Is this exercise bad for my shoulder? #Fitness #Health #Seattle

The deltoid

Shoulder injuries are very common with sports and exercise.    2 out of 3 people will experience a shoulder injury or problem at some point in their lives.  Deltoid exercises are very common with many who lift weights, however, the anterior deltoid normally gets most of the attention.  The deltoid actually consists of 3 main heads: the anterior, middle, and posterior.  Imbalance in the 3 heads of the deltoid can lead to injuries.  A study conducted by the University of Wisconsin LaCrosse evaluated proper deltoid exercises to see which were most effective.

To determine which exercises are most beneficial for activating shoulder muscles, researchers compiled a list of the 10 exercises most often performed by both recreational lifters and athletes and most commonly prescribed by trainers.

• Barbell upright row

• Battling ropes

• Bent-arm lateral raise, great for the medial deltoids

• Cable diagonal raises

• Dips

• Dumbbell front raise

• Dumbbell shoulder press, tops in training for the anterior deltoids

• Push-ups

• Seated rear lateral raise, excellent for the posterior deltoids

• 45-degree incline row, excellent for the medial and posterior deltoids

Following the testing these exercises on 16 athletes, researchers compiled and evaluated the data.  The conclusions were:

• For targeting the anterior deltoid, the dumbbell shoulder press elicited significantly higher muscle activation than any other exercise tested.

• For the medial deltoid, two exercises came out on top: the 45-degree incline row and the bent-arm lateral raise.

• For the posterior deltoid, researchers found that the seated rear lateral raise and the 45-degree incline row both provided the greatest muscle activation for the back of the shoulder. 

My Take

For the most high yield workout, you are best served starting with weakest rear deltoid with either the 45-degree incline row or the seated rear lateral raise followed by the dumbbell shoulder press to target the front of the shoulders.

Exercise is very important both physically and mentally, but always needs to be done the right way.  I hope that this info will add to your workouts.