6 Best Shoulder Exercises for Front and Side Delts

The shoulder region is made up of three muscles: the anterior, lateral, and posterior deltoids. An imbalance in strength between these muscles can lead to shoulder pain and injury.

To keep the shoulders healthy and strong, you need a balanced training program,e that includes exercises for all three major muscle groups. Here are a few shoulder exercises that you can add to your routine to build bigger front and side delts:

Best Shoulder Exercises for Delts

Here's a look at six such exercises:

1) Barbell Overhead Press

You've probably heard of the barbell overhead press, but in case you haven't, it's a shoulder exercise that involves lifting a weighted barbell straight up over your head.

This is one of the most popular and effective exercises for building big shoulders, and with good reason. As with any type of exercise, it's important to perform the correct form when doing this exercise so that you don't injure yourself and can get the most benefits out of it.

The proper way to do a barbell overhead press involves:

Taking an overhand grip on the barbell (this means gripping under your hands instead of over them)
With feet planted firmly on the floor or in some sort of platform, pressing up into a fully extended position where only your arms are holding weight (don't use your legs.)
Lowering back down till the elbows are completely locked out at 90 degrees from the body.

2) Arnold Press

If you want to build big, strong shoulders, the Arnold [ress is a great exercise to include in your routine.

To perform an Arnold press:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and hold dumbbells at shoulder level with your palms facing forward and elbows slightly bent.
Raise the dumbbells outward and upward directly over your head while twisting your wrists till they're fully extended above your head.
Lower down in a reverse motion till the weights are slightly above eye level.
Repeat 8-12 times for one set; complete three sets total.

If the exercise becomes too easy, try adding weight or performing it on an incline bench.

3) Standing Lateral Raise

Lateral raises are one of the best exercises for targeting the side delts, hence the name. They offer the best range of motion and a tremendous afterburn in the muscles.

Here's how you can do it:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and slightly bent at the knees.
Hold one dumbbell in each hand, with your palms facing inward towards you.
Slowly raise the dumbbells to the side till they touch, keeping the arms straight. Hold for a second before lowering back down.
Perform the exercise once on each side of your body for one set.
Raise slowly from side to side with a slight bend in both knees.
Don’t let your hands go behind your head or lean forward when raising weights.

4) Standing Front Raise

This exercise is simple, but super effective. It's great at targeting the anterior delts, and adding load to a muscle that's otherwise undertrained.

To do a standing front raise:

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees unlocked and arms by your sides holding dumbbells at the ends of the wrists (palms facing in).
Raise the weights to shoulder height, and lower back down slowly. Repeat for specified reps, and rest for a minute between sets.

5) Incline Press

The incline press is a great movement for the front and side deltoids. It can be done using dumbbells or a barbell, with your feet on the floor, or on an incline bench.

It’s best to use a wide grip to target those rear delts (which are important for balance). The incline press works by activating the muscles in the shoulder joint and around it.

It's done as follows:

:ie down on an incline bench, and hold two dumbbells above your head with palms facing each other.
:ower them towards either side of your chest till they're at shoulder level. Press back up again in an arc motion till they reach their starting position above your head.

6) Upright Row

This exercise is a compound movement that works the upper back, traps, and rear delts.

It can be done with either dumbbells or a barbell, standing or sitting. When executed properly, the upright row should be performed with a straight back — not bent over — like you’re lifting something heavy off the ground.

To do an upright row:

Use a loaded barbell, and grab it with an overhand grip.
Pull the weight up to your chin, and move your shoulders up till it's level with your ears.

Takeaway

We hope the aforementioned shoulder workouts will help you get the results you’re looking for.

Building strong delts is not as rigorous as it seems, so don't be taken aback by the daunting nature of these movements. Once you get the hang of them, they become much easier. So don't procrastinate; grab some weights, and get going.