It might come as a surprise to you, but your anterior deltoids (aka front deltoids) are the biggest of the three deltoid heads If you train the muscles hard enough, they can be at least 5 times larger than those who live a sitting lifestyle. That's a lot of growth potential. The front deltoids hold this potential because they play a vital role in
numerous complex upper body movements. The front deltoids are activated
during all pressing exercises, which includes push ups, bench press and overhead presses. This is because your front delts help to power shoulder flexion, which any pressing exercise involves. In essence, whenever you lift your arms then your front delts will be operating.
To help you to fully realize your anterior delt strength front delt exercises and growth potential, we put together this front hypertrophy and strength guide for delts which contains everything you should know about front delts. We will cover the anatomy and roles of the deltoids, how to determine if your anterior delts require more attention or are weak, the best exercises and stretching exercises for the anterior deltoids techniques for training, and tips for programming to ensure you get the
best possible shoulder development.
Without further delay now, let's get started (it's quite long which is why we suggest you mark this
web page as a bookmark and return to it as often as you like).
Note Anterior delts as well as front delts mean the exact same thing
(anterior refers to "situated on the front") So don't get confused
because we'll be using both terms interchangeably throughout the course
of this article.
SHOULD I TRAIN FRONT DELTS?
It's not about whether you do front delts training or not, but should you be doing isolation exercisesthat focus on the front delts, because there is no doubt that you need to train those delts in the front. Doing nothing to train the front delts
is like not training or working any other muscle.
The reason that this question gets asked is because the front delts are the main mover
during overhead presses and they are very active when you bench press
(especially the incline press) which is something that every good
training program should include. The same applies to handstands, push ups and pike-based push ups, for those who train only with body weight.
So, the issue is: do these exercises provide enough full development of the
front delts ? Or do you need to perform more exercises in isolation?
The answer is that it's up to you. ....
Are your front delts insufficiently developed and weak, or are they too developed and overactive?
If the former is your situation, then doing isolated exercises after
completing the big press exercises can provide the targeted boost that
they need.
If that's the case then you'll be able to skip out on isolation exercises for your front delts, stick to the big compound
presses, and start doing more middle and rear delt work.
Note: The primary reason why people perform front delt isolation
exercises is for goals of hypertrophy (aesthetics and definition), as
overall strength must be maintained with the major presses.
Butlet's take this more deeply, because it's difficult to know if your front delts are weak...
BEST REP RANGES & LOAD:
How many repetitions you must consider isn't a matter of taking into
consideration for load. Therefore, when you discuss one, be sure to make
reference to the other.
To understand the best exercise and load program is to be aware about the fibers within the anterior deltoids.
The anterior deltoids are made up from an even mix of fast and slow muscles.
In simplest terms, this means that they'll react slightly better to
heavier weight for light and moderate reps (i.e. 3-10 reps), but also
lighter weight during high reps (10-15 reps) is also effective.
The weight load must challenge you (bring you to failure or close to failure) within the set rep ranges.
As we all know, overhead presses, incline pressing, and back raises are
the best exercises for the front delts. Let's consider these in relation
to reps and load.
Incline press and overhead press are the best to build strength in the anterior delts. They are most effective in the 3-12 rep range. 3-6 reps using HEAVY weight and 6-12 using mediumly heavier weight.
Front raises are generally more effective with moderate or light weight for moderately to high reps. That's 8-15 reps. They are difficult to attain true failure as in you literally can't make another rep. It's because it's very easy to cheat. In essence, you want
to choose a load that feels like you feel the "burn" on the last several reps, while maintaining good form.
It is important to remember that proper form is important on both presses and raises so
that you're working the front delts instead of that compensating
(cheating) by using force or other muscles.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU TRAIN FRONT DELTS?
When you ask how often to train your front deltoids be aware of both the amount and frequency of training per week.
VOLUME & FREQUENCY:
Ideally, you should get your front delts working with roughly 10-12 sets each
week, which is divided into three or four sessions. For more advanced
trainees it is possible that the number of sets could need to be more,
around 10+ sets per week.
A majority of people believe that front delts will recover more slowly. Therefore, if you intend to work them directly, you should strive for 2x per week, or at least 3
times, with the rest of 48 hours between sessions which directly are
focused on the frontdelts.
