Are you struggling to get that v-tapered shape due to small shoulders? Perform these 5 basic shoulder exercises to ensure well-rounded shoulders.
The muscles you must target during shoulder workouts are the front, medial, and rear deltoids. Now, contrary to popular belief, I believe if you perform the 5 chest exercises I’ve highlighted in a previous post here, you need not train your front deltoids as they are already adequately trained with the chest. I’ve posted a neat little picture with the targeted muscle below.
Table of Contents
1. Military Press
This is a compound exercise that not only works your shoulders (all three deltoids) but also your trapezoids (upper back), triceps, upper chest, and certain stabilizing muscles in your shoulders like the Serratus Anterior and the Rotator Cuffs. It improves stability, strength, and posture. Greatly representative of the military cadets owing to which it acquires its name.
You want to begin by placing a 20 kg wide bar on a rack next to your shoulders. You may place weight on the bar if you please. Pick up the bar and maintain a 45-degree angle to your shoulders. You want to keep the tension on the shoulders constant and straightening the elbows on the way up, is the most cumbersome and it challenges not only your strength but your balance too. Make sure you use a belt while performing this exercise because it is hard on the back.
Click here to see the proper form.
2. Shoulder Press
This does wonders for your front and medial deltoids. Ensure you’re not placing the weight at a 90-degree angle to your shoulders. This is extremely dangerous and highly prone to shoulder injury. You want to move your arms slightly in front and push the weight up. You can make use of your legs to lift heavier weights or ask for a spot. In my experience, always ask for a spot. GET OVER YOUR SOCIAL ANXIETY. I’m kidding.
Click here to see the form
3. Side Laterals
To be honest, this is a dreadful exercise but it burns your medial deltoids like an insatiable furnace. Nonetheless, the more you perform this exercise, the more the chances are that your shoulders will broaden. Unfortunately, progressive overload with this exercise is slow and you have to be patient. A common mistake is straightening out your elbows completely and swinging the weights. You rather take a lighter weight, slightly bend your elbows, and slowly lift the weight. Make sure to control the negative movement downward. I usually perform this with the help of a bench. It isolates the medial laterals better.
Click here to see the form.
4. Reverse Flies
There are two methods you can perform this exercise. Take two dumbells, bend over while sitting on a bench, and raise the dumbells to your shoulders and back to your feet. However, as a pure isolation exercise, using the peck deck machine in reverse does wonders for your rear deltoids instead of the dumbells. I’ve found you can manage more weight with the pec deck machine over the dumbells.
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5. Shrugs
Now, I may get backlash for doing shrugs on a shoulder day (since it’s usually performed on a back day). But, I find my back days already quite congested with sets so I work my traps on shoulder days. The form is fairly simple. The common misconception is that you hold the weights to the side. I prefer using a 20 kg bar with weight and lifting my traps up and then down. The weight is placed forward instead of sideways. I believe this targets the traps more and places less tension on the shoulders.
Click here for the form
