Shoulders are the most important part of the body as it is responsible for the rotational movement of our hand. Due to shoulders, we are able to lift heavy things, do manual labour work, perform household chores etc. It is therefore important to train these muscles well, as weakness in these muscles can lead to instability, which further may lead to many injuries.
In this article, we will be discussing top five exercises that will help you in strengthening your shoulders. But first, let us understand the anatomy of shoulder muscles. Shoulder consist of three major muscles – anterior deltoid, lateral deltoid, posterior deltoid, also known as, front deltoid, middle deltoid and rear deltoid, and the 4 rotator cuff muscles. It is important to train all these muscles so as to increase the overall strength of your shoulders. So let’s discuss these exercises-
1. Overhead Press: This exercise is the fantastic exercise for building strength for your shoulders and is the foundation for a solid mass workout. This exercise works on your front and middle deltoid providing greater strength gain. Aim for higher weight and lower reps for first two sets, and for remaining two sets slightly lower the weight while increasing the reps. This will fine-tune your deltoid.
2. Front Dumbbell Raise: This exercise is basically an isolation exercise which isolates your front or anterior deltoid. In this exercise, you need to raise the dumbbells to your eyes level with the help of your front deltoid. Make sure to keep the body straight and still so that your front deltoid is fully utilised in the exercise.
3. Side Lateral Raise: This exercise is again an isolation exercise which isolates your middle or lateral deltoid. To perform this exercise you need to raise your dumbbells to the side of your body up to shoulder levels and then lower them back. Make sure your elbows are slightly bent so as to avoid strain on elbow joints.
4. Bent Over Rear Delt Raise: This is an isolation exercise which strengthens and develops your rear or posterior deltoid muscles resulting in the sturdy upper back. Performing this exercise will prevent any rotor cuff issues and frequent shoulder injuries while balancing the shoulders with rest of the body.
5. Upright Barbell Row: This exercise targets the medial head of deltoid and can quickly increase the strength of these muscles. This exercise helps in giving broader look to your shoulders, increase unilateral strength, muscle mass, and movement coordination.
Remember that every arm, chest and back exercises put a strain on your shoulder muscles as well. So it is important to plan your shoulder workout accordingly by balancing the workout to train portions of your shoulders that might not already be worked out. If you want to look good, make sure to work out for well-rounded shoulders, which can give you your desired look.
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