Remember that the front delts get trained with chest exercises, so when you perform too much weight directly for your front delts, you could be compromising your chest
training.
A typical example of 12 sets per week could be:
- The day of the shoulder Overhead Press x 3 sets, Arnold Press x 3 sets, Front Raises x 3 sets
- Chest day: Incline Bench Press x 3 sets
If you did that, you'd get 12 sets that are directly front delts.
This should be sufficient for most trainees.
It's important to keep in mind that, in reality the front delts receive more
stimulation than this , as they will also be stimulated by the flat
bench, push-ups flys, flat bench and other shoulder exercises, just to a
lesser degree.
19 BEST ANTERIOR DELT EXERCISES
We will break down the anterior deltoid exercises into categories just for
the sake of making it easier to digest. The categories are pressing
vertically and horizontally upright rows, front raises and bodyweight
exercises.
Because horizontal and vertical presses are the same thing, that's what workouts are supposed to start with, let's go from there.
VERTICAL PRESSES
Vertical presses indicate that you are doing a pressing motion from an upright or standing position. Your body is vertical.
1. OVERHEAD PRESS
The most common overhead press is an exercise where you push dumbbells or
barbells (although different equipment can be utilized as you will come
to discover) overhead while keeping you arms placed in lateral , lateral
position with your torso upright (vertical).
This exercise targets the three deltoids' heads and your upper chest, the triceps and serratus anterior and the upper traps. Side and front delts are the primary driving force behind the movement. Your rear delts act as an stabiliser muscle as well as other muscles such as your rhomboids or the muscles in your core. Simply put, it's a large compound workout, thus it is a great exercise for a range of muscles, however your delts on the sides and front are the primary muscles targeted.
The overhead press is an excellent exercise to begin your push-up or shoulder exercises with as it is taxing and demands more energy.
With regards to equipment you have a myriad of options like:
- Barbell
- Dumbbells
- Smith Machine
- Resistance Bands
- Kettlebells
Generally speaking, it is dumbbells or barbells that get the most attention for
overhead presses, and rightfully so. Both have their benefits. The
overhead press for dumbbells has greater stability, which stimulates the
deltoids very well and the barbell in general offers the most potential
for load.
However by looking at the research, it does show that dumbbells are the best for muscles stimulation, particularly from the standing position.
However, this doesn't mean that you have to make use of dumbbells. You should do both. Similar is true for standing and sitting overhead presses. The combination of both will provide the range you need to avoid losing returns, and also to test your muscles in different ways.
In the case of a the overhead press in its standard form in general we can see the following variations:
- Standing Barbell
- Standing Dumbbell
- Seated Barbell
- Seated Dumbbell
- Seated Smith Machine
- Standing Kettlebell
- Standing Resistance Band
It's not our intention to explain how to complete each task however, we will
show you pictures of the entire process. But first, here are the main
cues that work regardless of the situation.
Standing Overhead Press Tips:
- A broader hip width.
- Flat feet on the floor.
- Feet parallel.
- Knees are locked (this is an very strict press! ).
- Hips closed (this is a strict press! ).
- It is squeezed by the glue and then pressed into a core.
- Elbows should be about 45° from your torso. This should place your forearms in
a vertical posture in the most downward position (this will mean that your hands are slightly wider than the shoulder width). - Straightening the wrists.
- The Bar path is straight upwards (in the direction of your feet).
- Do not tilt your head back as the bar rises close to your face, but
instead pull your head inwards as if you are making an asymmetrical
chin. - Secure your grip at the top. Come in until your arms are around shoulder height (bar close to the chest, if you're using barbell).
- Seated Overhead Press Tips:
- The same goes when it comes to overhead presses seated however, your lower
body is excluded from the equation. The feet should be planted firmly
into the floor for stability and your core will be tight. - Smith Machine Overhead Press
Resistance Band Overhead Press
It is always recommended to use free weights when you want to build
muscle however, bands are great for home workouts and performing
supersetting.
