the cable rear delt fly. This simple, little-used exercise grows and strengthens the rear delts, a band of muscle that pulls your shoulder and upper arm backwards and, when strengthened, provides a host of other benefits as well. Cable Rear Delt Fly: Step-by-Step Instructions Select a light weight on both stacks of a dual cable machine, and slide the pulleys to around shoulder height. Face the machine and take hold of the cable for the stack on the right in your left hand and the cable for the stack on the left in your right hand (the cables will be crossed in front of you). Still facing the machine, assume a kneeling position — on a pad if necessary — about two feet behind the front stacks of the cable machine. Reach your arms directly forward and upward in front of you, about 45 degrees to the floor. This is your starting position. Keeping your arms slightly bent, slowly draw the cables in wide arcs down and behind you, squeezing your rear deltoids as hard as possible in the end position (think of pushing the pinkie-sides of your hands down and outward). Slowly reverse the movement, return to the starting position, and repeat for reps. Cable Rear Delt Fly Muscles Worked Compared to bigger lifts like the bench press, squat, or deadlift, the cable rear delt fly works small — but important — muscles that are often overlooked. Rear delts The rear delts originate at the top of your scapulae (shoulder blades) and insert, or attach, to the back of your upper arm a few inches below your shoulder joint. The function of this understated chunk of sinew is to pull your upper arm from a shoulder-height position in front of your body to a point behind your upper body in the same plane, a move known as horizontal abduction. The rear deltoids also rotate your upper arms outward (away from the center line of your body), a movement technically termed external rotation. Trapezius To a lesser degree, cable rear delt flys also work the lower portion of the trapezius muscles — the kite-shaped muscle that spans your mid and upper back — which help draw your shoulder blades downward. Small as they are, however, the rear delts and lower traps are crucial to shoulder function and posture. They counterbalance the action of the upper trapezius (which shrug the shoulders) and the pec muscles of the chest (which pull your shoulders forward and rotate your arms internally). Cable Rear Delt Fly Benefits Here are a couple reasons why cable rear delt flys deserve a place in your training. Prevents muscle imbalances The deltoids are a three-headed muscle responsible for raising your arm in numerous ways. Among workout regulars, the rear delts are by far the most-neglected: The front delts get plenty of direct action from pressing moves of all kinds — pushups, bench presses, overhead presses, and the like — and the side delts get tons of love from lateral raises. However, the rear delts typically get only indirect work from back moves like rows and pulldowns. This can lead to imbalances among the heads of your deltoids, limiting their strength and growth potential. The rear delt cable fly can help with that. Improves posture and shoulder function Underdeveloped rear delts can also lead to a forward-rounded posture that, over time, can cause pain in your neck and back, and poor function in the shoulder joint. A few sets of cable rear delt flys every week can help pull you out of the shrugged-shouldered, rounded-back position that many of us habitually assume throughout much of the day. This will help improve day-to-day posture while allowing you to reach your arm overhead more comfortably and press more weight overhead in your upper-body workouts. Rear Delt Cable Fly Alternatives The rear delt cable fly isn’t the only effective exercise for this underappreciated muscle. But it is one of the best, as it challenges the muscle through its entire range of motion, from the stretched position to the fully contracted position. Most rear-delt moves are primarily effective when your rear delts are shortened — or fully contracted — but are less effective in the lengthened position. This is true of the dumbbell reverse fly, which is challenging when the dumbbells are fully lifted, but very easy — almost effortless — when your arms are hanging straight down. This doesn’t make these alternative moves ineffective. You’ll certainly build and strengthen your rear delts using the moves listed below. They’re just somewhat less effective than the cable version. 1. Dumbbell reverse fly Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Hinge at the hips (press the hips back as you lower your chest) until your chest is almost parallel with the ground. Allow the weights to hang straight down at arm’s length, palms facing each other. Keeping your back flat and your core braced, raise your arms out to your sides until they’re in line with your body. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement. Return to the starting position, and repeat. 2. Resistance band reverse fly Hold the handles of a resistance band and assume a shoulder width stance, using both feet to stand on the center of the band to secure it. Exchange handles between your two hands so that the bands cross. Bend your knees slightly and hinge at your hips until your torso is almost parallel to the floor and your back is flat. (If necessary, spread your feet wider to create more tension on the band.) Keeping your torso still, raise the handles as far as possible directly out to your sides, with the back of

