If you want to improve the appearance of your upper body in a hurry, there are probably no more important movements than side exercises.
The deltoids—the muscles that lift, rotate, and hinge your arms—are visible from almost any angle and look like halved coconuts on your arms and shoulders when they’re well developed. Strong side gussets create dramatic detail on your upper arm, chest and upper back, giving a rounded shape to your screaming silhouette, Yes, I work out.
That’s a lot of bang for your buck for a single piece of muscle. Here’s how to develop them.
Anatomy of shoulder muscles
Although we often think of it as a single joint, the shoulder is made up of multiple joints:
- glenohumeral joint, the main ball and socket joint that connects your upper arm and torso
- acromioclavicular joint, between your collarbone and shoulder blade
- Thoracic joint, between your shoulder blade and ribcage
- sternoclavicular joint, between your sternum and collarbone
All of these multisyllabic structures contribute to the exceptional mobility of the shoulder joint, which allows your arm to move in virtually any direction.
The triceps deltoid is responsible for much of this movement, with each individual head responsible for moving the upper arm in a specific direction.
The anterior (front) deltoid
The anterior deltoid runs from the outer edge of your collarbone to a point on the outside of your upper arm called deltoid tuberculosis, a few inches below your shoulder joint. Like the other two heads of the muscle, its main function is bending – move your hand forward.
Stand up straight and raise your arm forward and up. This is your anterior deltoid at work.
The posterior (posterior) deltoid
The posterior deltoid originates from the outer edge of the upper edge of your shoulder blade and connects to the deltoid condyle. Its main role is arm extensionor by moving your arm back behind your body.
If you raise your arm in front of you until it’s parallel to the ground, palm down, and then draw a wide arc out to the side and behind you, that’s the main action of the rear deltoid.
The lateral (lateral) deltoid
From the acromion, the bony point at the top of each shoulder where the lateral deltoid originates, the lateral lip extends down the middle of the upper arm and attaches, like the anterior deltoid, to the deltoid condyle.
As its name suggests, the lateral deltoid kidnappings arm, raising it directly to the side. Since lateral abduction — lateral lift — is also a component of overhead pressing and horizontal abduction, the lateral deltoid also assists the anterior deltoid in overhead pressing movements and the posterior deltoid in many reverse fly movements.
He is the muscle in the middle, always ready to help the other delts.
Benefits of Lateral Delt Exercises
The side cavities may be small—perhaps the size and shape of three fingers—but their contribution to the health, function, and appearance of your upper body is huge.
1. Improved shoulder function
Most people—including many fitness enthusiasts—have front deltoids and upper chest that are disproportionately strong compared to their side and rear deltoids.
This may be due to our tendency to overemphasize pushing movements (bench presses, lunges, etc.) for the chest and shoulders at the expense of pulling movements (rows, dips, etc.) for the back. This imbalance can lead to a number of problems, including limited mobility and poor function.
Emphasizing lateral and posterior deltoid development along with working the anterior deltoid can help restore balance to this muscle group, making you more flexible and nimble in lunges and overhead presses.
2. More power
If the muscles on one side of a joint are significantly stronger than those on the other, the joint can lose its stability, which reduces its strength.
By developing the lateral grooves along with the often dominant front deltoids and upper chest, you will help stabilize the shoulder, allowing it to express more power in overhead pressing movements. Over time, this means more muscle for the entire deltoid – front, side and back.
3. Improved silhouette
The lateral deltoids give your upper body a wider, more muscular look that’s immediately apparent when you walk into a room, even when you’re fully clothed.
Visually, that extra inch of shoulder width can make the waist appear smaller by comparison, emphasizing the tapered V shape—broad shoulders and back and narrow waist—that’s the hallmark of fit people and bodybuilders.
8 Best Lateral Delt Exercises
If you are interested in increasing and strengthening your side rings, these are the best exercises to do it.
1. Side cable lift
- Attach a “D” handle to the carabiner on a cable machine and select a light weight on the stack.