2. PUSH PRESS
A Push press is a variation on an overhead press. It's exactly like overhead
presses, only you'll use your lower part of your body to help in pushing
the bar to the ceiling. In essence, it's similar to an overhead presses
that are cheats, as you will bend at the knees and hips to help push
the barbell (or kettlebells) up overhead.
The benefit of the pressing press can allow you to make use of heavier loads, and thus
increase the strength of your overheads and power.
Note: It's not enough for the front delts as an overhead press, however
it's great for your body in general, and you'll be able to meet two
needs in one action. However, we really recommend it only for
powerlifters Crossfitters, athletes , and others who are interested in
kettlebell sport. If you're primarily bodybuilding and not interested in
kettlebells, then this isn't necessary.
3. ARNOLD PRESS
An Arnold press is an exercise that presses dumbbells in a vertical
direction that pushes you through multiple levels of motion. Instead of
pressing straight upwards, you press upwards and then move your arms.
When using this Arnold press, the beginning posture will be with your palms
to the side, close to your chest and your elbows extended in front of
your body. You'll press upwards from this position . Once the dumbbells
rise, you will rotate your arms to the side in a typical overhead press,
then upwards over your head. The movement pattern is the same reversed
and to drop the dumbbells back down.
This vertical pressing exercise is excellent for both the middle and front delts, in addition
to all the other muscles that are involved in an overhead press. The
thing that makes this exercise unique when compared with the standard
overhead press from the perspective of strength and hypertrophy is it
targets your front delts in a way that is very effective. This is
because the start of the movement from the lowest point has your elbows
extended in front of your body which specifically targets shoulder
flexion. Hence, your front delts are the primary movement (with help
from your chest's upper). Also, due to the bottom range of a vertical
press being the toughest due to our natural muscle strength, it places
the focus on the front delts, which is the position which is most vital
for building strength. This makes it a better practice for vertical
presses when you consider it solely from a forward delt perspective, yet
it still offers an effective middle delt activation. Overall, it's an
excellent bang for your budget kind of exercise plus it teaches you many
different motion planes, that helps to build good coordination in
movement. There's a reason why Arnold Schwarzenegger was so fond of this
workout.
4. REVERSE GRIP PRESS
The reverse grip press is similar to the Arnold press, but you don't have
to rotate your forearms towards an overhand position as the press is
overhead. With that, your elbows will remain in a forward position and
tension will remain focused on your front the delts.
The only issue with a rear grip presse is that it aren't able to go over the top
as a result, which is why the standard overhead press still the mainstay
of front exercises for delts. That said, this can be a nice addition to
a routine for someone who would like to bring more focus to their front
delts.
5. HAMMER PRESS
The hammer press is a front delto-centric press, just like the reverse grip
press because it keeps your elbows tucked and the action is focused on
shoulder flexion (and obviously arm extension).
You can perform this exercise by alternating it or bidirectionally. Both are great.
Alternating options allow you to focus on one side at a particular time.
This can be good for fixing muscular imbalances and attracting more
members of the body's core.
The hammer grip (neutral grip) overhead press are as front-delt dominant of presses as they can get.
Make sure your elbows are tucked toward the forward direction and your
focus is on the shoulder joint.
6. LANDMINE PRESS
Landmine presses are unique due to its unique angle. It's an excellent option to
add some front delt exercise and it's perfect for your scapula stabilizer muscles.
One of the biggest advantages from the shoulder presses of landmine is the
fact that it takes away a great deal of pressure from the shoulder
joint. The best part is, it does this in a way which doesn't take away
from building strength and size as you are able to go heavy , and it
will target the front delts beautifully.
Another advantage of using the Landmine Press is it can strengthen your core too, because
you'll be pressing on just one side, so your core will be activated in
order to maintain the stability.
Note: Two handed landmine presses can be effective, but they turn the exercise into more of an upper
chest exercise with both the angle of the press as well as horizontal
adduction of your arms. However, it does target the front delts with
great success and is a great way to sort of knock out two parts at once.
7. MILITARY PRESS WITH HANGING BANDS
There's nothing to say about this exercise except it's exactly the same as the
standard military press, but with a lot more stabilization demands. With
your tension bands hang from sleeves of the barbell with a weight placed at the top the load becomes unstable, which makes it
necessary to work your muscles in a different way. Each rep requires
focus. This can lead to improved muscular activation. It also does a
wonderful job of activating the muscles of the rotator-cuff to a greater
degree.
