So, you want to know what the top 9 exercises for wider shoulders are? Well, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will discuss which exercises are the best for quickly growing all three heads of your shoulder muscles.
Table Of Contents
Anterior (Front) Deltoid
Lateral (Side) Deltoid
Posterior (Rear) Deltoid
Top 9 Exercises for Wider Shoulders
The shoulder muscles are very important, and growing them is vital. But how do you grow your shoulders? First of all, you need to understand that there are 3 heads of the shoulder muscles: the anterior deltoid, the lateral deltoid, and the posterior deltoid. You must focus on each deltoid individually if you want to rapidly get bigger shoulders.
Anterior (Front) Deltoid
The first head of the shoulders we will be going over is the anterior deltoid, also known as the front of the shoulder muscles.
Barbell Overhead Press
The first exercise we will go over for growing the anterior deltoid is the barbell overhead press, a commonly used exercise when it comes to training the shoulders. This exercise is a compound exercise, meaning it requires multiple muscle groups in order to complete the movement, however, it primarily focuses on the front deltoids.
For this exercise, it is crucial to master the technique and maintain the correct posture throughout the entire movement. Also, it is important to ensure that you don't allow your back to arch inwards too much as this can place unnecessary strain on your lower back and cause an injury. I would recommend that you aim to complete 6-8 reps for 3 sets for muscle gain, but 3-5 reps for 5-8 sets for strength gain.
How to do the Barbell Overhead Press:
Tighten your core, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and press the barbell overhead as you exhale
Continue to press until your arms are locked out. This movement should feel like you are pressing your head through the “window” made by your arms
Engage your back muscles and, with control, return the barbell to the front-rack position while inhaling
Repeat these steps to do more reps or place the bar back on the power rack to end this exercise.
Front Dumbbell Raise
Next up are front dumbbell raises, which are utilised by a lot of gym-goers to increase the size and strength of the front deltoids rapidly. This exercise is an isolation exercise, meaning it only focuses on one muscle: the anterior deltoids (it does also very slightly engage other muscle groups to support the movement).
For this exercise, you mustn't use momentum to get the weight to the top of the movement as this won't allow you to get the most out of this exercise. Additionally, you should ensure that you master the technique for this exercise before going too heavy or training too intensely. I would recommend that you do 8-15 reps for 3 sets because this would help you to pack on a tonne of muscle fast.
How to do Front Dumbbell Raises:
Start by grabbing a pair of dumbbells, standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, and slightly bending your knees
Hold the dumbbells with an overhand grip (palms facing down) as they rest against your thighs
Stand up tall with your chest up, upper back tight, and abs braced. Keep a neutral head position with your chin tucked
Begin the upward movement by lifting both arms in front of you away from the body. It's okay to have a slight bend in the elbows but try to keep the arms as straight as possible.
Continue raising the dumbbells until they reach chin level, or slightly below.
Pause for a second before lowering the dumbbells back down to the starting position in a controlled manner
Repeat for desired number of reps.
Front Cable Raise
While they may not be the most common exercise that you’ll see in the gym, cable front raises are a great method of quickly developing the shoulder muscles. This exercise is an isolation exercise, meaning it works multiple different muscle groups at the same time - however, it mainly engages the front shoulder muscles.
For this exercise, you should focus on controlling the movement so you can get the most muscle gain possible in your front delts. Also, you should make sure that you master the form and technique so you can prevent injury and further bolster your gains. I would recommend that you do 10-15 reps for 3 sets if you want to get a good workout in and destroy your front shoulder muscles.
How to do Front Cable Raises:
Stand upright with your hands in front of your shoulders, holding the bar with an overhand grip
Exhale and raise the bar, keeping your arms straight. Avoid using your legs or back to lift the bar
Continue raising the bar until it reaches the level of your shoulder
Inhale and lower the bar, returning to the starting position.
Lateral (Side) Deltoid
Next, we will be talking about the lateral deltoid, which is commonly referred to as the side of the shoulders.
Lateral Raises
Lateral raises (sometimes referred to as lat raises) are an extremely popular workout that many turn to when it comes to training the muscles of the shoulders, particularly to grow the lateral deltoid. This exercise is an isolation exercise, which means it solely targets the lateral deltoid muscles (and very slightly other supporting muscles to assist in the movement).
For this exercise, you should avoid using momentum to get the weight to the top of the movement. Also, focus on controlling the weight throughout the entire exercise in order to get a better workout in. What's more, you should select an appropriate weight that isn't too heavy so you don't need to use momentum and can do more reps. I would recommend that you do 10-15 reps for 3 sets if you want to feel this exercise more in your lateral deltoids.
How to do Lateral Raises:
Select the desired weight from the rack, then take a few steps back into an open area
Take a deep breath and raise the dumbbells to shoulder height using a neutral grip (palms facing in) while keeping the elbows slightly bent
Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position under control
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Upright Barbell Row
Next is the upright barbell row, an amazing exercise for growing the muscles of the lateral deltoids fast. This exercise is a compound exercise, meaning it engages several muscle groups to complete the movement - however, it primarily utilises the lateral head of the shoulders, and some other muscles are used to support this motion.