- Holding the handle in your left hand, stand with your right shoulder facing the machine with your right foot forward and the toe of your left foot on the heel of your right foot, as if walking on a tightrope.
- Hold the cable machine upright with your right hand and lean your body to the left, keeping your shoulders and hips square. This is your starting position.
- Keeping your right arm straight and the palm of your left hand facing down, slowly lift the D handle out to the left side until your arm is parallel to the floor.
- Hold the top position for a moment, reverse the movement, return to the starting position and repeat for reps on both sides.
2. Lateral Dumbbell Raise
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a pair of dumbbells at arm’s length at your sides, palms facing in.
- Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, raise your arms directly out to the sides until they reach shoulder height (your palms should be facing down at the top of the movement).
- Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.
3. Resistance band lateral raise
- Stand in the middle of a band and place each hand on a handle. Brace your core and hold the band in place with your foot.
- Raise the band sideways to shoulder level and hold for a moment before returning to start.
4. Resistance band face pull
- Anchor a resistance band to a fixed point several inches above your head.
- Facing the anchor point, grab the belt with an overhand grip, keeping your hands about six inches apart.
- Step back from the anchor point with your arms extended in front of you until you feel tension in the belt.
- Keeping your back straight and elbows up, pull the band toward your face, stopping once the band reaches your nose.
- Slowly reverse the movement to return to the starting position and repeat for reps.
5. Standing row
- Stand holding a pair of dumbbells at arm’s length in front of your waist, palms facing you.
- Slowly raise the weight in front of your torso, keeping it close to your body, until your elbows reach shoulder height.
- Pause, then reverse the movement, lowering the weights back to the starting position.
6. Arnold type
- Hold two dumbbells in front of your chest with your palms facing your body, keeping your elbows close to your body. This is your starting position.
- Press the dumbbells overhead, rotating your palms out so that when you reach the top position, they are facing away from your body.
- Reverse the movement to lower the dumbbells down, curling your arms so your palms face your body, and repeat.
7. Military press
- Set up an incline bench so your back is vertical and sit on the seat, holding two heavy dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing forward.
- Slowly press the dumbbells up until your arms are straight.
- Lower your arms back to your shoulders and repeat.
8. Callahan type
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Raise your arms up to court position: arms parallel to the ground and in line with your shoulders, elbows bent at 90 degrees, palms facing forward, and hands facing the ceiling. This is the starting position.
- Bring your forearms in front of you and turn your palms toward each other. Then reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
- Press the weights directly above your shoulders, then reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
- Repeat this sequence for reps.
Tips for Side Delt Exercises
To get the most out of your side jobs, follow these tips.
1. Don’t overexert them
The lateral deltoid is a part of a major muscle group and is stimulated whenever you perform push-ups or sets of any kind, so they don’t need a lot of isolation work.
Three or four sets of two exercises per week is enough for most people. After you’ve been working out for six months or more, shoot for a total of 10 to 20 sets for your delts per week. Either way, keep your reps to eight or more per set.
2. Combine them with a comprehensive training program
You can work your deltoids as part of a full-body program (where you perform about three sessions a week, each hitting all the major muscles) or as part of a split system (where you break your body into different muscle groups and work them on different days of the week).
3. Train them first in your workouts
Whether you’re training full-body or splits, if your delts are a priority, work them first in a routine, especially if you’re working your chest in the same workout.
4. Maintain proper form
Here are some form tips to keep in mind when performing lateral delt exercises:
- Stand tall with your head in a neutral position as you perform deltoid movements. Do not push your head forward as you perform each repetition.
- Keep your elbows slightly bent and your palm facing down in all side raises.
- Perform the eccentric — or lowering — portion of all deltoid exercises slowly and under control.
- Do a full stretch at the bottom of each exercise.
- Focus on creating a strong mind-muscle connection throughout the lateral movements of the deltoid. feel the muscles working and eliminate all swing and cheating.
- Do not overload the lateral deltoid exercises. Instead, focus on perfect execution at a moderate to slow pace.
