The front shoulders, also
referred to as the front delts (or deltoids), are known in anatomy as the
anterior deltoids. The front delt head is one of three fiber groups that make up
the muscle we know as the shoulder.
Front deltoid fibers,
also known as the clavicular fibers, are nestled between the top of the
pectoral (or chest) muscles and the side delts, or lateral deltoids. The only
thing that separates the pectoralis major muscle (upper pecs) and the anterior
deltoids from being one continuous muscle mass is the cephalic vein, which is
nestled in a chiasmic space between the two fiber groups.
Press Training and Front Shoulder Stimulation
The front delts play a
major role in overhead pressing and bench pressing movements. They also are
called into play during numerous other chest, tricep and lateral shoulder
exercises.
In fact, the front delts
are often highly developed on seasoned bodybuilders and powerlifters even if
very little direct front shoulder work was performed. For this reason you
rarely see seasoned lifters performing anything more than a minimal amount of
direct front felt work.
Front
Delt Training Recommendations
If you are performing
several heavy pressing movements per week then I recommend limiting your front
delt work to one exercise per week. If you are naturally strong at the bench
press and overhead press, then it’s likely you need not perform any direct
front shoulder training at all.
On the other hand, if
your presses are extremely weak or your front delts are lagging in size, you
may want to consider targeting them with 2 exercises per week.
§ Strong Pressing –
Minimal to no direct front delt work per week.
§ Moderate Pressing Strength and Shoulder Size – One front delt exercis
e per week.
§ Weak Pressing Strength or Minimal Shoulder Size – Two front delt exercises per week.
The
Best Front Delt Exercises
Setting aside the major compound movements, such as the overhead press and bench press, these exercises are some of the best for your front delts.
§ Front
Plates Raises
§ Seated
Arnold Dumbbell Press
§ Front
Dumbbell Raise
§ Front
Cable Raise
§ Front
Dumbbell Hammer Raise
§ Front
Barbell Raise
§ Seated
Barbell Front Raise
Example
Front Delt Workouts
Some of my favorite ways
to train the front delts include rest pause training and high rep from plate
raises.
For high rep front plate
raises, simply grab a 25 or 45 pound Olympic plate and perform 25 to 100 raises
per set. 3 totals sets is plenty for this movement.
If you are curious about
rest pause front delt training, I recommend performing something like 3 to 4
sets of front dumbbell raises for 10-15 reps, using only about 15 to 20 seconds
of rest between sets. Thsi is extremely taxing and effective.
If you are only performing one front shoulder exercise per workout, and feel the need for exercise variety, you can alternate movements week in and week out. Here is one option:
If you are only performing one front shoulder exercise per workout, and feel the need for exercise variety, you can alternate movements week in and week out. Here is one option:
§ Week 1 – Front
Plate Raises – 3 sets x 50 reps
§ Week 2 – Front
Dumbbell Raise – 4 sets x 15 reps, rest-pause style
You could also choose a 3 week exercise rotation. I wouldn’t recommend rotating exercises using anything more than a 3 week cycle.
§ Week 1 – Front
Cable Raise – 4 sets x 20 reps, each arm
§ Week 2 – Front
Alternating Dumbbell Hammer Raise – 3 sets x 15 reps, rest-pause style
§ Week 3 –
Tri-Set: Front Plate Raises for 50 reps, Seated Arnold Press x 15 reps, and
Front Dumbbell Raise for 12 reps
Here is
an example two exercise front delt workout.
§ Seated
Arnold Press – 3 sets x 10-12 reps
§ Front
Plate Raises – 2 sets x 100 reps
Other
Front Shoulder Training Methods
If you’re looking for a few
interesting ways to train your front shoulders, the following proven methods
are excellent at increasing training intensity.
§ Supersets
§ Tri-sets
§ Giant
sets
§ Drop
sets
Front
Delt Training Tips
Tip #1 – The front delts are a smaller muscle group. If you work this
muscle group at all, it is best to work it after your major chest, shoulder and
tricep training is done for the day.
Tip #2 – Train for progress, not for punishment. You want your front
delts to get stronger, but you don’t want to beat the heck out of your
shoulders. Take care of them.
Tip #3 – Don’t get sloppy. Most front delt exercises are isolation
movements. Utilize reasonable and don’t get sloppy. There is no need to turn an
isolation exercise into a pseudo-compound movement just so you can add 5 pounds
to a movement.
Tip #4 – Be patient. If you are using a quality number of overhead and
bench pressing movements, your front delts will likely grow over time, and then
some. Don’t rush out and hammer them hard when it isn’t necessarily needed.
Tip #5 – If you are doing a body part split, don’t train chest and
shoulders on back to back days. Both of these training days tax the front delts
heavily. Give the front shoulders a few days off between pressing workouts.
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