The shoulders are a crucial component of the perfect body. They do not only look great when you are posing, but they also give you that athletic, muscular appearance, even when wearing a t-shirt. Aesthetics aside, strong shoulders are also very important for the general upper body strength, because they take part in virtually every upper body exercise. The shoulder muscle consists of three segments: the front, middle and back segment, the anatomical terms being: musculusdeltoideus anterior, medius and posterior (hence the phrase “I’m training me delts!”). So here is a list of exercises, that will really pump some mass into your shoulders:
1. The military press – the military press is one of the most important exercises not only for the shoulder, but for general upper body strength. In the early days of power lifting it was the military press, not the bench press (unbelievable isn’t it?), one of the main competitive exercises (along with the squat and deadlift). Well, although the rules of power lifting have changed, the effectiveness of the military press hasn’t. The execution of the exercise is pretty simple: while standing, hold the bar or two dumbbells in front of you at the level of your collar bone, while your knuckles face the ceiling. Note that your elbows should not point backward, but should be directly under the knuckles, so that the whole forearm is perpendicular to the floor (the knuckles, wrists and elbows are all in one line). From that position you push the weight up overhead until your arms are straight. Keep your back, your core muscles tight and avoid jerking your body, it should be erect and properly aligned throughout the whole movement, have a spotter if necessary. The military press targets mainly the anterior and medialdeltoid, but it also hits the triceps pretty good and the upper chest to some extent. Because you are standing, your whole body takes part in the exercise and has to stabilize the weight, that you are pushing upward. Beginners can execute the exercise, while sitting on a bench, which makes it easier.
2. Arnold Press – the Arnold press is one of the best exercises for shoulders there is! It hits all three heads of the shoulder in just one movement and pumps your shoulders immensely! And guess who invented it! Yeah, Arnie did! So, if it’s good enough for Arnold, it’s good enough for us, right? The movement goes basically like this: you start off holding a pair of dumbbells in front of you, elbows bent and palms facing your body. You then simultaneously rotate your shoulders backward and lift the dumbbells upward. The mid position of this exercise looks like the start position of the military press. This is a great compound movement, that boosts your shoulder mobilityand really makes them burn! It also strengthens the muscles that retract the scapula, thus avoiding that protracted scapula effect (your scapula sticks out).
3. Lateral Raises – they build mainly the mid shoulder, which is often underdeveloped in compare to the front and the rear shoulder, because it takes less part in other compound exercises, like the bench press and bent over rows. You basically stand with two dumbbells in each hand and raise them sideways up until your arms become parallel to the floor. I personally do this exercise with my elbows slightly bent, because it puts less stress on the elbow joint.
4. Lying lateral raise – you once again use two dumbbells, but you are lying face down on a bench with your arms hanging. You then proceed to lift the dumbbells until parallel to your shoulders. This exercise hits mainly the rear delts ad helps them develop, especially if they are overshadowed by a stronger back.
5. Upright rows – upright rows hit the traps pretty good along with the shoulders. Strong traps are very essential for developing that massive shoulder look. You start by holding a barbell or a pair of dumbbells in front of you and you then lift the weights towards your collar bone. Remember not to pull with your biceps, like a biceps curl, but to pull with your elbows sticking out to the sides.
Those are the most essential shoulder exercises, that help you develop that V-shaped look you strive for. Remember to consult your physician, if you have shoulder issues! But if your shoulders are healthy GO HARD OR GO HOME!