If you're looking to develop an impressive, muscular physique, well-developed shoulders are an absolute must. Thick, round "cannon ball delts" will make your upper body appear wide and powerful and will help immensely in creating the v-tapered look that all bodybuilders strive for.
Many serious lifters will argue that underneath clothes, muscular shoulders make the greatest contribution toward the overall appearance of the upper body.The shoulder is a 3-headed muscle that performs the function of lifting and rotating the arm. It consists of the anterior region (the front), the medial region (the middle) and the posterior region (the rear).
These heads can be stimulated in the gym using two different movements: an overhead press and a raise.The following routine is designed for overall development of the deltoids and trapezius muscles. Although very basic, it is a foolproof way to get freaky development up top. There isn't a single lift out there that can match the incredible shoulder-stimulating effect of a basic overhead pressing movement.
They also place a greater amount of total stress on the shoulder region in comparison to the barbell, which shifts some of the stress to the upper chest. I would recommend using the seated overhead dumbbell press as your core shoulder movement.
Grab a pair of dumbbells and sit on a bench with a vertical back support. Press the dumbbells overhead until your elbows are just short of locking out, and then lower them back to shoulder level.After that, you have to work with side lateral raise, which can also be performed with a pair of dumbbells.
Side lateral raises primarily develop the medial head (side delt) of the deltoid. Stand upright with your feet planted firmly on the ground about shoulder width apart and with your knees slightly bent. With a dumbbell in each hand, let your arms hang in front of your body with the palms facing each other. Using your shoulders, lift your arms up and out away from your body until your hands are at shoulder level or slightly higher.
Most people perform far too much work on their shoulders and actually hinder their gains as a result. Because of this I typically do not recommend that you perform isolation exercises for the anterior and posterior heads. The anterior heads are heavily stressed during all chest pressing movements while the posterior heads are hit equally hard on all rowing movements for the back. A couple of extra sets won't hurt, but you should try to minimize the volume as much as you can.
The key to massive shoulders is quality, not quantity.Here is a sample shoulder routine that you can use:
Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press - 2 sets of 5-7 reps.
Standing Dumbbell Side Laterals - 1-2 sets of 10-12 reps.
Standing Front Dumbbell Raise - 1 set of 10-12 reps.
Seated Rear Lateral Dumbbell Raise - 1 set of 10-12 reps.
Bodybuilding exercise for the shoulders are a key to widening the shoulders. Increasing the shoulders' width is the most crucial stepping stone to make them appear broader. All sets should be taken to complete muscular failure where no additional reps can be completed using proper form, if you do that you'll be watching results after a few weeks.
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