Wide shoulders create that classic V-shaped look.
And the illusion of a smaller waist.
But training shoulders isn’t like training other body parts.
Most exercises are in two directions.
Up and down.
In and out.
But shoulders work in three dimensions.
And they’re controlled not by one single muscle, but by three.
Front Delt - moving up and down to the front.
Middle Delt - moving out to the sides.
And Rear Delt - moving out and to the back.
Each muscle needs special attention.
With training that’s targeted.
And safe.
These muscles are used in lots of different exercises for other body parts.
So any shoulder injury could mess up your entire upper body training.
Training safely is a priority.
So the gym hacks you’re about to watch are all about preventing injury.
We’ll show you how to train the hidden muscles underneath the shoulders that help support
and protect them.
But we’ll also show you how to grow bigger shoulders.
By training each muscle separately.
With the most effective pressing movements.
Raises.
And flys.
All helping you create those full, 3D shoulders which are essential for a complete aesthetic
physique.
***
The Front Delt is the muscle that helps your arm press upwards.
It’s used as a secondary muscle in many pressing exercises.
But to target the Front Delt directly, go for an exercise like Seated Dumbbell Press.
Setting the bench at about 75 degrees will directly hit the Front Delts.
Dumbbells, rather than a bar, for a more natural range of movement.
Take the weights directly up towards the ceiling.
Not touching at the top.
So that’s the standard press.
But here’s a hack to give you the best possible protection from injury.
By pressing with the dumbells together in front of you.
For greater isolation on the muscle.
Don’t let the elbows come out to the sides.
Just a small range of movement.
As soon as you feel the squeeze on the front delts, come down again.
Each deltoid muscle is actually quite small.
So don’t pile on the weight, that could cause injury.
Instead, go for high reps.
15 to 20 is ideal.
Or use alternating reps like these to keep the muscles in tension for longer.
Final tip for Front Delts - remember that this muscle already does a lot of work while
you’re exercising other body parts.
So think about whether you need balance your shoulder by to paying special attention to
the middle and rear delts, to help them catch up.
***
If presses are good for Front Delts, then Middle Delts work better with raises.
Standard exercise for this muscle would be Dumbbell Side Raises.
Shoulder Blades together.
Elbows slightly bent.
Rather than taking the dumbbell out to side, concentrate on taking the elbow out and up.
Lifting from the elbow.
At the top of the movement, twist the pinkie finger slightly up.
It’s called ‘pouring the pitcher’.
Keeping the focus on the Middle Delt.
But there’s a risk of injury here.
If you twist up too high, it’s going to impinge the shoulder.
So make sure the weight is no higher than the shoulder at any time.
Some trainers recommend being seated for these raises.
Creating more stability in the lower body.
Seated is fine.
But if the problem you’re trying to solve is stopping the body swinging around, you’re
probably using too heavy a weight.
While dumbbells give the biggest resistance at the top of the movement, cables maintain
tension across the whole range of movement.
Which brings us on to our favourite hack for Middle Delts.
On cables, take the cable between your legs, leaning in to the direction of the raise.
Directly targeting the muscle, and keeping tension throughout.
Coming up - we’ll show you how to train the hidden muscles underneath the shoulders
that help you prevent injury.
***
The Rear Delt is an often neglected muscle.
But it’s especially important for creating a balance with your Front Delt.
And making your shoulders really pop, for a complete 3D look.
An exercise like Seated Row can also work the Rear Delts - but only as a secondary muscle.
Target the Rear Delts directly, with flys.
Like Bent Over Dumbbell Flys.
Knees slightly bent, body locked.
Driving up from the elbows, to really hit that Rear Delt.
And as you’re bent over, elbows can come higher than the shoulders on this one.
Again, go for more reps rather than heavier weight.
Helping protect your lower back.
The seated version will create more stability in the lower body, allowing you a greater
mind-muscle connection as you hit that Rear Delt.
And there’s also an option to use an incline bench for the same movement.
This version lets you set the best angle for targeting that Rear Delt Muscle, while protecting
the lower back.
All these exercises are using Dumbbells, as opposed to a bar.
Allowing you to pull the elbows out to the sides, for a better contraction on the Rear
Delt.
But our best Hack for Rear Delts is to use the Machine Fly - but in reverse.
This exercise lets you to target the muscle directly, while again, protecting your lower
back.
But - when it comes to preventing injury, there’s another set of hacks that are more
important than anything we’ve shown you so far.
And they’re about the hidden muscles under your shoulder.
***
The three delt muscles are the ones that make the shoulders pop.
But underneath them, there’s a set of muscles called Rotator Cuffs, that support all the
different shoulder movements.
Ignoring them can not only prevent growth, it could lead to injuries which will mess
up your whole Upper Body training.
That’s why a proper warm up is always essential before any shoulder exercise.
But there are also specific exercises you can use to work the different muscles of the
Rotator Cuff.
This is called the ‘Full Can’.
Shoulders down, shoulder blades pinned back.
Raising a light weight to head height.
The Rotator Cuff also handles external rotation.
For this exercise, sit on a bench, resting the elbow on a raised knee.
Take a light dumbbell up and down, working that rotation movement.
Depending on your mobility, you may need to start with a narrow range of movement here.
Progressing slowly over time.
This is a small muscle you’re working, so don’t go to failure.
And because it’s key to so many movements, make sure you have full recovery for a few
days before training other upper body parts like back and biceps.
***
So far, we’ve recommended ….
Pressing movements for Front Delts
Raises for Middle Delts
And Flys for Rear Delts.
Easy to remember for Shoulders Day.
But our final hack may surprise you.
Because Shoulders work so differently to other body parts, it’s OK to take a different
approach to training them.
Front Delts are already going to work on Chest Day.
Your Back Day will also be working Rear Delts.
So when you’re planning your training week, it’s always an option to forget Shoulders
Day altogether.
Instead, create a Pull Day, for Back and Rear Delts.
Using an exercise like Machine Row to work a whole range of muscles in the back.
Then go on to isolate Rear Delts.
Your Push Day can include a big compound exercise for the whole chest.
Then a more focussed exercise for Front Delts.
All groups of muscles which work in similar ways.
It’s an option you can use to mix up your training from week to week.
Thinking not about separate groups of muscles, but a whole body inter-connected system of
strength and mobility.
So those are our favourite ‘hacks’ for working Shoulders and the muscles around them.
You’ll find complete workouts with all our trainers, here on Fit Media Channel.
And if you’d like a complete plan for bigger shoulders, with full sets and reps over 12
weeks, check out Fit Media’s ‘Aesthetic Shoulders’ ebook.
We’ll send you a free sample when you visit our website, Fit Media Plus-dot-com.