Are you training your front delts? If not, then you should be. Whether you want to look aesthetically pleasing or you wish to increase your performance in fitness, strengthening your front delts can help you achieve your goals. In this article, we have narrowed down our pick of the top 7 front delt shoulder workouts that you should be incorporating into your workout routine. But first, what are the front delts?
Anatomy of the Deltoids
The deltoids (delts) are the large triangular-shaped skeletal muscles in the shoulders that shield and steady the shoulder joint. The primary function of these muscles is to lift the arms in all different directions including the front, side, and back. Tendons attach the base of the delt to the scapula and clavicle bones and the point of the delt attaches to the humorous.
The delts are divided into three different sections:
- Anterior (Front) Delt
- Lateral (Side) Delt
- Posterior (Back) Delt
The front delts connect to the clavicle and assist other muscles in moving the arm forward such as when you reach for something off a shelf. The side delt is responsible for helping you move your arm out to the side such as when doing jumping jacks. The back delt is responsible for assisting with moving your arms backward such as when throwing a ball.
Benefits of Building the Front Delts
There are many benefits to building up the front delts such as reducing the risk of injury. The shoulders are able to freely move in all different directions. This means that they are at a higher risk of injury than other joints. Building strength in the front delts will help to stabilize the shoulders and prevent injuries that require a long and difficult recovery period.
Additionally, building strength in the front delts can help with back delt hypertrophy. This means bigger shoulders and improved performance when utilizing compound movements like the overhead press and other pushing exercises.
3 Front Delt Exercises
Decline Pushups
This exercise is an excellent option for those who don’t have any weights or simply prefer to use body weight instead. To perform this exercise, grab a bench or a chair that is not too high off the ground. Place your hands on the floor just like a traditional pushup, but a bit wider than shoulder-width apart.
Then, place your feet on the bench or chair behind you so that your body is parallel to the ground. Tightening your core and with your back straight, lower yourself to the floor in a slow and controlled motion, but do not drop your hips. Pause at the bottom for a moment and push off the ground to bring yourself to your beginning position.
This can be done in sets of 5 with 10 reps per set or as many as you are able to. As you get stronger you can increase by one rep every workout until you are able to do the full 10 reps per set.
Dumbbell Front Raise
This is one of the most common exercises to train the front delts and for good reason. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced fitness trainer, anyone can utilize this tried and true exercise. Grab two dumbbells with your desired weight and give it a go.
To perform this exercise, you simply stand in a comfortable position with your back straight and dumbbells in hand down at your waist. Then, with your elbows bent just a bit, bring up your arms out in front of you so that they are parallel to the ground. They should not surpass your shoulders. Pause at the top for just a moment, then lower them back down to your waist in a controlled movement.
Repeat this movement 8-12 times, take a break, then repeat this exercise for 3-4 sets.
Kettlebell Upright Row
For this exercise, grab the kettlebell you wish to use and hold it in front of you griping the sides of the handle. Raise it up close to your body with your elbows still to your sides. Once you’re at about shoulder height pause, then lower the kettlebell down to the beginning position.
This should be repeated with 8-15 reps and 4-5 sets.
Conclusion
If you are not already training your front delts, then you could be missing out on some really great benefits to your fitness goals. The front delts help to stabilize the shoulders and strengthening them can help to prevent injury on top of looking aesthetically pleasing. Give a few of these exercises a try and propel your fitness goals even further.
