>> Delt training consists of the relatively

simple task of combining compound presses with single-joint moves aimed at hitting each of the three heads.With lots of variations to choose from, we concentrate onkey pointers for five shoulder movements, with insider’stips on how to use them in your workout. Pull out and savethis section for future reference. BY BILL GEIGER, MA

M&F Book of ExercisesDELTS VOL. 6

Here’s your next chapter in our comprehensiveencyclopedia, containing five shoulder movementsthat hit the delts from front to back

(1shol-d r) • \ shol+der \ n.

Inside:SEATED OVERHEAD

DUMBBELL PRESS

PG. 148

SEATED DUMBBELLLATERAL RAISE PG. 149

E-Z BAR UPRIGHTROW PG. 150

FRONT BARBELLRAISE PG. 152

REVERSE PEC-DECKFLYE PG. 154

WIN A SET OF

IRONMASTERDUMBBELLS!Details on page 192

e

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Seated OverheadDumbbell Press

>> Dumbbells are one of themany ways to vary the over-head press. Because this com-pound movement works somuch of the shoulder mass ina single movement andallows you to train fairlyheavy for low reps, it’s a greatfirst exercise in your routine.

>> Alternate the dumbbell versionwith the barbell press (Smith machineor free bar) to add variety to your deltworkout. Since dumbbells are some-what more difficult to control, youtypically have to go a little lighter thanyou do with barbell presses.>> Follow this movement with single-joint shoulder exercises that hit eachof the three delt heads separately.

POSITION Sit erect on abench with yourchest out, shoul-ders back, lowback slightlyarched, abs tightand your feet flaton the floor. Posi-tion the weightsjust outside andslightly in frontof your ears.

[A]

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Book of Exercises | DELTS

BREATH Exhale as youreach the upper-most position.

SPEEDUse a forcefulbut controlledcontraction,holding thetop positionmomentarilybefore slowlyloweringalong thesame path.

MOVEMENT Press the weightsup and in towardeach other, almostfully extendingyour arms at thetop as the dumb-bells nearly touch.

TIP | The neu-tral-grip press(your hands facein at the bottom)is a variation thatstresses the frontdelts and upperpecs to a greaterdegree. Keep yourelbows pointingforward, not out-ward.

FORM Don’t bounceout of thehole. Changedirectionsmoothly.

CAUTION As you fatigue, the chancesof muscle failure leave youat risk for losing control ofthe weights overhead. Makesure your spotter provideshelp as necessary.

[B]

CAUTIONReverse direction quicklyto take advantage of built-up energy, but don’tbounce out of the bottomposition, which can overlystress your joints.

ANGLES In the bottom position, your upper armsshould be about parallel to the floor, elbows pointedout and down. Angle your forearms just slightlyinward for better control of the weights.

SU

BS

TIT

UT

IO

NS Good

Machine over-

head press

BetterArnold press

Standing

military press

BestSeated barbell

press

GRIPUse an overhand grip,wrapping your thumbsaround the bars for maxi-mal control.

FORMKeep yourhead facingforward forsafety.

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ReversePec-DeckFlye

>> Use single-jointexercises like thereverse pec-deck flyetoward the end of yourworkout after you’vecompleted your heavy

presses, which more thoroughlywork your entire delt. Includeother isolation exercises forthe front and middle delts tocomplement your routine.>> Presses are all about goingheavy and training in thelower-rep ranges; here, choosea relatively lighter weight thatallows you to complete at least10 reps with good form. >> Since presses more stronglywork the front and middledelts, rear delts are commonlya weak spot. Still, occasionallyrotating the order of your threeisolation moves is a smart idea,as it allows you to take advan-tage of higher energy and lowerfatigue levels and really giveeach head a thorough pump.

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154 M&F BOOK OF EXERCISES

Book of Exercises | DELTS

FORMKeep the motionconfined to yourshoulders — yourbody shouldn’trock or otherwisetry to assist in themovement.

TIP | This works your rear deltsin the same way that the bent-overlateral raise with dumbbells orcables does, but it’s more challeng-ing because it’s harder to cheat.Switch back and forth between theexercises to vary your workouts.

MOVEMENT Pull the handles out in awide arc as far as iscomfortable, bringingyour elbows behind theplane of your back.Hold the peak-con-tracted position beforereturning to the start.

SETUP Adjust the seat height so yourshoulders and hands are in the samehorizontal plane. Some machinesrequire adjustment of the arms to theback position.

ANGLESElevate yourelbows to thesame level asyour handsand shouldersto facilitateoptimalstrength asyou pull thehandles back.

SU

BS

TIT

UT

IO

NS

GoodStanding

upper-cable

reverse flye

BetterBent-over

dumbbell

lateral raise

BestBent-over

cable lateral

raise

GRIP Use a neutral grip,wrapping yourthumbs around thebars for a secure grip.

TIP | Target yourrear delts more effec-tively by facing yourpalms down andgrasping the handlesfrom the inside.

ICON KEY

do this exercise earlyin your workout

do this exercise latein your workout

use a spotter forthis exercise

do this exercise forfewer reps (6–10)

do this exercise forhigher reps (10–15)

[B]

SPEED Use a motion that’sstrong but con-trolled. Return tothe start positionslowly to ensurethat you get themost from theeccentric (nega-tive) contraction.

MOVEMENT Don’t allow theweights to touch the stack untilyou complete the set to maintaintension on your working muscle.

POSITION Sit erect on thebench, face straightahead and press yourchest against the pad.

CAUTIONAvoid turning yourhead to the side whileyou pull the weight,as it can contribute toneck strain.

