5 awesome exercises for shoulder muscles
Health FitnessAmerica is known for being “arm happy” and I have to agree. It’s kind of funny watching the vast majority of guys in the gym hit their arms and chest every day. The next time you lift, look around and I bet you’ll notice that all the benches and preacher curl machines are taken. This habit of throwing your arms above everything else gives you an unbalanced look. The usual obvious sign of someone who is “arm happy” is the notorious chicken feet, but what I’ve really noticed lately is narrow shoulders. Having narrow shoulders will make you look weak and puny. If you have massive biceps and triceps and no shoulders, you’re going to look extremely uncomfortable and probably hit yourself if you’re racing over something weird on the lake.
There’s a lot more to building impressive shoulder muscles than just doing dumbbell lateral raises or shoulder presses on machines. Compound exercises that engage the entire body will be most effective in building big, strong shoulders.
Functions of the shoulder muscles
anterior deltoid
- The front head of the shoulder that allows you to turn your arm inward. This shoulder muscle plays an important role in bench press and triceps exercises. This is commonly one of the most overdeveloped muscles for weightlifters, which can cause muscle imbalance, leading to injury and posture problems.
medial deltoid
- The medial deltoid pulls the arm out to the side. This shoulder muscle is most activated by isolated shoulder movements, such as dumbbell lateral raises.
rear deltoid
- The rear deltoid pulls the arm back and helps rotate it out. Back training exercises like rows and pull-ups engage the rear deltoids more than most other exercises. Reverse raises are also a good isolation exercise for the rear deltoids.
5 amazing exercises for the shoulder muscles that must be in your routine
1. Overhead Push Presses: This shoulder workout will shred your deltoids and make you stronger overall, especially your core. You’re basically throwing weight over your head, which forces you to keep your balance and not sway from side to side. This is a powerful compound exercise.
2. Arnold Presses: Terminator knew what he was doing! He tried to keep strict form on this one and really felt the burn. Get a good rotation throughout the movement and try to touch the weights at the top and bottom of each rep.
3. Bus drivers: Funny name, but it works! Hold the plate straight in front of you and rotate it from side to side like a steering wheel. You will feel a burn in your shoulders and forearms as you perform the movement.
4. Front raises: This is a solid move. Try not to swing too much, and bring the weight to shoulder level on each rep. You must maintain control and not allow the weight to drop too quickly.
5. Shrug: Try to do this exercise for your shoulder muscles at the beginning of your workout, or there’s a good chance you won’t get the most out of them. Don’t put 6 plates on each side and move your arms up and down half an inch. Get a good range of motion and squeeze your traps at the top for a second. Get them right and you’ll be looking like a weirdo in no time. By “freak” I mean a stacked individual, which is out of the norm in today’s obese society.
Well, that’s it for this one. Remember, broad shoulders will make you look taller, broader, and more masculine. Give these workouts a try during your next training session, and don’t forget to let me know what you think in the comments section below.
peace,
-David McCready