In the end, this type of exercise could be mixed in occasionally to help you develop more resilience to injury and overall
strength by enhancing stabilization.
HORIZONTAL PRESSES
Horizontal presses mean that you're pressing from a position in which the body's
horizontal (parallel with the floor) or, that is push-ups, bench
presses.
Although incline presses lie located somewhere between horizontal and vertical presses, they fall into the horizontal category.
Horizontal presses are generally meant to focus on your pecs but the front delt is
a primary mover as well and because these workouts generally permit you
to maximize load, they're a necessity for increasing the strength of
your anterior deltoid.
Note: We won't go over what's known as the flat bench even though it's a necessity for any strength-training
program, as long as you don't have any shoulder problems when lifting (which is common with a flat bench press). A flat bench press is
excellent for the anterior delts , too however it's more concentrated on
the pec major. Instead of going through the many variations of bench press and the fact that there are many that are available, we'll stick to those that work the front delts the most.
8. INCLINE BENCH PRESS
The aim of the bench press with an incline is to focus on the upper head in
the pec. However, as you are aware the upper head as well as the front
delt are both used in pressing exercises, so you'll also be working your
front delts in a significant way using an incline press, specifically
if you use a 45@ incline.
The benefit of using the incline press is that you can also go heavy. In this way, not only is it able to
activate the front delt significantly as well, but it also allows the
press to be placed under the greatest load. It's most likely the
largest, front delt-focused workout that you can do.
9. CLOSE GRIP FLAT BENCH PRESS
The close grip bench lets your hands reach around shoulder width, which
keeps your elbows tucked to your side. This means that the exercise is
all about shoulder flexion and elbow extension rather than shoulder
flexion, elbow extension along with horizontal abduction. This means that the close grip flat bench press targets the anterior deltoid,
which is the upper portion of the pec major, as well as the triceps. In
other words, if you're looking focus on your front delts a little more
focus while simultaneously working other important muscles like your
triceps, you can include this exercise into your chest workouts. It's a
smart method to make your workouts more efficient.
10. REVERSE GRIP INCLINE BENCH PRESS
Similar to the close-grip bench press the reverse grip targets shoulder
flexion. As such it is more front delt - and upper chest focused. It
also makes for more range of motion at the elbows, which results in
greater tricep flexion. The reverse grip bench press is an effective
movement for your Biceps.
In the end it's a great exercise that fills a lot of requirements - focusing on your arms, shoulders and
chest, then the reverse grip is an excellent option. It's generally
easier on the shoulder than close grip bench presses making it an
excellent alternative for some people.
11. HAMMER PRESS
It's the same concept with the hammer press. The grip positions your elbows
near your sides so the movement is solely based on shoulder flexion.
This is why, like the reverse grip as well as the close grip bench press
the hammer press or bench press with neutral grip puts emphasis on your
anterior chest and triceps.
12. FLOOR PRESS
Most of the time, the reason to use floor presses doesn't come because they
don't have access to a bench, but rather to make use of the last
distance of motion for the bench press. With floor presses it is
possible to address issues with lockouts and stuck points. With regards
to the front delt, this upper range of movement is front delt dominant
which means that the front delt will take on the brunt of the work.
If you want more information about horizontal presses with clear instructions on how to use them read our guide to press presses on the bench.
FRONT RAISES
While side raises also hit the front delts , since the front delts are
involved during shoulder abduction. we will stick to front raises and
the variations to it as it's only applicable to the anterior delts, and
that's what this article is all about.
13. FRONT RAISES
This is a fundamental anterior delt isolation workout, or at the very least
as isolated as it can be given that the upper head of the pec major has
an effect on shoulder extension.
It's a single joint movement, meaning that movement takes place only at the joint of your shoulder.
The only way to describe that movement includes shoulder extension.
Therefore, your elbow will stay fixed as you lift your arm upwards.
There are many variations of this front lift. You can use different training
variables like grip position the body's position, grip, and load
position as well as different equipment. We will show you several of the
best variations However, first, let's look through how to perform the
standard front raise with dumbbells. This is the most common version.
