Having broad, powerful shoulders, or deltoids, is a goal for many weightlifters and workout enthusiasts. Your deltoid muscle is shaped like a triangle with three distinct parts called heads. The anterior head is located in the front, the medial at the side and the posterior at the back. For complete shoulder development you must exercise all three heads in your shoulder workouts.
Dumbbell Side Laterals
The dumbbell side raise exercise will work the side or medial head of your shoulders and increase width. To do the exercise, hold a light to medium dumbbell in each hand with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold the dumbbells in front of your waist with your palms facing each other. Slowly raise the dumbbells out to the side with your palms down. Stop at shoulder height, pause for a moment and lower back to the start.
Upright Row
The upright row is an exercise that works all three heads of your deltoids. You can use dumbbells, but a barbell is the standard choice. Stand with your feet about shoulder width, holding a barbell with a narrow, overhand grip at about your waist level. Lift the bar straight up, just in front of your body with your elbows flared out to the sides. Stop just under your chin. Lower the bar back to the start and repeat.
Military Press
The military press is a power move that will add size and strength to all three deltoid heads. Sit with a straight back and start holding a heavy barbell in front at about your collarbone level. Press the bar up overhead until your elbows are locked. Pause for a moment and then return to the start and repeat.
Arnold Press
The Arnold press is a dumbbell shoulder press exercise made popular by Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was a bodybuilder. Sitting on a bench with your back straight and a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing you, hold the dumbbells just in front of your shoulders with your elbows directly under your hands. Press the dumbbells straight up, rotating your hands so your palms face away at the top. Return to the starting point and repeat.
Bent Over Laterals
Bent over laterals work your posterior deltoids. You perform bent over laterals much the same as you do side laterals, only your body is bent forward. Sit on the edge of a bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Bend over at the waist so your chest is resting on your thighs. Hold the dumbbells under your thighs with your palms facing one another. Slowly raise the dumbbells up to the side until your arms are about parallel to the floor. Lower the weights and repeat.
