The Best Exercise For Developing Thick, Rounded and Broad Shoulders

Unless you happen to work as a life guard you spend 99% of your day being seen with your shirt on, which means that your overall look is determined by your waist size and shoulder width. Small waist, large wide shoulders equals the perfect "V" that everyone notices. Everybody knows that laterals, presses and "raises" are the staples of a shoulder routine. But here is the move that turns run of the mill shoulder sessions into cannonball developing ones.

The shoulder is comprised of three major muscles, the anterior (front), medial (middle) and posterior (rear) deltoid heads. Normally the anterior delt gets far more work than the other two. This is because most every "mirror" muscle move gets an assist from this head.

Benches, bicep curls and dips all work this head of the shoulder, unavoidably, while working the intended muscle. Overhead presses works all three heads and is a mandatory move in shoulder development. The majority of width comes from the middle delt and people focus on this with laterals which is a good plan. Here's where most lifters fall short.

In isolation moves most people tend to focus on front raises and upright rows, using either dumbbells or cables. They will do rear delt work too, but the vast majority do way more front raises and laterals than rear delt work. It's a natural because these moves are hard and usually involve much lighter weight. Hard to see mass building as the result when such small weights are involved.

But imagine how your shoulders would look if the rear and back half of the medial delt got as much work and were as developed as the front. Here's the equalizing exercise to add to your Weight Lifting Routines

Go to a Smith Machine and place the bar at just below waist level. Stand in front of the bar with your feet shoulder width apart and located under the bar. Reach back and grab the bar with palms facing back. As you raise the bar lean forward (which allows the rear delt to take the majority of the load) and try and raise it as high as possible. Allow the elbows to flare out, like in a lateral. This is similar to a shrug with the difference being the length of the move. What this really is, is a front raise in the back. The awkwardness of the move is negated by the Smith machine forcing the bar travel in a straight line. You will not be able to lift the bar as high in back as you can in a front raise, but here is the real mass building benefit, you can use the same or MORE weight than on front raises. Do as many reps and sets as you do in the front or more.


Before long your rear delt will be as developed as your front (which is rare for average lifters), and the medial delt will respond to this added work and explode with growth, assuming you are fueled with the proper amounts of the best muscle building supplements [http://www.muscleandhealth.org/] and combine it with adequate amounts of rest.

Steve R. Robbins has been a life long fitness enthusiast. Has the distinction of being able to run a marathon and bench press twice his weight in the same day. All at the age of 50. Editor and regular contributor to MuscleandHealth.

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