How to do a standing front raise:
- Grab a pair of dumbbells by placing two in your hands. Keep them in your hands using an overhand grip.
- Stand with your feet about an inch apart, and your feet straight forward.
- Position the dumbbells just in front of your thighs with your arms extended to the max (a slight bend in your elbow is fine).
- Make sure you are standing up straight. Your shoulder blades should be lowered and back so that your shoulders are fully loaded.
- Lift both hands up simultaneously while keeping your elbow fixed. Lift your
arm until it is parallel to your floor (arm straight with hand at around
shoulders height). - Make sure to hold the position for a minute before slowly lowering your arms until they are just front of your
thighs then repeat. - Note It's not necessary to lift more than shoulder height and this exercise should be performed with
lighter weight and greater the number of repetitions (light weight is
also more secure in terms of the possibility of injury).
The most commonly used variation of this is single arm dumbbells front
raised (or alternate) which lets you concentrate on one part at a given
time and require a little more core work.
The front raise can also be done from a sitting position with your arms directly at your sides as well.
Let's discuss some of the training variables for front raises here...
Equipment for Front Raises:
Although dumbbells are the most commonly used equipment for front raises, it is
possible to be performed using an EZ Bar kettlebells, bands, cable
pulley machines, or even just a weighted plate.
Here's an example of a...
Cable Pulley Front Raise
Resistance Band Front Raise
Plate Front Raises
Each of the equipment work and offer an atypical activation, which is why it's best to switch things around.
Grip for Front Raises:
You have three options to choose your grip position:
- Overhand
- Underhand
- Neutral
Overhand grip emphasizes your front delts and middle delts.
Underhand places emphasis on your front delts as well as your upper chest.
Neutral grip tends to be focussed on the front of the delt.
Body Position for Front Raises:
The most common body positions for front raises are standing, seated up straight, standing incline and the incline of prone.
Standing vs. Seated Front Rakes: Both are highly effective and quite
like. However, standing puts you in a biomechanically favorable position
so you can likely make use of a bit heavier of a weight.
In the case of seated incline front raises, it can activate your pecs and
the prone slope (as you'll see below) will bring your back and middle
delts into focus.
Load Position for Front Raises:
Based on the position of your body You can adjust the load's position.
For instance, when performing front raises while seated The load will be
further to your right than with standing (although it is also possible
to put the weight on your side when standing). You can also bring the
weight closer to your centerline, through either holding both hands on a
dumbbell, or using a tight to gripping the an EZ Bar or simply doing front raises with plates with weights.
As your fingers are closer, the more your chest will be involved and the
further away they are from each other, the stronger your side delts will
be.
Of course the body, grip, and load placement can be mixed and matched, as shown in these exercises:
Close Grip Front Raise
Seated Incline Underhand Grip Front Raise
Standing Underhand Front Raise
Alternating Front Raise
Close Grip Prone Incline Front Raise
14. BATTLE ROPES
Battle ropes are an all body condoning tool. However, they are a great way to
strengthen the deltoids because of their nature of design and function.
Essentially, when doing combat rope exercises, you perform both
conditioning as well as deltoid exercise (hypertrophy as well as
endurance).
The best exercises to use a battle rope for front delts will be the ones in which you perform shoulder flexion.
They're basically akin to dynamic front raises, which is why we've
included them in the front raise category.
The most popular illustration is the classic war rope.
Include this exercise between the sets to truly tame your front delts while
keeping your heart rate up or make it a finishing exercise after a
shoulder workout to ensure exhaustion to the delts.
Research has shown that the use of battle ropes provides around 50% MVC (maximum
voluntary contraction) for the anterior delts. This is a significant
amount considering that front raises only around 58%, and DB shoulder is
around 74%.
UPRIGHT ROWS
Most people associate upright rows as the best way to hitting their side delts and traps on the upper side
(as as their rear delts). It is, however, an effective workout for
front delts.
15. UPRIGHT ROWS
Upright rows are typically done with dumbbells or EZ bars However, they may
also be done with a smith machine Olympic bars, or straight bar using a
cable pulley machine or the resistance band.
