The shoulders are very important for most upper body lifts and movements, so you would want to make it as strong and injury-free as possible. Check out the 3 best exercises for all 3 parts of the shoulder that you should be doing according to Sal Di Stefano from Mind Pump Podcast.
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These are the 3 favourite exercises from Sal Di Stefan for “full shoulder development.”
The shoulder consists of three major muscles or heads that make up the deltoid muscle, rather than three separate heads of the shoulder.
The deltoid muscle is a large, triangular muscle that covers the shoulder and provides its rounded appearance. It has three distinct portions or heads:
Together, these three heads of the deltoid muscle play a crucial role in various shoulder movements, providing stability and allowing for a wide range of motion in the shoulder joint.
So the 3 exercises you will see below are Stefano’s favourite movements to cover all three heads of the shoulder and provide a full workout for your shoulders.
This exercise is great for your side delts which contributes to that round look shoulder. If you do the lateral dumbbell raise twisting your arm at the top and bringing it a bit backwards, you are taking away the tension from your shoulders and putting it on your back and lats.
You can do this exercise standing or seated. Di Stefano likes to lean forward just a little bit (if doing standing), making sure you don’t shrug during the movement or rotate the arms out.
If you try to pause for a second at the top of the movement, you will feel even more tension on the lateral head of the shoulder.
Aim for lighter weights and higher reps (10-15 reps).
The Arnold press is targeted at the front delt of the shoulder. Overhead presses are better at targeting your shoulders than front raises, for example, as Di Stefano explains.
Unlike a normal overhead press, with the dumbbell Arnold press, you are twisting your arms as you press up and lower them down. “This spiralling motion is pretty awesome for the shoulder. What it does is it encourages this lower range of motion, its full range of motion,” which activates the front head of the shoulder a bit more.
With a bench on incline and a pair of dumbbells, use the bench to support your chest, lean forward and, with your arms falling down in front and beneath your body, separate the dumbbells sideways without using your back and locking your shoulders in place.
This exercise is Sal’s favourite to hit the back of the shoulder which helps to get a rounder look on the shoulders.
“Do this one slow, controlled, bring them out, separate them, and bring them back down.”
See the video for a better explanation of each exercise and why they are so great at targeting all 3 parts of the shoulder.
Training the shoulders to make them bigger can be challenging for a few reasons:
To effectively train the shoulders and promote muscle growth, it is important to incorporate a variety of exercises that target all three heads of the deltoids, as well as the rotator cuff and trapezius muscles. It is also important to allow for adequate rest and recovery time between workouts, and to progressively increase the intensity of your workouts over time.
No, it is not recommended to work out your shoulders every day. The shoulders are a complex joint that is involved in many upper body movements, and they require time to recover and adapt to the stress placed on them during exercise. Overtraining the shoulders can lead to muscle fatigue, decreased strength, and an increased risk of injury.
The frequency of shoulder workouts depends on several factors, including your fitness level, training experience, and workout intensity. Generally, it is recommended to allow at least 48 hours of rest between shoulder workouts to allow for adequate recovery time.
If you are a beginner, you may benefit from working out your shoulders once or twice a week, gradually increasing the frequency as your fitness level improves. If you are an advanced lifter, you may be able to train your shoulders more frequently, but it is still important to allow for adequate recovery time and to avoid overtraining.
Ultimately, the frequency of your shoulder workouts should be based on your individual fitness goals, training experience, and recovery abilities. It is important to listen to your body and adjust your workout frequency and intensity as needed to avoid injury and promote muscle growth.
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