"Shoulders make the man." No doubt you've heard this maxim uttered dozens of times, but have you ever actually pondered why it rings true? A set of broad shoulders isn't the only marker of a man's masculinity, but it is a powerful one. You can have bulging arms, thick pecs, and even a six-pack row of abdominals, but if they're all framed in by narrow, stooped shoulders. A set of broad shoulders isn't the only marker of a man's masculinity, but it is a powerful one. Here are the three best exercises for building your delts, along with some great shoulder workouts.
EXERCISE 1 SIDE LATERAL RAISE
The most critical component to creating broader shoulders is increasing their width. To accomplish this, we selectively target the medial deltoid head. The larger the cross-sectional area of the side deltoids, the wider and rounder your shoulders will appear. Of course, clavicle width plays the most important role in how wide your shoulder ultimately can become. There is only one exercise we know of that isolates the medial heads, and that is the side raise, also known as the side lateral raise.
EXERCISE 2 UPRIGHT BARBELL ROW
Upright rows are often included in training programs for the back. This is because when a wide grip is utilized, the majority of the stress is directed to the muscle fibers of the trapezius. With a narrow grip, upright rows become an excellent movement that targets all three heads of the deltoids. Place your hands no more than six inches apart on the bar. Pull the bar to just underneath your chin, allowing the elbows to flare out as wide as possible. You may see some people pulling higher, for example to the eyes, but this is a greater range of motion than is necessary.
EXERCISE 3 : STANDING MILITARY OR FRONT PRESS
This exercise is so named due to its regular inclusion in physical conditioning programs for several branches of the Armed Forces. No movement is more basic for the shoulders. The military press is to the shoulders as the bench press is to the chest, and the squat is to the thighs. All three heads of the deltoids work hard in the press.
There are numerous machines with which to press, and you will often see trainers performing their presses seated with a back support, using either a barbell or dumbbells. The standing press is far more difficult to perform, and thusly superior in terms of producing results. Unless you are already addicted to wearing a lifting belt, going belt less on this will even help you build a stronger lumbar spine musculature as the lower back muscles have to struggle to stabilize the upper body.
-- Dr. RANDHIR HASTIR
