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Strong shoulders a good sign of confidence, posture, fitnessDate: 21.05.2007
Posted by: Anabolic Info Team United States
Shoulders have always been a sign of strength and security, and well-developed ones present an image of confidence, not to mention good posture.
In this first part of a two-part series, we will discuss the aesthetics of the shoulder. Weight training is used to isolate certain muscles, and a good personal trainer can determine which exercises and muscles a client needs to focus on to achieve symmetry of the physique.
Well-developed shoulders can make your waist and hips appear smaller. I call this "illusion building,” since bodybuilding is a scary term for some people. The illusion of a more-tapered physique — a tight, sleek, tapered body — is what most people would like.
The shoulders are actually deltoids, which consist of three separate heads that perform three distinct movements. They are also used for stability of the upper arms when performing a basic arm curl, for example. The three heads of the deltoids are the anterior (front), medial (side) and the posterior (back) portions of the shoulder. Many times, weight lifters simply train what they see in the mirror: the front and side deltoids.
The often-neglected posterior deltoid is responsible for extending the shoulder behind the body, such as reaching behind or rowing. The key is that the upper arm is extended beyond the side of the body toward the rear. The posterior deltoid is an assister in exercises such as pull-ups, rows and lat pull-downs. It is also useful for stability of the shoulder when performing movements such as a bench press or push-up.
The side deltoids help the width of the shoulder. If you stand with your arms at your sides and then raise them to the sides until your arms are parallel to the floor, much like a bird flapping its wings, that is abduction. This is the movement in which the shoulder can be vulnerable to injury. Exercises such as side lateral raises should be performed with caution, especially when bad shoulder joints are involved.
The front delt is responsible for flexion of the shoulder, which is raising your arm straight out in front. It also assists the pec in movements such as the bench press. Many times, if enough pectoral exercises are performed, there is little need to overemphasize the front delt because it receives plenty of work indirectly. The posterior delt, however, needs additional emphasis.
To ensure a balanced body, do not neglect all three parts of your shoulders. If you work out but have rounded, slumped shoulders, you are probably overtraining your front delts and undertraining your rear delts, which help pull your shoulders back.
In my next column (scheduled to run in two weeks), Dr. Calvin Johnson of Oklahoma Sport Sciences and Orthopaedics will help give us a closer look at the shoulder joint and rotator cuff.
Brian Attebery is a degreed and certified trainer. He owns and operates Results Fitness and Nutrition Center in Edmond.
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