Weight Training Advice
Shoulder Weight Training Exercises and Workouts
The front deltoids get a lot work from weight training other bodyparts so it's easy to overtrain them or overdevelop them in comparison to the side and rear deltoids. Just about any chest weight training exercise involves the front section of the shoulders to a degree. You can work the front delts directly with military presses and front lateral raises (holding a dumbbell in each hand and alternately raising each arm in front of you with a slight bend in the elbows). However, if your front deltoids are bigger than your side and rear deltoids you may not want to do to much direct shoulder weight training exercises for them.
For more shoulder width you'll need to train the side deltoids. The side delts don't get as much work from weight training other bodyparts as much as the front delts, so you should do more sets for them. Since military presses force you to have the weight in front of your neck at the bottom of the movement (working the front shoulders more), you should try standing or seated dumbbell presses to hit the side delts when you're weight training. Side lateral raises (same as front lateral raises, but you raise your arms to the sides away from you) are a great shoulder exercise for increasing width and can be done with dumbbells, cables, or machines during your weight training routine.
The rear deltoids will get some work from certain back exercises, but you should still do some direct work for them during your shoulder weight training routine with rear lateral raises. To perform rear lateral raises you must bend forward with a dumbbell in each hand, keeping your knees slightly bent and keeping an arch in your lower back, and raise the dumbbells away from you until they are parellel to the floor.
The trapezius isn't a shoulder muscle, but due to its proximity to the shoulders it's usually trained with them. The best weight training exercise for the traps are dumbbell or barbell shrugs. Shrugs are easy to perform - you simply shrug your shoulders with your arms holding the weight. To get the most out of your shrug weight training exercises make sure you hold and contract you traps at the top of the movement.
There are some shoulder exercises you should stay away from because of the possibility of injuring the deltoids while performing them. One is the behind the neck press. At the bottom of the movement your shoulders will be in an unnatural position. Another shoulder exercise you should avoid while weight training is the upright row. They put your deltoids in a precarious position at the top of the movement.
The shoulders, or deltoids, consist of 3 separate sections, or heads - the front, side , and rear delts. For overall shoulder development you need to work all of these sections.
Gain 27 pounds of rock hard muscle in 90 days naturally
Top Muscle Building Guides
Build muscle and lose fat at the same time with this top rated online muscle building guide
Learn how to build muscle, lose fat, and get ripped abs fast
