When it comes to building muscular and good-looking physique then one of the most important things is to build big and broad shoulders. Main elements of V-taper are boulder shoulders, wide lats, and a small waist. That means that you can build a well-balanced figure without developing your shoulders.
How to build a big set of shoulders? Choose the right workout and also consume enough healthy calories to make them grow. Also, try to avoid the mistake that many lifters make and don't only focus on the middle head of deltoid. The shoulder is three-headed muscle and it consists of anterior, middle, and rear heads of the muscle. Every head is important, don't neglect any of them.
FORCE YOUR SHOULDERS TO GROW:
It is very important to follow the progressive overload, so don't just lift the same weight on every shoulders day, you need to force your shoulder muscles to grow so add more weight, or add more reps. But don't go over 12 reps, that won't help you in building muscle mass. Stay between 8 - 12 reps, which is the best rep range for muscle hypertrophy.
Another way to force your shoulders to grow is to mix your workouts every time. Don't let your muscles to adapt to the same exercises and weights over and over. Make some changes from time to time, shock your muscles. Make your shoulders don't know what is coming.
BEST EXERCISES TO BUILD BIGGER SHOULDERS:
1. Barbell Military Press
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| Seated Military Press |
You can perform barbell military presses by standing or seating on a bench. This is the best exercise for building big shoulders. It targets all three heads of shoulders.
How to perform it: Grab a barbell and push it upwards then slowly bring the barbell down while inhaling. Keep your back straight through the process.
2. Side Lateral Raise
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| Standing Side Lateral Raise |
One of the best exercises for widening your shoulders. Try not to use momentum and swing the weights, focus on a good form while performing lateral raises.
How to perform it: Hold dumbbells in each hand at the side of your body and lift them up while slightly arching your back. Return dumbbells to the starting position and that is the first rep.
3. Arnold Dumbbell Press
The king of the bodybuilding Arnold Schwarzenegger himself invented and popularized this exercise. You can guess how good is it by looking at his shoulders
How to perform it: Similar to classic dumbbell press but with one difference. You are starting the exercise with dumbbells in each hand and your palms facing your head and then lift dumbbells up while rotating palms of your hands until they are facing forward. Repeat the process for as many reps you want.
4. EZ Barbell Upright Row
One of the exercises that work more than one muscle joint. Great for targeting the middle delts. Upright rows are mostly performed with EZ barbell, but you can perform them with straight barbell or dumbbells too.
How to perform it: Hold a barbell with an overhand grip that is slightly less than shoulder width and hold your back straight. Exhale and use the sides of your shoulders to lift the bar up, raising your elbows up and to the side. Pause for a second and return the barbell to a starting position.
5. Rear Lateral Raises
Let's not forget about rear shoulders which are very important for a well-developed physique. Rear Lateral Raises are probably the best exercise for rear shoulders development.
How to perform it: Similar to side lateral raises but this time starting in a bent over position.
Try not to neglect any of the three shoulder heads, especially the rear shoulders which are very important for muscle balance. Neglecting rear delts can get you muscles imbalance and shoulders instability.