Deltoid Muscle Activation for Upright Rows:
- Front Delts (33% MVC - Maximum Voluntary Contraction)
- Side Delts (73% MVC)
- Rear Delts (31% MVC)
What this means is the upright row is an extremely worthy exercise for the
muscles of the deltoids in general. It is the best way to get your
deltoids active at your side delts, but your front delts as well as rear
delts are also going to get an excellent amount of stimulation. The
result is one most complete deltoid workouts. This is yet another
illustration of how you can ensure that your workouts are effective and
efficient.
We suggest adding this at the conclusion of the exercise to crush all three heads and give those in the middle delts
more importance they merit, as the mid delts are typically the hardest
to area to hit effectively.
Does a straight row good for shoulders?
Upright rows can get a unpopular reputation because they may cause shoulder
pain, however, this is only if you're doing them with a too tight the
grip. If your shoulders are comfortable, you can do them at a moderate
pace with any grip size however if you're dealing with some joint
problem you can simply choose a wide grip and you should enjoy some discomfort-free upright row growth of the deltus.
BODYWEIGHT
If the fact that you're not able to access to gym facilities or free
weight machines doesn't mean you can't hit the front delts properly.
Standard push-ups give 48 percent MVC. This means they're quite effective in
targeting the front delts. Get your feet off of a platform (decline
push-ups) and your MVC will increase.
Thus, decline push ups is a good option However, here are couple of other specific exercises for the front delts using bodyweight...
16. PIKE PUSH UPS
The pike push-up is a one of the most challenging push-up variations (yes
it's more difficult than a regular push up!). The body's position puts
focus the muscles of the deltoids (especially those in the front) and
triceps muscles, along with your back, upper and serratus anterior.
The higher your feet and the more your torso gets perpendicular with the
floor, the more shoulder flexion is achieved and the more strenuous it
will be.
17. HANDSTANDS
Handstands can be compared to overhead presses the same way that push-ups are to
the bench press. It is the bodyweight variant of the overhead press.
The most notable difference is that handstands can be more difficult than push-ups, especially when you do handstand push-ups.
For those who are new to the sport, do handstands , and then hold it for 10 to 20 seconds. They are an isometric exercise that is an excellent way to build strength in your arms, shoulders, the chest and upper back.
When you have gained strength, you can begin handstand push ups. Naturally,
they are difficultdue to the fact that you're using your body weight as
to be a weight. In other words, if your weight is 200 pounds, it's the
same as doing an overhead press of 200lbs. A majority of people won't be
able to do them although if you are able to do a few repetitions, it'll
be beneficial.
18. CHEST DIPS
The chest dip (aka the parallel dip) is an excellent exercise for your pec major
but it also works the anterior delts (along with other muscles)
extremely well. A study from ACE suggests that dips offer 41% MVC. This
is just below push ups. This relatively high degree of muscle activation
is quite logical when considering the movements involve shoulder
flexion as well as elbow extension.
If you do go to the gym, we recommend taking Chest dips. It's a great all-around compound movement.
Note: If you don't have dip bars, simply put up chairs and do dips in-between them.
19. TRICEP DIPS
The last workout we've got to offer you is the dip in the triceps. Like the
chest dip, it involves a degree of shoulder flexion. So it's likely to
stimulate your anterior deltoid pretty well. Not as good as chest dips,
but certainly an excellent addition to any push workout, at home or at
the gym.
CONCLUSION:
Your front delts are the biggest shoulder muscle and play a role in many
compound lifts, ranging from push-ups to overhead press to bench press
which includes the various variations on these workouts.
Therefore, they tend not to be an area that needs too any extra attention as in
the event that you're exercising your large compound pushing exercises.
However, it is always beneficial to be aware of the most effective
exercises to practice to ensure full development of the muscle head
(especially as you become more experienced). Also, to assist you design a
workout plan that is effective and efficient.
And, keep in mind that these are the best exercises for the front delts
- The Overhead Press
- The Incline Press
- The Front Raise
- The Push Up
- The Dip
- The Upright Row
If you're concerned that your anterior delts may be lagging in terms of
strength and development, be sure to include these exercises into your
workout plan and play around with the variations as you see fit. Be sure
to make the best decision when deciding on your workout program and the
results will be amazing.
