Best Shoulder Exercises

At first glance, it may seem that there are a lot of exercises for the shoulders, but due to the unusual structure of the shoulder muscles, the choice of exercises is noticeably reduced. The shoulder is three segments of the deltoid muscles, which work separately in most cases, which imposes certain difficulties in choosing the best exercise. Let's try to understand this in more detail.

Basic Theory

The deltoid muscles are three bundles: anterior, middle and posterior. Each of them is responsible for its own function. The anterior helps to raise the shoulders in the frontal plane, the middle - to the sides, and the posterior is involved in all kinds of back pulls, including pull-ups.

The main load on the shoulder muscles is received in complex basic exercises, such as bench presses, standing presses and heavy deadlifts. Secondary isolation exercises are needed for a kind of "run-in" of the already existing muscle mass of the shoulders, which you in turn build up with the help of basic exercises.

The best exercise

It doesn't exist. Firstly, it would be at least three exercises, and secondly, due to the different structure of the arms and shoulders, each person is comfortable with a certain range of movements. Therefore, try different exercises with different techniques until you find the most suitable combination for yourself. Note that the correct technique and moderate progression of the working weight are paramount, because it is extremely easy to get a shoulder injury.

List of exercises

We will not cover each exercise with a corresponding description of the correct technique. Instead, we will tell you about interesting nuances that both experienced athletes and beginners should pay attention to.

Military press

It is better to perform this movement standing, with a slight bend in the spine. You can place your legs either in one line or in a different direction (one in front of the other). The main thing is to stand firmly on your feet and not to suffer in search of balance.

An important nuance is the movement of the barbell and the athlete's arms. A typical mistake is pressing the barbell in one plane in the "up and down" format. In classic bodybuilding exercises, this is true, but not in this case. You start the movement from the collarbone, that is, in the frontal plane, as a result of which the lion's load is taken by the front deltoids. If you want to make the movement more effective for the overall development of the shoulder girdle, you need to engage the middle deltoids in the work.

It's easy to do. You need to start pressing the barbell not just up, but try to move the load vector over your head. That is, you need to move the projectile along an arc. Start from the collarbone and gradually move the barbell strictly over your head. To do this, you need to lift your chin and slightly arch your back.

This simple nuance of execution technique will dramatically increase the effectiveness of the military press.

Seated Dumbbell Press, Overhead

Here, a similar trick will help you improve the performance of the exercise. Instead of working only the front delts, you need to force the middle shoulder muscles to activate. To do this, you need to arch your spine and abandon the back of the bench in favor of a horizontal bench.

Before you begin the pressing movement, move your elbows slightly behind your back. The working plane in which the dumbbells move is not identical to the plane in which your torso is located. Your torso should be in front of the weights. This will force the shoulder joints to perform a rotational movement, which in turn activates the middle deltoids, but only if you maintain this position. Therefore, it is necessary to keep your elbows behind your body throughout the exercise.

Dumbbell Lateral Raises

A difficult exercise to master. It should be learned not through theory, but through practice, but still learn some tricks. Try to grab the dumbbells at the top edge, and when lifting the weights, lift them like glasses. This will make it easier to move your arms and mentally "turn off" the trapezius.

Try to think about lifting your elbows, not your upper back. Don't squeeze the weights, as this transfers some of the nerve impulses to your forearms and biceps, which distracts from the intended movement.

Front Dumbbell Raises

Dumbbells or a barbell – it doesn’t matter. One of the main tricks is a small angle in the elbows. If you bend your arm, holding the projectile will not cause discomfort or pain. We also recommend that you do the exercise alternately with your right and left hand, otherwise there will be a struggle for balance, and this never leads to anything good. Our task is to specifically load the shoulder muscles, and therefore secondary movements should be abandoned.

Style summary

After mastering the correct technique and a little practice, you will quickly determine which exercises are best for you. But before you run to the gym, we must remind you that the key exercises for the shoulders remain the basic movements for large muscle segments. These are all kinds of barbell or dumbbell presses for the chest, as well as various pull-ups and pulls of equipment for the back. In these movements, due to the overall effort, the load factor is 3-4 times higher. Of course, the load is “taken away” from the shoulder muscles by the chest, back or others, but even against this background, the shoulders work more and more effectively.

Therefore, do not build your training plan only from exercises for the shoulders. They receive the main load in the basic movements, and isolation ones are just a good addition.