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front deltoid, trapeziusmuscle groups

Front Barbell Raise>> Start your shoulder workoutwith various compound pressesbefore performing single-jointexercises like the front raise.Include other isolation exercisesfor the rear and middle delts to

ensure that you hit all three heads.>> Choose a weight that allows you tocomplete at least 10 reps with good form.You rarely should go heavy for fewerreps with this exercise.>> If your front delts are weak comparedto your middle and rear delts, or if theyquickly fatigue when doing chest presses,perform this move before middle- andrear-delt exercises to prioritize this area.

POSITION Stand erect withyour head up, feet about hip-width apart and a slight bendin your knees.

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Book of Exercises | DELTS

BREATH Exhale as youreach the topposition.

ANGLESBring the barto where yourarms are justabove parallelto the floor;going all theway overheadmore stronglyrecruits thetraps andreduces workdone by thefront delts.

FORM Don’t use body englishto help get the weight up.TIP | If you find that you swayback and forth to assist yourlift, try doing the movementleaning against an incline benchto reduce momentum.

MOVEMENT With a smooth, controlledmotion, raise the bar in anarc directly out in front ofyou. Momentarily holdthe peak-contracted posi-tion before lowering.

[B]

CAUTIONThe barbell locksyour hands inposition and maystrain your shoul-ders, causingpain. Instead, trythis move withdumbbells, whichprovide morefreedom in yourshoulder joint.

FORM Your armsshould be fully extendedthroughout the move-ment, but don’t lock outyour elbows.

TIP | Keep your armsas straight as possible to obtain full benefit —bending your elbowsshortens the lever andmakes this exercise easier and thus lesseffective.

SU

BS

TIT

UT

IO

NS

GoodCable

front raise

BetterDumbbell

front raise

BestIncline barbell

front raise

GRIPHold the barabout shoulder-width apart withyour palms down,wrapping yourthumbs under-neath the bar.The bar shouldnever rest againstyour thighs onceyou begin the set.

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[A]

[B]

>> This compound movementis frequently done after shoul-der presses or with trap work.Although it’s a multijoint exer-cise, you typically can’t go asheavy as you can with presses,so don’t use it as your mainmass-builder.>> You can still go fairly heavy

on this move, but it’s important not tosacrifice range of motion by using heav-ier weights. Another option is to per-form it last in your workout when usingrelatively lighter weights to pump themuscle.

MOVEMENT Pull the bar straightup so that it travelswithin a few inchesof your body. Do thisby pulling with yourelbows, bringingthem as high as possi-ble and pointing themout to your sides.Keep them above thelevel of the bar.

FORM Refrain from using anybody english to assist with thelift. Confine movement to yourshoulders and arms.

FORM Raise the barto just belowchin level tomaximallycontract yourmuscles.

TIP | If yougo too heavy,you won’t geta full range ofmotion ormaximummuscle con-traction.

POSITION Stand erect with yourabs tight, shouldersback, feet hip-widthapart and a slight bend inyour knees. Keep yourhead focused forward.

ANGLES The EZ-barenables you to usea grip that’s notfully pronated,which may beeasier on yourwrists than thestraight palms-down grip youmust take withthe barbell.

GRIP Grasp the EZ-bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip,wrapping your thumbsunder the bar for bettercontrol.

FORM Extend your armsin front of your thighs in thestart position.

CAUTIONMoving yourhands too closetogether can beuncomfortable,increase shoul-der impinge-ment and pushthe elbows toofar forward atthe top, limit-ing your rangeof motion andreducing barcontrol.

BREATHExhale as youreach the upper-most position.

EZ-BarUprightRow

150 M&F BOOK OF EXERCISES

SU

BS

TIT

UT

IO

NS

GoodSmith

machine

upright row

BetterDumbbell

upright row

EZ-bar cable

upright row

BestBarbell

upright row

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[A]

[B]

>> This less-common version of the lateral raisealmost entirely eliminates body english, which oftencreeps into the standing raise. Use it to better isolateyour middle delts or if you have low-back problems.>> Begin your delt workout with an overhead pressingmovement, then hit each of the three delt heads with

isolation exercises like this one. Include other single-jointmoves for the rear and front delts to complete your workout.>> Choose a weight that allows you to do at least 10 reps withgood form. Isolation work typically isn’t done with veryheavy weights in a low-rep training zone; instead, go a littlelighter to pump and burn the muscle.

MOVEMENT Raise the weightsout to your sides ina wide arc, keepingyour elbows justabove the level ofyour hands.

TIP | Don’t allowyour hands tomove above yourelbows or open andclose the bend inyour elbows, bothof which reducethe effectivenessof the exercise.

ANGLES Bring the weights to aboutshoulder level — lifting higher beginsto tax your traps more than yourdelts. Go too heavy and you’ll bendyour elbows more and limit how highyou can raise the weights.

POSITION Sit upright on aflat bench withyour chest out,back archedand feet spacedfor balance.

TIP | Youneed the weightsto clear yourthighs at the bot-tom; if your legsget in the way ofyour range ofmotion, bringthem in closer.

GRIP Grasp the dumbbells with a neutral(palms-in) grip, thumbs wrapped around the barsfor better control. Your arms should be straightwith just a slight bend in the elbows.

TIP | It’s critical that you lock your elbows into avery small angle throughout the range of motion.

FORMKeep your headin the neutralposition, facingforward.

SU

BS

TIT

UT

IO

NS Good

Machine

lateral raise

BetterCable

lateral raise

BestStanding

dumbbell

lateral raise

Book of Exercises | DELTS

M&F BOOK OF EXERCISES 149

BREATHExhale as you reach thetop position and hold it fora count before releasing.

Seated DumbbellLateral Raise

TIP | Althoughthis version ofthe lateral raisereduces yourability to cheat,it’s still possible.Don’t allow yourbody to rockback and forthduring the rep.

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