SHOULDER EXERCISES
The main muscle responsible for moving the shoulders is the deltoid, the muscle that wraps around the shoulder, front to back, and gives the shoulders much of their shape. Other muscles are key for stabilizing the shoulder joint, including teres major, teres minor, supraspinatus, and subscapularis.
The main role of the deltoids (or delts) in training is to help raise or extend your arms; there are three primary divisions of the deltoid. The front (anterior) delt enables flexion, raising your arm up in front of your body; the medial (lateral) delt enables abduction, raising your arm away from your body; and the rear (posterior) delt enables extension, rotating your arm behind you.
You use delts repetitively in your day-to-day life and in training, so it’s key to train them via different loading methods and rep counts.
When pressing, the shoulders integrate with the triceps and muscles of the upper back to help in driving the weight up as the deltoid brings the arm closer to the midline.
When raising, the shoulders work almost in isolation, with some assistance from the traps. Don’t just think about getting the resistance to a certain destination—remember the function and anatomy of the portion of the deltoid you want to target and move appropriately through the full range of motion.
Use pressing and raising movements to target the front and middle deltoids and rowing and flying to work the rear delts.
n Double-tap image to read the labels
POSTERIOR VIEW
Supraspinatus
A muscle positioned deep to the trapezius, attaching at the scapula and humerus; it stabilizes the shoulder and helps abduct the arm
Scapula
Also called the shoulder blade, it connects the torso and arm
Infraspinatus
A triangular muscle that attaches at the scapula and humerus; it laterally rotates the arm toward the midline and stabilizes the shoulder
Humerus
The upper arm bone; it connects the scapula and forearm
Teres minor
A muscle that attaches to the scapula and humerus; it externally rotates and extends the arm and stabilizes the shoulder
Teres major
A muscle that attaches to the scapula and humerus; it extends and medially rotates the arm and stabilizes the shoulder
ANTERIOR VIEW
Clavicle
Also called the collarbone, it connects the scapula and sternum
Subscapularis
A triangular muscle that attaches to the scapula and humerus; it medially rotates the arm and stabilizes the shoulder
Deltoids
A triangular muscle (delta is triangle in Greek) in three primary divisions; it attaches at the clavicle, scapula, and humerus
Coracobrachialis
An upper-arm muscle that reaches from the scapula to the humerus; it flexes and adducts the arm at the shoulder
“Having a strong upper body improves posture, mobility, flexibility, and range of motion.”