Setting the bench at an incline during bench press enhances front delt activation.
Shoulder training in your fitness routine enhances upper body development and mobility and safeguards injury prevention. Focusing on strengthening your anterior deltoids is particularly important, as they contribute to overall shoulder mass and improve your effectiveness in various compound exercises and functional movements. The front deltoid is one of the three heads of the deltoid muscle group, alongside the rear and lateral deltoids, which collectively form the shoulders.
This article will explore the best exercises for building your front deltoid muscles, providing comprehensive insights into your deltoids and the most effective training techniques. Read on to discover more.
Overview — The Deltoid Anatomy
The delts are located at the top of your shoulders and allow you to move your arms in all directions. It consists of three muscles that take the shape of an inverted triangle and help attach the shoulder girdle to the arm:
- The Front or Anterior Delts
- The Side or Lateral Delts
- The Rear or Posterior Delts
These muscles all combine to make various movements, which include:
- Shoulder Abduction: The movement of your arm outwards and away from your body.
- Shoulder Internal Rotation: This allows you to rotate the upper arm towards the front of the torso.
- Shoulder Flexion: This allows you to bring your arm up and forward.
What Are the Front Delts?
The front delts are the largest of the three delts. They’re located in front of your shoulders and connected to your clavicle. They help your arms move forward, upward, and inward. Developing your front delts can improve your daily activities, such as reaching and pushing heavy objects.
What Exercises Works Your Front Delts?
Two major movements that are effective in activating your front delts include:
- Raise
- Press
Raise
Raises involve a lot of shoulder flexion and are excellent for targeting your front delts. Front raises are one effective raise you could use for your front delts. Raises should focus on slow and controlled movement and respond better to lighter weight and more reps.
Press
When pressing, you put the body in an incline or upright position. This results in shoulder flexion, leading to targeting the front delts. Exercises that adopt this style are overhead presses and incline bench presses.
A couple of exercises work the front delts on a secondary level. These are still effective exercises for working your front delts, even though their major focus could be other muscle groups. Here are some of them below:
- Upright Row
- Incline Row
- Lateral Raise
- Fly
The Best Front Delt Exercises
The front deltoid exercises we list are the best for developing your front deltoids. Before considering them, we examined whether they involve shoulder flexion, abduction, and internal rotation. These exercises met all the standards.
You can perform these exercises using free weights, machines, or resistance bands, depending on your preference. Using machines over free weights can help you focus on the anterior delts without recruiting stabilizing muscles, which is good for muscle growth. Here is a list of these exercises.
- Incline Bench Press
- Overhead Press
- Front Raises
- Pike Push-Up
- Arnold Press
Incline Bench Press
You do the incline bench press by lying on an incline bench and pressing the weight upward. You will primarily work your front delts if you set the weight at a 45-degree incline (1). Also, with this exercise, you can go heavy. This allows you to hit the delts better, even with the heaviest load.
How To
- Lie flat on the bench and grab the barbell with an overhand grip.
- Brace your core, lift the bar from the rack, and lower it by bending your elbows.
- Reverse the movement, straightening your elbows and lifting the bar away from your chest.
Overhead Press
Some front deltoid exercises, like the overhead press, come in different variations and are a compound movement that works multiple muscle groups. However, the front and side delts are primary movers during this exercise, a great routine for reinforcing the shoulders (2).
How To
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, keep your back straight, take the bar off the rack, and let it rest on your hands. This is your starting position.
- Take a deep breath as you raise the weights above your head in a controlled manner and pause for 2 seconds.
- Return the bar to the starting position to finish the rep.
Front Raise
The front raise is an isolation movement that primarily works the front delts and upper chest. You can do front raises with dumbbells, kettlebells, or resistance bands.
How To
- Grab a pair of dumbbells using an overhand grip.
- Raise the dumbbells and keep your arms straight until they reach your shoulder level.
- Pause for 2 seconds and return the weights slowly to the starting position.
Pike Push-Up
The pike push-up is a challenging pushup variation, even though it’s a bodyweight movement. It focuses on the front delts and triceps.
How To
- Take a plank position, embrace your core, and keep your back straight while you engage your glutes and hamstrings.
- Next, lift your hips to make a V-shape. Also, keep your arms and legs straight.
- Bend your elbows and lower your body slowly to the floor. Pause for about 2 seconds.
- Finally, push your body up till your arms and back are straight to finish the rep.
Arnold Press
The Arnold press is an exercise created and named after the legendary bodybuilder and icon Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s a variation of the dumbbell press, and you can perform it standing or seated. The Arnold press hits all three heads of delts effectively but also works the triceps, traps, chest, and core muscles.
How To
- Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with feet at shoulder-width length.
- Keep your elbows close to your waist and palms facing your shoulders like you want to do an arm curl.
- Push the dumbbells overhead without letting your elbows flare out. Rotate your wrists until your palms face you, keeping them straight.
- Pause for about 2 seconds and slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position.
Other effective shoulder workouts you can try include:
Your front deltoids contribute significantly to your shoulders’ muscle mass and strength. This guide has outlined effective front deltoid exercises to incorporate into your shoulder workouts. Witness the noticeable improvements in your deltoid definition.
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References
- Rodríguez-Ridao, D., Antequera-Vique, J. A., Martín-Fuentes, I., & Muyor, J. M. (2020). Effect of Five Bench Inclinations on the Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, and Triceps Brachii during the Bench Press Exercise. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(19), 7339. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197339
- Coratella, G., Tornatore, G., Longo, S., Esposito, F., & Cè, E. (2022). Front vs Back and Barbell vs Machine Overhead Press: An Electromyographic Analysis and Implications For Resistance Training. Frontiers in physiology, 13, 825880. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.825880
