Working on building the shoulder muscles? This can be a challenge. It’s very hard to build muscle on your shoulders safely and effectively. Many of your other upper body exercises put stress on the shoulders and need to be taken into consideration. For example, if you did a heavy load of bench press this week, you shouldn’t do any overhead presses because you could injury your rotator cuff from too much shoulder strain. So if you train chest one day, wait two days before you train the shoulders, and two more days for the chest again.
Make sure that you warm up properly since you are dealing with such a delicate joint. If you are just starting out working your shoulder, or deltoids, take it easy. Begin by slowly strengthening your deltoids and then focus on growth. There are three parts of the deltoid, the front, the middle, and the rear deltoids, that need to be worked. Here are a few exercises that will help you to develop strong muscular shoulders that put most men to shame:
External Rotation: Sets 3, Reps 8-10
Works the rear deltoid
Lie down on the floor on your side with your head resting on one hand. With the other hand, grip a dumbbell with your arm bent at a 90 degree angle draped across your belly. Slowly rotate your arm from your belly up towards the ceiling until it is parallel to the floor. Your elbow should never leave the side of your body.
Side Lateral Raises: Sets 3, Reps 8-10
Works the middle deltoids
This move is done standing with a dumbbell in each hand in a relaxed, natural position. Raise the weights up and to the sides of your body with your arms straight until your body is the shape of a T.
Front Wheel Raises: Sets 3, Reps 8-10
Works the front deltoids
This move is done standing with both hands gripping a weight wheel or plate in front of your body. Keeping your arms straight, raise the wheel up towards the ceiling until your arms are parallel to the floor.
Twisting Dumbbell Presses: Sets 3, Reps 8-10
Works the middle deltoids
This movement is best done sitting. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your shoulders palms facing the wall behind you. As you raise the weights up towards the ceiling, twist your forearms until your palms face the wall in front of you. You should reach this point when your arms are completely extended overhead.
Front Cable Raises: Sets 3, Reps 8-10
Works the front deltoids
This movement is done with a one arm cable pulley. Standing with your back facing the machine, grab the cable handle with one arm and pull it up and in front of you keeping your arm straight for the whole movement.
Reverse Incline Dumbbell Flyes: Sets 3, Reps 8-10
Works the rear deltoids
This movement is done on a bench in incline position. Sit down on the bench with your face facing the bench and your arms hanging on both sides of the bench. Gripping two dumbbells with your arms bent at the elbows, bring them up towards the ceiling. Your arms should be shaped like a box around your head, a 90 degree angle at both elbows.
Pick three of these exercises, one for the front, one for the middle and one for the rear deltoids. Perform said amount of sets and reps for each exercise.