To get the best shoulder exercise, you must ensure you are effectively exercising all aspects of your deltoids. Your deltoid is made up of three different muscles. During shoulder workouts, many times the posterior deltoid is forgotten which can result in a less effective shoulder workout. Even worse, sometimes neglecting the posterior deltoid too many times turns into a muscle imbalance which can cause poor posture, discomfort, and pain, and even lead to injury.
To get the best shoulder exercise, you must ensure you target all three heads of your deltoid. Your deltoid is comprised of the anterior deltoid or clavicular fibers, your lateral deltoid or acromial fibers, and your posterior deltoid or spinal fibers.
These three pieces to your deltoid make up the round and meatiest portion of your shoulder and are working together to stabilize your shoulder or glenohumeral joint. Your shoulder is designed to move. Therefore your shoulder joint is much more likely to be injured. However, with proper training, you can shore up your shoulder and minimize injury.
Your anterior deltoid is located towards the front of your shoulder and is activated often throughout your day. The motion of your arm moving forward during walking or placing your cup on the counter uses your anterior deltoid. In addition, many of the workouts you might perform will exercise your anterior deltoids.
One common example is the bench press. The bench press exercises your chest but also targets your inner shoulder. Unfortunately for many, the bench press is overly practiced in combination with a lifestyle that finds us sitting at a desk hunched over for hours on end. Over time, this consistent lifestyle begins to overly tighten our chest and front of our shoulders creating poor posture (hunched over), and a muscle imbalance.
Muscle imbalance can cause a lot more than only poor posture. In fact, when your chest and anterior deltoids are stronger and consistently tighter than your posterior muscles you face possible discomfort and pain due to potential impingement of your shoulder. This impingement presses on your nerves causing pain. If you find yourself engaging in physical activity which requires a lot of shoulder strength and mobility, a muscle imbalance increases your risk of injury.
The best shoulder exercise along with understanding how to effectively exercise your deltoids will help solve the above issues by targeting all three heads to your deltoid.
The Best Shoulder Exercise: Effectively Exercising Your Deltoids
In this video and demonstration, you will be performing various exercises using ISO-MOTION with your Steel Bow. ISO-MOTION is the concept of creating an isometric hold with your Bullworker and then maintaining that hold while you move through your body’s range of motion.
When performing these exercises, ensure you are taking consistent deep breaths and never holding your breath. To get the most out of this workout, intentional flexation is key. Intentional flexation is the idea of focusing your attention to emphasize your muscles being engaged during the workout.
Anterior Deltoids: Frontal Raise
To target your anterior deltoids, grip the top cable in the center with your palms facing downward at or below your waist. Create your desired tension by pulling the cables apart. Maintain your desired tension and raise your top arm upward in front of your body until your arm is parallel or slightly above parallel to the ground. Perform 12-15 reps for both sides for the best shoulder exercise to effectively engage your deltoids.
Lateral Deltoids: Lateral Raise
To target your lateral deltoids, grip the center of your Steel Bow cables with your palms facing each other at or below your waist. Spread the cables apart to create your desired tension. Maintain your desired tension and raise your arm laterally (to your side) until your arm reaches parallel or just above parallel to the ground. Perform 12-15 reps on each side for the best shoulder exercise to effectively engage your deltoids.
Posture Correction Magic
Posterior Deltoids: Reverse Flys
To effectively engage your posterior deltoids, grip the center of your Steel Bow cables with your palms facing each other at chest height. Keep your elbows slightly bent. Spread your cables until you feel your desired tension. Maintain your desired tension and rotate your arms to your side. Keep your waist and hips stationary and try to rotate your arm directly to your side or as far as you can. Perform 12-15 reps on each side for the best shoulder exercise to effectively engage your deltoids.
If you find yourself constantly tight in your chest and the front of your shoulders, having poor posture with rounded shoulders, or work at a desk frequently the posterior deltoids are going to be very important to exercise.
You may want to perform an extra set to help counterbalance your muscular and skeletal systems.
How Does the Reverse Fly Correct Posture?
Generally, poor posture originates from a muscular imbalance. A muscular imbalance can occur for a number of reasons. However, a common cause can be overdevelopment in one muscle group and not the counter muscles. Another common cause can be holding a certain posture for long periods of time. For example, sitting at a desk with your arms raised in front of you will activate your chest and anterior deltoids.
Over time, overdevelopment and bad posture can start to tighten your chest and anterior deltoids. When your chest and deltoids become tight, they begin to pull on your back muscles. Your back muscles such as your anterior deltoids, serratus, and rhomboids compensate by being in a constant stretch. Over time, this constant stretch creates a skeletal imbalance and can lead to pain and discomfort or even injury.
The reverse fly targets your posterior deltoids, serratus, and rhomboids in order to strengthen your posterior. In conclusion, stronger back muscles begin to pull evenly on your skeletal structure to counter the muscles of your front side correcting your posture.
We hope you enjoyed The Best Shoulder Exercise for Effectively Exercising Your Deltoids. Please leave your comments and questions below and share this post with your friends and family.
Check out these posts on effective ways to exercise your biceps and triceps.
*Bullworker does not give medical advice and you should consult with your physician prior to engaging in physical activity.
