Shoulder Workout Routine: Build Strong & Defined Shoulders
Shoulder workouts are essential when it comes to building a well-rounded upper body. To start your shoulder workout journey, let's first understand the anatomy and biomechanics of each shoulder muscle.
Most people, when they think about the shoulder musculature, only think about the deltoid muscle; however, there is much more to the shoulder musculature than that. Shoulder blade stability and mobility play an essential role in getting the most out of your pressing movements, and a widespread injury of the shoulders happens due to neglect of the stabilizer muscles, such as the rotator cuff and serratus anterior.
The deltoid is composed of 3 distinct heads: anterior (front), medial (middle), and posterior (rear).
Each head has its specific function when it comes to shoulder movements:
The anterior deltoid is responsible for shoulder flexion, abduction, and internal rotation.
The posterior deltoid is responsible for shoulder extension, abduction, and external rotation.
The medial deltoid assists in transverse adduction.
The rotator cuff consists of four muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor).
The function of the rotator cuff muscles is as follows:
• Supraspinatus: Shoulder abduction and external rotation
• Infraspinatus: Shoulder external rotation
• Subscapularis: Shoulder internal rotation
• Teres minor: Shoulder extension, adduction, and external rotation
The serratus anterior is responsible for the protraction of the scapula and assists in shoulder flexion.
Now that you understand each muscle's anatomy and biomechanics let's get to the workout!
Warm-up shoulder exercises that will prepare your shoulder joint for the main portion of the workout
The warm-up goal is to get some blood flow and prepare the shoulder joint for the main portion of the workout. I am sharing three drills below that will make your shoulder workout safer and more effective:
Banded Straight Arm Reverse Fly 2x10
Banded Bent Arm External Rotation 2x10
Banded Backward and Forward Circles 2x10
The main portion of the workout!
Seated Barbell Overhead Press 3x8
The seated barbell press is a compound movement that targets the entire shoulder complex, focusing on the anterior deltoid.
This exercise should be performed in a seated position for maximal stability and power output. This overhead press is not easy and is a high-risk, high-reward exercise! I advise that beginners go lighter on this movement and then do a set or two close to failure on a seated shoulder press machine. This combo will help you improve your muscle-mind connection and balance while eliciting a good muscle growth stimulus.
Dumbell Lateral Raise 3x12
The lateral raise is an isolation exercise that explicitly targets the medial deltoids. Keep your arms extended throughout each rep and your DB slightly pointing downwards to hit that mid-delt most efficiently! Keep your feet shoulder-width apart, and your shoulder blades slightly pulled back. Try to pause at the top once the arms are parallel to the floor and slowly lower the weight to maximize the muscle growth response.
Reverse Fly Machine 3x10
Reverse fly machines target your posterior delt. To get the most out of these movements, you should get into a starting position that provides the most stability, and you will do that by putting your feet slightly back, pressing your toes into the ground, and pressing your upper body into the pad. The more stability in the body, the more weight you can carry, which means more force can be put on the working muscle!
Reverse Dumbbell Fly 2x15
Reverse dumbbell fly is another exercise targeting your posterior delt and traps! Well-developed rear deltoids will give your shoulder that 3D look which will take your physique to the next level! Drive your arm back to form a 45-degree angle with your trunk, and pause in the fully shortened position for half a second.
Alternating Dumbbell Front Raises 3x10
Front raises target your anterior deltoid and gives you that capped shoulder look once developed! Focus on squeezing your front delts at the top, and keep your elbows slightly bent during the entire range of motion. Knees should be slightly bent to provide more stability throughout the movement.
PRO TIP: If you have problems activating and growing your chest muscles because your front shoulders are over-engaged during pressing movements, avoid training your front delt for a while. That will also depend on what look you are aiming to achieve. If you want dominant shoulders over chest muscles, it's okay to pay more attention to the front delts, but if you wish for the Arnold look, the chest needs to be much more dominant!
Barbell Press VS Dumbbell Press, which one is better?
Both movements belong to some of the best shoulder exercises you could do! Both exercises will also help you develop your shoulder muscles; however, pressing with dumbbells is slightly safer as you can just throw the weights down if you cannot lift them, while the barbell would fall right on your face or chest it's a higher risk movement. As a beginner, you might be better off utilizing machines and dumbbell shoulder workout exercises, and as you progress, you can incorporate more barbell presses!
Other shoulder exercises that can help you get boulder shoulders!
When programming, I like my shoulder workout to be repetitive in the exercise selection for 6-8 weeks. This time frame allows me to progress in weight and get that muscle-mind connection to work at a very high level. Changing your workouts too frequently will shock the body and the muscles but might hinder you from optimizing your shoulder development.
Arnold Press - Demo
The Arnold press is a dumbbell shoulder exercise named after the great bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger. This exercise targets your front and medial delt equally to give you that complete look on the top!
Reverse Cable Fly - Demo
The reverse cable fly targets the posterior delt. The starting position should be with knees in a slight bend, the torso forward, and straight arms. Drive your elbows to the side, and don't allow your arms to drop once the movement becomes difficult.
Superman Press - Demo
The Superman press is a compound movement that will challenge your entire shoulder joint. I recommend you do this movement with light weights and focus on form. Lay on an incline bench, bend your elbows, perform an external rotation, then drive into a press. You can use it as a warm-up drill or a shoulder burnout finisher for your workouts.
I hope this blog will help you take your shoulder workout routine to the next level! If you need help structuring their program or need direction with their nutrition, do not hesitate to book your FREE consultation with Fortius!
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