Landmine Press: The Best Shoulder Press You Aren’t Doing Vertical pressing exercises (meaning, you press weight overhead) can be power players in an upper-body workout. But the problem is that very few people actually have the mobility to properly perform them. That’s exactly what makes the landmine press so genius, says Baltimore-based strength coach Erica Suter, CSCS. When you try to press a weight overhead without the proper shoulder mobility, you have to compensate by arching and throwing your weight into your back. Not only is that poor form, but it can also cause significant back pain, explains Suter. Pressing straight overhead can also cause pain and clicking in cranky shoulder joints. Rather than requiring a straight-overhead motion, the landmine shoulder press involves pressing one end of a barbell diagonally up and forward, away from your body. The result: You get all of the benefits of overhead pressing without the risk to your shoulders or back. Think you have good shoulder mobility? Try this test: Stand with your back against a wall. Keeping your upper back, glutes, and the back of your head against the wall, reach your arms fully overhead. Can you touch the wall with the backs of your hands? If not… skip overhead pressing and go with landmine pressing instead. Landmine Press: Step-by-Step Instructions Affix one end of a barbell to a landmine. If desired, add weight plates to the free end and secure with a safety clip. Stand facing down the shaft of the barbell with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the weighted end of the barbell with both hands in front of your chest, one hand on top of the other. Brace your core. Press the weight up until your arms are extended. Pause, then slowly lower the barbell back to your chest. Repeat for all reps. What Can I Use Instead of a Landmine for the Landmine Press? Some gyms don’t have a landmine for performing shoulder work. That’s OK! You can easily perform a landmine press by placing one end of the barbell securely in a corner of your gym, a corner of a squat rack frame, or even in the nook created by two 45-pound bumper plates. As long as your barbell feels secure, anywhere is game. Just remember to be considerate of your gym’s equipment — to prevent any scuffing, you can wrap the end of the barbell in a towel or place it in a sneaker that then goes in the corner. Landmine Press Variations Once you feel confident with the dual-arm landmine press, try out these back-friendly shoulder, chest, and triceps workout exercise variations. They’re listed below from most beginner-friendly to most advanced. 1. Landmine single-arm press Take a staggered stance (you can step either leg forward) and press the bar up with one arm. 2. Landmine chest press Lie flat on your back on the floor, parallel to the barbell with the top of your head pointed to the anchor point. Hold the end of barbell at your chest and press the bar with one or both arms. 3. Kneeling landmine press Set up by kneeling on one or both knees. Then, you can perform either two-arm or single-arm landmine press variations. 4. Landmine shoulder-to-shoulder press Use both hands to press the bar up, lower to one shoulder. Press the bar back up, and then lower to the opposite shoulder. Continue alternating. 5. Landmine push-press Add a small bend to your knees and use your legs to help drive up the bar. This can allow you to press more weight. You can try this using one or both arms. 6. Landmine squat to press Lower into a full squat before driving the bar up. Lower into a full squat as you lower the bar to your chest. Then, come out of the squat to standing as you drive the bar up. Landmine Press Muscles Worked The landmine press exercise (and its variations) trains your pushing muscles, as well as your core. Depending on the landmine press variation you use, you will place greater emphasis on certain muscles while deemphasizing others. For example, by loading only one side of the body at a time, the single-arm landmine shoulder press introduces instability and forces the core to do overtime. The dual-arm press as well as single-arm shoulder presses from a kneeling position will be more stable and involve less core engagement, but will allow you to move more weight. And the landmine chest press is, like the name suggests, a major chest workout. Here’s a more detailed look at the muscles worked by this exercise: 1. Shoulders All presses train both the deltoids and rotator cuff muscles, which attach to the shoulder blades and stabilize your upper-arm bone (humerus) in your shoulder socket. 2. Chest The pectoral muscles help the shoulder extend the weight overhead and are a primary driver when pressing the bar directly in front of your chest. 3. Triceps Any time your elbow straightens, your triceps (in the back of your upper arm) are at work. 4. Core Your core — which includes muscles like your abdominals, obliques, and some back muscles — are responsible for securing a stable, safe spinal position throughout the exercise, and prevent you from tipping over during the single-arm work. The post Landmine Press: The Best Shoulder Press You Aren’t Doing appeared first on BODi. Vertical pressing exercises (meaning, you press weight overhead) can be power players in an upper-body workout. But the problem is that very few people actually have the mobility to properly perform them. That’s exactly what makes the landmine press so genius, says Baltimore-based strength coach Erica Suter, CSCS. When you try to press a weight overhead […] The post Landmine Press: The Best Shoulder Press You Aren’t Doing appeared first on BODi. Kayne Toyosato{authorlink}https://www.beachbodyondemand.com/blog/landmine-pressBODi BODi is a Health Esteem platform to help you embrace the person you are today so you can take action to achieve all your health and fitness goals. https://www.beachbodyondemand.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bod-blog/assets/vendor/beachbodydigital/wordpress-core-plugins/beachbody.png