The shoulders are an incredibly important muscle group for a bodybuilder both from a practical and an aesthetic standpoint.
Practically, the shoulders are called into play in a multitude of different exercises that don't necessarily claim the shoulders as their primary target.
From an aesthetic standpoint, large shoulders make you appear wider.
Not only does this make you appear larger overall, it also makes your waist seem smaller and contributes to the vaunted "V-shaped" torso that is sought after by all bodybuilders.
In order to train the shoulder effectively, it's necessary to know the various parts of the shoulder and what exercises work those specific parts.
In this article, I'd like to go over the various parts of the shoulder as well as provide exercises for each one.
The shoulder is made up of three parts: the anterior deltoid, the medial deltoid, and posterior deltoid.
Many people also include the upper trapezius muscle in their shoulder workout as well (some work traps on back day; I personally do it when working my shoulders).
The anterior deltoid functions to bring your arm forward and rotate your arm in.
The movements to best target the anterior deltoid are: Front Raises: These can be performed with a barbell or a dumbbell.
When using a dumbbell you can choose a grip with your palms facing the floor or rotate your palms so your thumbs are up and your palms are facing each other.
Military Presses: These are a great mass builder and all-around awesome exercise for your shoulders.
Choose a slightly narrower grip for more emphasis on the anterior delts.
The medial deltoid functions to raise your arm out to the side.
These are best targeted by: Lateral Raises: You can do these seated or standing.
The key for me is to choose a weight you can handle and perform the movement slowly.
Also, at the top of the movement try to tilt your palms slightly forward to place more stress on the medial delts.
Barbell Upright Rows: Choose a grip that puts your hands slightly less than shoulder-width apart and, like the lateral raises, perform the movement slowly with a weight you can definitely handle.
The posterior deltoid brings your arm back and rotates your arm outward.
These are best targeted by: Bent-Over Lateral Raises/Reverse Pec Deck Flyes: These are essentially the same exercise performed in two different axes.
In one, you'll be sitting up on a pec deck machine in the reverse position from how you perform pectoral flyes.
In the other, you'll be bent over with knees slightly bent and your torso approximately parallel to the floor.
In both cases, you should focus on pulling with your elbows and pinching your shoulder blades together.
The trapezius muscle raises your shoulders upwards in the classic shrugging motion.
Thus, the traps are best worked by performing Shrugs.
You can do these with a barbell held in front of you or you can stand in front of the barbell and perform shrugs behind you.
Shrugs can also be done with dumbbells.
I enjoy using the Smith machine as well...
it allows me to go heavier than I normally would and really focus on squeezing the traps at the top of each rep.
Hopefully this article has given you a better understanding of your shoulders and traps and exactly what exercises you can perform to work them fully.
Having well-sculpted shoulders is a great way to improve your overall "look" of muscularity as these muscles really seem to "pop" whether you're bare-chested or in a tank.
Keep training hard!
Practically, the shoulders are called into play in a multitude of different exercises that don't necessarily claim the shoulders as their primary target.
From an aesthetic standpoint, large shoulders make you appear wider.
Not only does this make you appear larger overall, it also makes your waist seem smaller and contributes to the vaunted "V-shaped" torso that is sought after by all bodybuilders.
In order to train the shoulder effectively, it's necessary to know the various parts of the shoulder and what exercises work those specific parts.
In this article, I'd like to go over the various parts of the shoulder as well as provide exercises for each one.
The shoulder is made up of three parts: the anterior deltoid, the medial deltoid, and posterior deltoid.
Many people also include the upper trapezius muscle in their shoulder workout as well (some work traps on back day; I personally do it when working my shoulders).
The anterior deltoid functions to bring your arm forward and rotate your arm in.
The movements to best target the anterior deltoid are: Front Raises: These can be performed with a barbell or a dumbbell.
When using a dumbbell you can choose a grip with your palms facing the floor or rotate your palms so your thumbs are up and your palms are facing each other.
Military Presses: These are a great mass builder and all-around awesome exercise for your shoulders.
Choose a slightly narrower grip for more emphasis on the anterior delts.
The medial deltoid functions to raise your arm out to the side.
These are best targeted by: Lateral Raises: You can do these seated or standing.
The key for me is to choose a weight you can handle and perform the movement slowly.
Also, at the top of the movement try to tilt your palms slightly forward to place more stress on the medial delts.
Barbell Upright Rows: Choose a grip that puts your hands slightly less than shoulder-width apart and, like the lateral raises, perform the movement slowly with a weight you can definitely handle.
The posterior deltoid brings your arm back and rotates your arm outward.
These are best targeted by: Bent-Over Lateral Raises/Reverse Pec Deck Flyes: These are essentially the same exercise performed in two different axes.
In one, you'll be sitting up on a pec deck machine in the reverse position from how you perform pectoral flyes.
In the other, you'll be bent over with knees slightly bent and your torso approximately parallel to the floor.
In both cases, you should focus on pulling with your elbows and pinching your shoulder blades together.
The trapezius muscle raises your shoulders upwards in the classic shrugging motion.
Thus, the traps are best worked by performing Shrugs.
You can do these with a barbell held in front of you or you can stand in front of the barbell and perform shrugs behind you.
Shrugs can also be done with dumbbells.
I enjoy using the Smith machine as well...
it allows me to go heavier than I normally would and really focus on squeezing the traps at the top of each rep.
Hopefully this article has given you a better understanding of your shoulders and traps and exactly what exercises you can perform to work them fully.
Having well-sculpted shoulders is a great way to improve your overall "look" of muscularity as these muscles really seem to "pop" whether you're bare-chested or in a tank.
Keep training hard!
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