For this exercise, you should aim to complete the motion in a straight line. Also, you mustn't use momentum to finish the movement as this can cause the exercise to become less effective and may even result in a higher chance of injury. I would recommend that you do 8-15 reps for 3 sets as this will provide you with an efficient workout that will destroy the muscles of your lateral deltoids.
How to do Upright Rows:
Breathe in and brace the abdominals. Keep your back straight, chest up, and eyes focused forward
Lift the barbell up (toward the chin) as you exhale. Lead with the elbows and keep the bar close to the body
Pause at the top of the lift
Lower the barbell as you inhale, returning it to the starting position
Repeat for desired reps.
Cable Lateral Raise
Next is the cable machine lateral raise, which many use instead of dumbbell lateral raises to quickly develop the muscles of the side delts. This exercise is an isolation movement, which means it only engages the shoulder muscles (lateral deltoids in particular) to do the movement.
For this exercise, you should ensure that you maintain the correct posture and keep proper form throughout the entire exercise. What's more, do not swing the cable or use momentum as this can result in injury or decrease the effectiveness of the workout. Instead, ensure that you control each rep. I would recommend that you do 12-15 reps for 3 sets when it comes to this exercise as this will help you rapidly build muscle in your lateral shoulder muscles.
How to do Cable Lateral Raises:
Select a weight that you can lift with only one shoulder
Stand next to the pulley machine with your feet shoulder-width apart
To maintain good posture, push your chest forward, and point your shoulders back while slightly bending both knees. You can also place your free hand on the machine for support
Now, reach across your body and grab the stirrup with your outside arm
Slightly bend your elbow to a 10- to 30-degree angle and raise your arm sideways until it’s level with your shoulder, exhaling as you lift
Avoid rotating your arm as you raise the stirrup, and keep your focus on the area you want to train - your middle shoulder
Hold your position for 1-5 seconds, and then inhale while slowly lowering the weight back. Let the cable come to a complete stop before beginning the next repetition
Complete for desired number of reps.
Posterior (Rear) Deltoid
Finally, we will be talking about the best exercises for the posterior deltoid, also known as the back of the shoulder muscles.
Reverse Fly
Reverse dumbbell flys aren’t that well known, however, they’re a great method for quickly growing the rear delt muscles. This exercise is a compound movement, meaning it engages several muscle groups at the same time - however, it primarily works the rear shoulder muscles.
For this exercise, you should ensure that you don't bend your back, but rather you should make sure that you keep your back straight. Also, try not to use momentum to complete the range of motion as this will result in an increased risk of injury. Furthermore, you must control each rep as this will help you to build muscle more easily. I would recommend that you complete 8-12 reps for 3 sets if you want to get the most out of this exercise.
How to do Reverse Flys:
Grab a pair of dumbbells and bend forward at your hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor
Set your feet shoulder-width apart
Let the dumbbells hang straight down from your shoulders, your palms facing each other, with your arms slightly bent
Keeping your back flat and your torso still, raise your arms straight out to your sides until they’re in line with your body. Don't change the bend in your elbows
Pause, then slowly return to the starting position
Repeat for desired number of reps.
Rear Delt Fly
An extremely common shoulder exercise is the rear delt fly machine, which provides you with an excellent workout for quickly growing the rear deltoid muscles. This exercise is a compound exercise, meaning it engages several muscle groups at once, however, it mainly focuses on the rear delt muscles in the shoulders.
For this exercise, you should make sure that you don't bring your arms too far back as this can result in a higher chance of injuring yourself. Additionally, one must not use momentum to complete the movement - instead, control each rep and maintain correct form throughout the entirety of the motion. I would recommend that you aim to complete 8-12 reps for 3 sets as this is known to help you pack on a tonne of muscle in your rear delts when doing this exercise.
How to do Rear Delt Flys:
Face the fly machine while seated with your chest against the pad and the handles positioned in front of your torso
Reach forward and grasp each handle with a pronated or neutral grip
Contract the rear delts while keeping the elbows bent and open the arms in a reverse fly motion
Slowly lower the handles back to the starting position
Repeat for desired number of reps.
Face Pulls
The final exercise on this list is face pulls, a frequently used and well-established cable machine exercise for growing the rear deltoids. This exercise is a compound exercise, meaning it works multiple different muscle groups at the same time - but, it primarily utilises the rear delt muscles, and uses the other muscles to support the movement.
For this exercise, you should focus on squeezing the rear delt muscles when bringing the cable attachment to your head as this will help you to get a better workout in. Also, it is vital for you to control the movement and not use momentum. I would recommend that you do 10-12 reps for 3 sets if your goal is to pack on a bunch of muscle in your rear delts fast.
How to do Face Pulls:
Assume a split stance with the arms straight out in front of you utilizing a pronated grip
Inhale and pull the rope towards your face with the elbows high
Slowly lower the rope back to the starting position
Repeat for desired number of reps.
Summary
In this article, we have discussed which exercises are the best for quickly growing the muscles of the shoulders. These top nine shoulder exercises include:
Anterior (Front) Deltoid
Lateral (Side) Deltoid
Posterior (Rear) Deltoid
I hope you have found the information in this article useful and I hope any questions you had have been answered. Thank you for reading, please come back soon.
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