The most popular and effective
Seated Dumbell Press :
This exercise allows for greater contraction of the deltoids which make your front and side deltoids get a thorough exercise. It requires a press toward a central point instead of pushing straight up.
How to do:
Sit on a press bench or an incline one adjusted so your back is almost perpendicular to the floor and grab a pair of dumbbells. Press your back firmly against the inclined bench and with your feet flat on the floor hold the weights above your shoulders level with your palms and elbows facing forward.
Press the weights up and in till they meet above your head (don’t let them stray back and forth) and until your arms are almost straight then slowly lower them dumbbells to the starting position and repeat.
Front Raise:
This workout is perfect to isolate the front head of the deltoids.
How to do:
Hold a dumbbell in each arm with your palms facing backward. Your feet should be nearly about your shoulders width and let your elbows slightly bended throughout the exercise which allows to your arms to be straight but not locked.
Lift the weight in one of your hands in front of your body so that it would be little higher than your shoulders height than lower slowly the dumbbell while lifting simultaneously the other one in the other hand and repeat.
Lateral Raises:
This exercise is great for isolating the outside of your deltoids.
How to do:
Stand with your feet about your shoulders width and your arms in your sides with the dumbbells in each arm. While keeping your arms slightly straight, lift the weight up and out to the sides till their height is slightly higher than your shoulders, pause briefly then lower them slowly back to the starting position.
Reverse Flyes:
This exercise is highly effective for your rear deltoids. It requires to maintain good form and to control the dumbbells during the workout so you have to choose carefully the “right” amount of weights.
How to do:
Si on a bench then grab the dumbbells in each hand, lie face down till your chest meet with your knees. Extend your arms under your knees so that your palms should be facing each other and make sure that your elbows should be slightly bent.
Keep your elbows slightly bent and lift the weights by pulling your arms apart in arcing motion so you can squeeze your shoulder blades together. Continue moving your elbows till the dumbbells are at the same height of your head, pause briefly then get back to the starting position.
Single arm lateral raise with dumbbell:
This exercise is considered as a fantastic shoulders builder and does not also cause a whole lot of back discomfort. This exercise cancels any chance of cheating by fixing your position and it is considered as an isolation one.
This exercise is very effective and where you don’t need to be using heavy weight dumbbells to perform it but remember, you really want to feel this workout and concentrate on the technique.
How to do:
At first, place one of your arms on a suitable support (back of an incline bench or dumbbell rack…) then hold a dumbbell in the other hand with your legs separated apart and your torso bent slightly forward by a 70 degree angle.
Raise the weights out to your side with your hand’s palm facing downward and try to concentrate mostly on using your shoulder to lift the dumbbells. It is also important to make sure that your arms should be slightly bent and unlocked.
Upright Cable Rows:
This exercise is great to finish your shoulder workout by zeroing in on your front deltoids and trapezius.
How to do:
On a Universal machine, attach a short straight bar to the mow pulley of the machine. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip while bending your legs with your hands about your shoulders width apart. Then with your body standing up straight let the bar hang straight down on front of you.
Pull the bar up toward your chin then lower it back slowly to starting position and repeat.
Upright Barbell Rows:
This exercise is similar to the Upright Cable Rows but instead of the Universal machine we perform it with a barbell so you can recruit more stabilizer muscles and increase the strength on your rotator cuffs.
How to do:
Hold a barbell with your hands about shoulders width apart and let the bar hang straight down in front of you while standing upright. Pull the bar straight up toward your chin then lower it slowly to the starting position. (Keep the bar close to your body so you can concentrate on isolating the muscles in front of your shoulders and in your upper back).
Seated Shoulder Press –Smith Machine:
This is a viable option for moving heavy weight without a spotter.
How to do:
Take a sit on the upright bench and grab the bar about 3 to 5 inches wider than your shoulders (It would be really helpful to have a spotter behind to help you lift the bar till you have a stable control of it).
Bend your elbows in order to slowly lower the bar behind your head till it stops behind your neck. Breathe out while you press the bar upward back to the starting position.
Military Shoulder Barbell Presses:
Or behind-the-neck exercise can be performed sitting or standing but your abs should be pulled in and your back straight during the whole movement.
How to do:
This exercise is mostly accomplished with a weighted barbell. Your arms should be bent, grab the barbell with your hands should be place 5 to 6 inches to the sides of your shoulders while lifting the weights over your head to rest on the shoulders behind the neck for better stability.
Press the bar upward till your arms are slightly straight but don’t forget to push your body forward so that the bar don’t bang against the back of your head then lower slowly the weights to starting position and repeat.
